Tertiary institutions worldwide are regarded as the hub of economic and sustainable national development. They transmit knowledge and nurture human minds to their optimal potential.
It is unfortunate that the long-standing problem of inadequate funding is challenging the ability of tertiary education to act as an engine of growth and development in Nigeria and some other African countries, such as Kenya.
In Nigeria, tertiary institutions are seen as veritable tools for the realisation of socio-economic national development; hence the most powerful and critical success factor for individuals and society.
However, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), African universities lack broad-based financing and have faced decreased public funding for many years, even as countries tried to increase access to university education.
Chris Ibe, an educationist believes that insufficient education funding, especially in Nigeria is foundational to inadequate infrastructure, limited educational materials, underpaid staff, inadequately trained teachers, and poor learning outcomes, among others.
“The cumulative effect of these factors is the underdevelopment of the education sector, which ordinarily is necessary for national growth and competitiveness in the global economy space,” he said.
Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) speaking at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) strategic session with institutional leaders in Abuja recently decried the fact that the funds meant for public university development are trapped in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for over twenty years.
Osodeke urged the vice-chancellors to access and utilise the significant backlog of unspent funds held in the apex bank which was initially allocated for tertiary education.
“We discovered a substantial amount of money sitting in the central bank that has not been utilised by many universities over the last two decades,” he said.
He warned the university authorities that leaving these resources idle could stall the sector’s growth and progress.
“Many of you have unfinished projects, with funding set aside but untouched. Some of these projects were abandoned a decade ago, yet part of the funding remains available, suggesting a perception that we cannot effectively utilise these resources,” he noted.
Similarly, public universities in Kenya are once again on the brink of financial collapse, with operations at risk of grinding to a halt and thousands of students facing exclusion from sitting end-of-semester exams.
According to The Standard, a Kenyan media, “This follows the government’s decision to freeze funding for over 200,000 students under the new funding model after a court order in September declared the new funding model illegal.”
Consequently, scholarships and loans have been frozen, leaving thousands of students without financial support and institutions struggling to stay afloat.
Many Kenyan university students face potential exclusion from end-of-semester examinations under the new funding model, as institutions require fee clearance before granting access to examinations.
Multiple universities have revealed students have been given an ultimatum to settle outstanding tuition fees before the tests begin in December. President William Ruto of Kenya in September appointed a team to review the new funding model, which has faced opposition from various stakeholders.
The situation is further exacerbated by the ongoing lecturers’ strike, which has led to the closure of universities over the government’s failure to honour the 2012-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Recall in Nigeria, the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), on Tuesday, November 5, suspended its indefinite strike over its four months of withheld salary.
But the unions promised to revisit the issue later to determine its next line of action. Meanwhile, ASUU is poised to meet the reconstituted committee on the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with university-based unions,
The outcome of this meeting will unveil what the future holds for public university education in Nigeria.
No doubt, inadequate funding of public universities in Nigeria has led to a brain drain, a fall in the quality of education, limitation of laboratory practice and practical classes, shortage of up-to-date books in the library, among others.
Besides, this has given impetus to the long-standing face-off between the government and ASUU, leaving students and parents to suffer the consequences.
Innocent Okwuosa, the 59th president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria urged the government to improve the standard of education to reduce brain drain, and as steps to addressing the economic reform policy crisis.
“Proper funding of education will improve the standard of learning, which will in turn lead to having students from other countries coming to school in Nigeria, and attract foreign exchange inflow.
“Remember in those days we used to have students from West Africa, from far away countries studying in Nigeria. What we’re recommending is a standard where we’ll have Europeans, other Africans studying here,” he noted.
In addition, he said; “If you imagine how much the UK’s education system earns in foreign currency, you will understand what we are proposing.”
According to the Universities UK report, “On average, international students in the 2021/22 cohort make a £58 million net economic contribution to the UK economy per constituency. This is equivalent to £560 per member of the resident population.”
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
