A former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and some education experts have disagreed over financial autonomy for the nation’s universities.
While Nwajiuba, in an interview with The PUNCH, stressed the need to grant public universities financial autonomy, the two experts, in separate interviews, said the government cannot absolve itself of its duty of funding education.
The PUNCH reports that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have grounded academic activities in public universities for 100 days.
The strike by ASUU, which commenced on Monday, February 14, 2022, was based on some lingering demands.
In declaring the strike, the National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, blamed the government for not funding universities adequately.
The union also lamented the failure of the government to deploy the University Transparency Accountability System, a payment platform developed by the union, among others.
Though the Federal Government commenced payment of minimum wage arrears it owed members of the union last week, ASUU insisted that the payment of minimum wage arrears was not one of its demands.
Speaking with our correspondent, Nwajiuba noted the need to allow universities to fund themselves.
He said, “There is the need to have Boards of Trustees for universities. Governing Councils operate differently from Boards of Trustees.
“We already have a template which if you read the University Autonomy Act; you’ll find out that universities are essentially autonomous because even the council can act wholly by appointing Vice-Chancellors. They do not need approval from Abuja. They can hire and fire their lecturers. All that the government does is to pay.
“Another issue is earned allowances. Now, lecturers paid by the government may, in different proportions, have done extra work. For example, supervising postgraduate students and all, they come up with some percentages for the government to pay. Now, the government does not know these people, the government did not work out these percentages.
“Looking at some of these issues, you will realise that it is time to grant universities full financial autonomy so that all of these things that are contentious and repeated will stop being problems and will be treated locally. All universities do not have uniform problems.
Experts fault call for financial autonomy for varsities
When our correspondent reached out to Osodeke on the issue of financial autonomy for the universities, he said, “You know our position on the matter. Our position remains the same.”
The PUNCH had reported how Osodeke, in an earlier, interview noted that it was the sole responsibility of the government to fund the university education in the country.
“The children of the poor suffer here in Nigerian universities while their children get quality education outside the country, graduate and come back here to take the juicy jobs, and keep lording it over children from poor backgrounds. It’s a class issue. For us, the option is for them; its either they shut down all the universities and let all the children go and learn mechanics or they fund the universities.”
According to a Professor of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba, Olumekun Victor, the government cannot absolve itself of its duty of funding education.
Olumekun, who is also a founding member of the ASUU, AAUA chapter, noted that the proposed plan would lead to increase in the fees of universities.
He said, “We know that’s the plan of the present crop of leaders but what does this say for the educational system? What then is the business of the government? Universities only need to jerk up school fees but what does that say for the underprivileged?
“Education is an essential ingredient for national development; hence the government needs to substantially invest in it. However, universities can then look out for other sources to complement
Corroborating Olumekun’s point of view, the chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology Minna, Dr. Gbolahan Bolarin, told our correspondent that such plan would make the government shy away from its responsibilities.
He said, “This plan is just going to make the government shy away from its responsibilities. It is the duty of the government to fund universities. You cannot just say you want the universities to source for funds. How will they source the funds? Will it be by increasing school fees? What happens to the students? How will they pay?
“I think the government is not ready to do the needful. We are not at the point where you can say that the government should not fund universities. It cannot work. It will lead to a high level of illiteracy as people won’t be able to access university education.”
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