A call for renewed funding of tertiary institutions took the centre stage at the University of Lagos last week. Would the Federal Government heed, particularly in the face of economic hardship and dwindling allocation to education? ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports.
Nigeria’s quest for scientific and technology-oriented education may continue to be mere illusion, unless the Federal Government complies with the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO’s) 2000-2015 ‘Dakar Framework of Action’ report, which proposed that developing countries should commit between 20 and 25 per cent of their yearly budgetary allocation to education.
This was the crux of the Sixth Yearly Prof Adetokunbo Babatunde Sofoluwe Memorial Lecture held by the University of Lagos on Monday, last week in honour of its vice-chancellor (VC), Sofoluwe, who died in office on May 12, 2012.
“In a World Bank study of budgetary allocation to the education sector of 20 countries, Nigeria had the lowest allocation for 2012. Ghana, Cote D’Voire, Uganda, Morocco, South Africa and Swaziland constituted the top six, while Kenya, placed eighth behind Mexico. None of the E9 (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan) or D8 countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey) other than Nigeria, allocates less than 20 per cent of its annual budget to education,” said Lagos State University (LASU) VC Prof Lanre Adigun Fagbohun, who delivered the lecture titled: “Commodification of education: What imperatives for transforming university education in Nigeria.”
Fagbohun frowned at the wave of increases in tuition in most public tertiary institutions nationwide, ostensibly to raise funds to address their financial lacuna. He kicked against the seeming indifference of the government to education by tasking managements of tertiary institutions to be more creative by ‘looking inwards’ towards leveraging their internally-generated revenue (IGR).
He said the development had resulted in over reliance of tertiary institutions on other sources since the government was abdicating its role.
With the government reducing funding to schools, most public tertiary institutions now depend on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) – taxes collected from the private sector to fund infrastructural, manpower and book development in schools, which, Fagbohun said, was not ideal.
“The purpose of TETFund will continue to be defeated for as long as the underfunding status quo of our university system is maintained. May I reiterate that were the government to increase its funding of education to a level between 15 and 20 of budget bench mark, TETFund intervention would have been nothing short of spectacular,” he said.
Aside putting the children of the poor at a disadvantage, Fagbohun said underfunding had pushed universities to indulge in unethical practices that affect quality in their desperation to source money to address never-ending needs.
However, despite the government’s underfunding, Fagbohun blamed managers of tertiary institutions for not leveraging consultancy/research and development as a key channel for generating funds, instead of hiking tuition fees and creating substandard programmes.
Nonetheless, he praised the various academic unions for fighting for more funds from the government to address facilities gaps in schools. Unfortunately, such funding, he lamented, is expended on emoluments or arrears of various allowances other than enhancing facilities.
Fagbohun recalled that one of the feats of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was the Education Tax Fund (now Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETFund) established in 1992.
To remedy the poor funding problem of tertiary institutions, the professor of Law called on the government to adequately fund capital expenditure and separate it from recurrent expenditure.
Unions agree
Leaders of the various unions seem to corroborate Fagbohun’s stance.
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) National President, Comrade Usman Dutse, scores the government low in fulfilling its obligation to education.
He said: “Sincerely, the government has not done enough. The allocation in the last budget was inadequate to effect any significant change.
“Funding to polytechnics has even been worse. Although we know Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) is capital intensive, we realised that over time, the government has been talking of their commitment to investing heavily in TVE, but we see that as mere lip service because nothing is on ground to prove so.
“In universities for instance, I can say about 70 per cent of their curriculum is theoretical, while ours is practical; yet most of our facilities are grounded.
“The government has also been unfair to us when compared with universities. For example, look at the Needs Assessment Report that was carried out since 2014, it has not yet commenced in polytechnics. We have not seen any White Paper yet to show us when this will start. Meanwhile, universities have since collected theirs and are about to go into the second phase.”
ASUU also scored governments low. The union is not happy that following the suspension of its strike last September, the Federal Government reneged on its promise to release N20 billion for infrastructural development in universities nationwide.
National ASUU President, Prof Biodun OgunyemI, recalled that the Federal Government signed an agreement with the body which forms a component of the Needs Assessment.
“ASUU is not happy that the government has not kept its promise,” Ogunyemi lamented.
“During our meetings in the course of the last strike, we harped on funds for the revitalisation of the Needs Assessment. The government signed an agreement with us to release N20 billion in two tranches – September and October, but up till now, we have not seen anything. The government also promised to release the forensic audit of the Academic Earned Allowances, but we haven’t seen anything yet.
“However, ASUU is watching as we do not wish to overheat the system. At the appropriate time, we shall respond,” he said.
Both ASUU and ASUP rejected the introduction of outrageous tuition fees by many institutions.
“ASUU has not changed its position; we have always maintained that governments can fund public education, if they get their priories right,” Ogunyemi continued.
“Look at UBEC funds for instance; many of the funds belonging to states are still trapped at the commission because state governments are not willing to pay counterparts funds. It is obvious members of the ruling class have turned themselves against the public; that is why sectors, such as education, health and other social provision will continue to suffer.”
Education Rights Campaign, a civil society organisation that fights for free education, believes Nigeria can run a tuition-free education system.
“We don’t even want a modest tuition; we want free education,” said ERC National Coordinator Hassan Taiwo Soweto.
“If you remember Forbes released a report in February (this year), which states that five billionaires in Nigeria are valued at $29 billion, and that they (billionaires) are capable of banishing poverty in Nigeria. That simply means the wealth of Nigeria is concentrated in a few hands.
“We, at ERC, want public institutions to be free and available and accessible to millions of Nigeria who otherwise cannot afford high tuition. Nigeria has whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) LASU chapter Comrade Saheed Oseni, said the union believes in modest tuition.
“We are not opposed to tuition, but we kick against increment beyond the reach of Nigerians.
We believe that whatever the amount, parents across all classes must be able to afford it. We must first and foremost consider the economic situation and the fact that aside tuition, parents have other costs, such as feeding, accommodation for their children to contend with.
On funding, Oseni said: “It is a pity that over the years, no government, whether at federal or state, has moved close to the UNESCO recommendation; and I dare say except that there is committed funding by the government, our education goes nowhere.”
However, the Federal Government may not have agree with the lecturer or unions’ stance on funding. At the UNILAG Convocation last month, President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abubakar Rasheed, lamented the poor use of the funds provided by the government.
He, however, said: “The government is well aware of the numerous challenges facing universities. Critical among issues that require urgent attention are those relating to access without undermining quality, infrastructure and facilities, curriculum, quality assurance, governance and funding to mention a few.
“However, it is worrisome that some universities are still not demonstrating adequate capacity for fund utilisation, despite the need and justified clamour to increase funding.
“I am made to understand that some universities still find it difficult to access funds from TETFUND because they lack the commitment for the release of the requirements of such funds. In the same vein, there are hiccups to the utilisation of the Needs Assessment funds for the revitalisation of our universities because some universities have not still been able to meet the requirements for further release of such funds.
He also said administrators of tertiary institutions had to be accountable for the funds they got.
“Funding is not just about making funds available, but also includes the judicious management of available funds.
“As public officers, we must be accountable to the good people of Nigeria who have reposed the confidence in us to manage the country’s citadel of learning.
“What the public requires from the universities whether public or private is probity, accountability and transparency and this must occupy the front burner in university management,” he said.
