FG should stop funding universities – Adedoyin

THE recent re-emphasis by the federal government of its policy on the non-payment of tuition in federal universities has come under criticism by one of the major stakeholders in tertiary education in Nigeria, Prince (Dr) Ramon Adedoyin.

Dr Adedoyin is the founder and chancellor of the Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, and The Polytechnic, Ile-Ife, both in Osun State.

Dr Adedoyin advocated that public universities should be granted full autonomy and be allowed to charge whatever fees suit them to be able to operate more efficiently and develop.

He was responding to the statement by the Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwukah, reiterating the federal government’s policy of free tuition in federal universities after a Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, recently.

He said rather than cancel fees, the federal government should treat all the existing 171 universities –whether federal, state or private –as the same and allow them to charge whatever fees they liked, but should rather take up the responsibility for the payment of the tuition on behalf of the students into the purses of those universities.

According to him, it is the duty of any responsible government to provide sound education to its citizens.

The universities’ management, he said, would then be able to pay for all the expenses of running the institutions like payment of salaries, purchase of equipment, building and maintenance of infrastructure.

He urged the federal government to stop the allocation of budgets to universities and allow them to function autonomously like private universities and develop at their own pace, rather than relying 100 per cent on the government for funding, whether through PTFs, ETF or whatever names they are called.

His position is similar to that of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities which had in the past called for the introduction of tuition fees in federal universities to support funding of the universities.

The pro-chancellors had decried the resistance to introduction of tuition in some universities by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) and Students’ Union Government.

According to the committee, the resistance is based on the argument that the introduction of tuition may take university education beyond the reach of the poor.

The pro-chancellors noted that the argument can be addressed by reviving avenues for financing indigent students, including the revival of the student loan schemes, bursaries and scholarship, education bank, among other initiatives while students who could afford to pay should be allowed to do so.

This is the same position shared by the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities which had also stated that it is no longer realistic to have tuition-free university education in Nigeria and wants the policy revised.

The vice chancellors had also said that a change in policy would enable parents, guardians and government to equitably share the financial burden of education and enable students pay revised fees commensurate with the true value of university education.

Dr Adedoyin stressed the need to reposition the Nigerian public university system for global competitiveness in the 21st century, maintaining that universities must explore new sources of funding, such as grants from local and multilateral agencies and joint venture investments.

He also urged universities to explore facilities in the capital market, endowments, research for industries, and alumni endowments, among others.