Former Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust
Fund (TETFund), Abuja, professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro has posited that
for the nation’s public universities to survive, they must adopt the non-budgetary
funding option.
Bogoro noted that with the prevailing experiences of
below 10 percent budgetary allocation by federal and state governments coupled
with the current economic situation, more innovative, alternative source of
funding for education must be introduced to save public universities which
presently hold 92 percent of the overall total university
student population in the country.
The former TETfund boss in his convocation lecture at the
Plateau State University, Bokkos, Plateau state said with increasing
difficulties faced by proprietors and management of both public and private universities,
owing largely to irregular funding regimes, there is need for regularity of
funding and more innovative and frugal management of resources.
The university teacher in his lecture titled, “Sustainable funding as a catalyst for effective administration of state universities” said despite the recent licensing of state and private universities to cater for increased demands for access into our universities, dwindling resources and inadequate prioritization of education have combined to stifle the otherwise good intentions of state governments.
Bogoro, a lecturer at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University (ATBU), Bauchi with the positive correlation between higher
investment in education and competitive parameters in contemporary
knowledge-driven economies, government, citizens and corporate entities must
upscale their investment in the sector
“If State governments religiously apply the funding laws
that require them and Local Government Councils to contribute specified annual
budgetary funds to their universities consistently for 10-20 years, the impact
would help in reducing their financial obligations subsequently.
“More importantly, there is urgent need for state
governments and citizens to come together and explore more innovative
additional sustainable funding windows for state universities like legislation
for national or state-level lottery, state education trust fund and consultancy
fees among others.
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