As the Federal Government mulls financial autonomy for tertiary institutions, stakeholders have expressed divergent views over the move. BOLA OLAJUWON, DAMOLA KOLA-DARE and Victoria Amadi report.
The Federal Government plans to grant financial autonomy to tertiary institutions in the country. This will promote growth in the sector, President Bola Tinubu said in Abuja at the 27th Convocation of the University of Abuja.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Zaphaniah Jisalo, said one of the key strategies proposed in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration was to grant financial autonomy to tertiary institutions. He said it would encourage universities to source funds through grants and corporate sponsorships as well as promote self-sustainability and reduce dependency on the Federal Government.
“By granting financial autonomy, institutions can effectively manage funds to enhance competitiveness, strive for excellence and eradicate education interrupt caused by strikes and let me emphasise that this administration is resolute in its dedication to reform the nation’s education sector,” the President said.
Tinubu’s announcement at the university’s convocation was in tandem with his earlier pledge during the last presidential campaign to grant full autonomy to public universities when elected.
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It followed agitations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities over improved welfare and revitalisation of public universities among others.
Pro-chancellors and university autonomy
The Committee of Pro-Chancellors (CPC) of Federal Universities commended the president on his affirmation of what they described as the sanctity of university autonomy.
The CPC said the President has created an enabling environment for teaching, learning and research.
The committee urged the government to sustain its vision for the tertiary education sub sector and ensure that existing laws in the direction are upheld firmly.
They also called on the President as the visitor to all federal universities to work out an early administrative position solution to the pending questions on outstanding obligations to university staff from Year 2022.
Varsities and inadequate funding
However, effective running of universities demands the availability of funds, human and material resources.
Public universities have been crying out over inadequate funding for the smooth operation of the university system, blaming the government.
Also, the university workers always resort to strike actions over inadequate funding, a situation that had led to closure of universities for long periods of time, thereby truncating academic calendars.
The government, while defending itself, complained of a lack of resources, saying it alone could not fund education. It harped on the need to exploit other means of funding education.
The need to reform varsities laws
Autonomy in universities in simple terms connotes a situation where each university exercises its right to select or admit its own students, decide what to teach and determine its areas of research.
But with the National Universities Commission (NUC) still in charge of monitoring, accreditation and supervision, the prestige and autonomous status of varsities have been eroded for years.
However, with the government recent posture on financial autonomy, public universities have increased fees they are charging, thus resorting to demonstrations by university students.
But, stakeholders in the education space have bared their minds on the financial autonomy move. For some, it is a welcome development and for others, it will lead to further hike in fees.
Adedimeji: astronomical rise in students’ fees expected
In an interview with The Nation, pioneer Vice Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University (APU), a private university in Kwara State, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, said full university autonomy should be critically examined because it would amount to universities catering for themselves and astronomical rise in students’ fees for them to cope effectively.
He noted that the burden of generating more funds would be borne by students, adding that public universities won’t have any other choice than to increase fees.
He said: “I think that is what reality is dictating. It is like a parent who has given birth to more children than he can cater for. A time will definitely come that the children will be told to fend for themselves.
“The handwriting had been on the wall for the past few years that government cannot fully fund the universities. The universities have to device means of generating more revenue to support themselves.
“I do not know the extent to which the financial autonomy will be granted. Nevertheless, I believe government should continue to pay salaries at least while leaving the recurrent expenditure for the universities to source.
“The burden of generating more funds will be borne by students. It means public universities won’t have any other choice than to increase the charges of the services they render. It will be difficult at first for students and their parents who are used to paying peanuts. But as it applies to other sectors when increments are introduced, people will soon become used to it and adjust accordingly.”
‘Autonomy may nail the coffin of quality education’
Former Director, Centre for General Nigerian Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Biodun Akinpelu, said: “This step will definitely nail the coffin of quality education in Nigeria.
“Why public higher educational institutions still have a little edge over their private counterparts for now is hinged on assured funding by the Federal Government. I know more than 25 universities and Colleges of Education that have more than 50 per cent of their physical structures built by TETFUND. Most meaningful research efforts in our institutions are only traceable to the same TETFUND.
“Remove such sponsorships from public educational institutions, education will easily become a cash-and-carry phenomenon in Nigeria’s history. Effective research will definitely come to an end.
“Such planned financial autonomy for tertiary institutions will spell doom even for the society as fees in our institutions will hit the rooftop. The possible consequences are obvious.”
CONUA urges govts to play active role
In a terse WhatsApp message, Congress of University Academics (CONUA) President Dr. Niyi Sunmonu urged government to continue to play active role in funding universities.
“The union has maintained time and time again that while it is desirable that education is funded using multiple approaches, government as a matter of responsibility, must continue to play active role in funding the universities,” he said.
He said university autonomy is an Act of the National Assembly, which was signed into law in 2003, and gazetted in 2007.
According to Dr. Sunmonu, universities are already exercising their autonomy with respect to the appointment of vice chancellors, notwithstanding that the government still interferes with the activities of the governing council.
“In this Act, there is no provision for “school fee increment”. We are of the opinion that increment of charges fall under the purview of looking for solution to insufficient funding by the government.
“University education funding is a big issue on its own. We are of the opinion that historically, government has demonstrated incapacities to solely fund universities since around 1976.
“The best approach in solving the funding problem is that tertiary education should be funded using multiple approaches. But government as a matter of responsibility, must continue to play active part in funding the universities, and not abdicate that role,” he said.
Don: payments are centralised by the govt
A professor of Theatre and Film study, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Greg Mbajiogu, queried the autonomy of universities when their payments are allegedly centralised by the government.
His words: “How can we say that federal universities are autonomous when Federal Government has centralised almost all the payment systems with IPPIS, rendering the administrative powers of Vice Chancellors and Bursars next to nothing, thereby forcing them to device little ways of ensuring that there is no total collapse of our tertiary educational systems?”
‘School fees’ collection not an autonomy’
An educationist, Mr. Emmanuel Orji, noted that university autonomy appears illusive over time and increment in fee collection cannot represent autonomy.
“Universities have always collected fees, the adjustment is only rational to enable them cope with the current economic realities.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we know that autonomy means independence from the state or pressures of the society in decisions-making, regarding its self-governance, finance and administration.
“So, do we think of our universities in the above context? We shouldn’t lie to ourselves. ‘’
Fees increment cannot mean autonomy and can never be.
“There are things that make this possible. What product or inventions are attached to our universities? I have said over time, that the only thing that can make our universities autonomous is their power rested on their ability to solving problems and creating new solutions. Fees as the only source of funding in our universities are only a wild thought,” he said.
