Varsities to get full funding autonomy- Minister

The Federal Government on Monday hinted at granting universities the full autonomy to explore sources of financing their activities.

Tahir Mamman, the minister of education, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the full autonomy was part of the government’s effort to create new means of funding tertiary education.

The minister said this at Nigeria’s Annual Education Conference (NAEC) which is expected to focus on emerging trends, including university autonomy and student loan funds as well as education financing in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for the sector.

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According to the minister, Tinubu’s administration was determined to overhaul the education sector as a matter of priority. He said the government was ready to put in place systematic approaches to funding and accountability to improve learning outcomes.

“I, therefore, call on all stakeholders of the education sector to work with federal and state ministries of education to identify innovative approaches for improved funding and ensuring inclusive equitable, quality education and life-long opportunities”, he urged.

The minister noted that the theme for this conference which is ‘Implementation of Education 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Nigeria’, will always remain relevant until the country achieves 100 percent of the targets set in the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and beyond to education-related indicators and targets of Agenda 2060 of the African Union.

“As a signatory to the SDG 2030 and AU Agenda 2060, Nigeria must continue to demonstrate its commitment to achieving these goals through leadership and ownership of the implementation process. The education sector is one of the line sectors that ensure that planning and budgeting in the country are within the framework of the SDGS”, the minister said.

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Mammam, further announced that the ministry will in the coming days announce its roadmap for education in the country.

“It is our plan to give robust attention to the foundations of our education system, that is basic and secondary schools. We will also ensure knowledge and skills are sufficient instead in all strata of education from basic to university to ensure students can easily be contributors to our economy without having to look for salaried employment,” he added.