The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has decried the neglect of the education sector, saying Nigeria ranks lowest in education budgets across the West African sub-region.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, made this statement on Tuesday at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)-organized one-day workshop in Abuja on “Emerging Areas of Students Needs in Beneficiary Institutions.”
Additionally, he restated the union’s demand that the education tax be raised to 10%, claiming that doing so would result in an increase in TETFund funding from the current N600 billion to N3 trillion annually.
“We have done survey of West African countries. The least budgetary allocation to education by any country in West Africa is 15 per cent. The highest is 32 per cent.
“We are in a country where we give 4.5 to 7 per cent out of which less than 70 per cent is released. But the Awolowo government was allocating over 30 per cent to education,” he said.
He criticized the states of Enugu, Abia, and Oyo specifically for allocating more than 20% of their budgets to the industry.
Mr. Osodeke chastised vice chancellors at numerous universities for not involving the relevant parties in the use of TetFund monies assigned to their institutions.
“The TETFund inviting us as stakeholders to this meeting is an example of how it should be.
“But, you remember that when you were allocating money to universities VCs, we agreed that they would call stakeholders meeting before that money is utilised.
“We had our National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting some days ago, less than 10 per cent have called for that stakeholders meeting.
“I want to plead that any university that does not take the stakeholders along, should not be allowed to have access to the fund. The funds belong to the Nigerian people,” he said.
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Prior to this, Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), stated that financing educational activities necessitated carefully taking into account various needs and expectations.
Mr Echono said that funding must also be directed at essential programmes which align with the strategic objectives in terms of outcomes of investment in either physical or content development that the funding usually supports.
“The provision of physical facilities must be accompanied by corresponding programmes that will ensure maximum impact and benefit to the target group.
“As such, the Fund is constantly and critically reviewing its operations and interventions with a view to ensuring that the interventions meet the actual goals that are intended at conception,” he said.
The executive secretary reported that new intervention lines and programs had been launched, and that some existing ones had undergone innovation or modification. Non-performing lines had also, when needed, been discontinued.
“In the year 2024 disbursement cycle, the Career Services Centre was introduced to complement other programmes in tertiary institutions.
“The Fund considers the establishment of these centres necessary for the development of students careers and their employability, which is the raison d’etre for establishment of tertiary educational institutions.
“Career services centres have helped students in advanced nations to make informed decisions regarding their career paths.
“The centers provide information for students on trends in the job market, opportunities, and requisite skills as well as linkages with the employment industries including the alumni of the institutions,” he said
According to Mr. Echono, in addition to offering counseling, guidance, and support to all students, the centers also give students tools for self-assessment to determine their interests, strengths, weaknesses, and prospects.
NAN
