Vice-chancellors decry poor funding in varsities

Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, has said that Nigerian universities are still battling with the problems of poor funding, inadequate manpower and infrastructural decay, despite efforts by various stakeholders to improve their status.

Ochefu, who is a professor of African Economic History and Development Studies at Benue State University, gave the warning while delivering the 81st Interdisciplinary Research Discourse of the Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan.

The lecture was attended by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale; Provost, Postgraduate College, Prof Ayodeji Ogunjuyigbe, and others.

Ochefu, while speaking on the topic, “Rethinking the Philosophy of University Education in Nigeria in the Era of Education 4.0,” identified shrinking government funding for education, poor quantity and quality of teaching and non-teaching staff and poor remuneration of university workers as the major problems confronting universities in the country.

Other problems identified by the don include demoralised workers (teaching and non-teaching) with consequences on student outcomes and experiences, infrastructural deficit and decay, inadequate funding of research initiatives and curriculum inadequacies leading to students abandoning their programme.

Ochefu on governments, agencies, academics, regulatory agencies, the media and other stakeholders to rise to save the situation, adding that all the stakeholders must wake up to their responsibilities to ensure that the situation changed for the better.

The UI VC, Adebowale, in his remarks, said: ‘’Public universities will continue to be relevant because of access. When you get to some private universities, you see some level of autonomy. Public universities have a lot of restrictions. If you don’t have financial autonomy, you have no autonomy. Mediocre people cannot run this system’’.