The Deputy Executive Secretary (Academic) of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Dr Nuel Abiodun Saliu, has advocated for improved budgetary allocation and releases to public universities and improved subventions for private universities by their respective owners.
The Deputy Executive Secretary, NUC, who stated this during the 7th Annual Registry lecture of Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo state, lamented that inadequate funding remains one of the major challenges militating against the effective growth of the Nigerian university system.
Saliu, while speaking on the topic, “The Nigerian University System and its many challenges: the way forward” Identified adequate funding as the sure way of the challenges of poor remuneration and poor research and development facing the Nigerian University system.
He also called on private university owners not to see it as profit-making ventures for the first ten years while qualified staff should be employed based on areas of need.
Saliu said, “There should be improved budgetary allocation and releases to public universities and improved subventions for private universities by their respective owners.
“Private university owners should stop seeing their universities as profit-making ventures at least for the first ten years of their commencement of academic activities, while more qualified academic staff should be employed in the universities based on areas of needs.
“Proprietors should provide more infrastructural facilities in all the higher institutions of learning in the country.
“The NUC laws should be reviewed and strengthened for more effective regulation of the NUS. The Commission should also ensure that the curriculum reviews take place as and when due, and should periodically review its quality assurance instruments to reflect global realities;
“Expansion of access to university education through an increase in the carrying capacity of universities, the implementation of the Transnational Education Policy and internationalization of university education to foster inclusive academic environments for improved learning outcomes”
The Deputy Executive Secretary, NUC, identified the challenges of the Nigerian University System to include inadequate funding, infrastructural deficit, poor remuneration, insecurity, poor research and development, proliferation of illegal degree-awarding institutions and weak NUC laws.
He however, said “Funding is very crucial to the growth and development of universities. The university system requires a lot of funds for the effective discharge of its core mandates of teaching, research anc community service.
“Be they public or private universities, the annual budgetary allocation and releases from their respective proprietors are grossly inadequate.
Studies have shown that inadequate funding in Nigerian universities is a result of poor government/proprietors allocations, low internally generated revenue, low school fee charges (for public universities low enrolment for most private universities probably due to the high tuition fee/other charges institutional corruptions, poor planning/projection, poor research income and poor contribution from the private sector, Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) and alumni.
“Inadequate funding leads to the underperformance of all aspects relevant to the quality delivery of university education in Nigeria including the quality assurance activities of the regulator (NUC).
“In the same vein, the annual budget for the administration of universities in the country is not adequate to provide the needed infrastructural facilities and human resources that the universities require to function properly”
Former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Adebisi Balogun, called on the true Federal Government to review members of the governing council of the universities across the country.
Balogun noted that most of the appointees see the appointments as political settlements for money and not a call to service.
The Registrar of Elizade University, Omololu Adegbenro said the lecture series which started in 2016 was aimed at creating a suitable avenue for discussion on matters about the university system.
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