A different model for funding of Nigerian universities, By Oyedeji Kayode

Free education at tertiary level is not realistic. Education may be free at lower level. At the tertiary level, it must be of high quality and must be paid for. It will be important to compare the cost of managing a student per head in either Covenant or ABUAD with that of a top, government funded University to see if the curent funding mechanism in public Universities is ideal and efficient.

It will also enable government to determine the desirable structure to use in managing our universities and the extent of autonomy Universities actually need. It may be surprising to discover that when all the billions by way of direct funding and intervention funds deployed to a top public university is considered and the cost per student determined, cost of managing a student in a public University may be higher. Government may be spending more for less in terms of quality, standard, facilities and other infrastructure.

ABUAD and Covenant models may provide the needed ideas for tertiary education reforms in Nigeria.

What government funds substantially is the payroll, heavy and inefficiency bureaucracy and contracts.

Universities now have so many cars as status cars for lecturers who are already have accommodation within campus. Those who drive those cars are also on payroll. They now have directorates as big as anything. Lecturers have practically hijacked all non-teaching responsibilities because that is where contracts are awarded. And some of those contracts are as dubious as what we have anywhere in the public sectors. The more government spends, the more hostels, classrooms and laboratories remain the same. You now see new buildings from intervention funds looking “angrily fragile” and older than those built several decades ago.

There is hardly a public University that can appoint its VC in a rancor free and transparent way. It is now a do or die affair.

The reality is there is need for comprehensive reforms in the education sector. These reforms must ensure that government bureaucracy, especially the Ministry of education is trimmed down considerably.

There are so many needless agencies. For instance, instead of having three separate agencies to regulate Universities, Polytechnics, and others, we can have one Tertiary Education Board. Instead of having all kinds of intervention funds with huge bureaucracy, TETFUND, NITDA, which exists mainly to award contracts, we can have disbursement for special projects/research done directly to Universities with each Council allowed to determine its priorities. That of course will demand that the Council will be above board and not the politicised Boards we presently have.

Part of the reforms should also ensure a one-off comprehensive overhaul of facilities to meet global standards and granting all universities autonomy thereafter. A major part of the reforms will include a shift from government from funding universities to funding scholarships. That means government will fund students directly, subsidise their tuition if needed and provide robust funds for scholarship and support.

Also part of the reforms will address the supply side by ensuring that more incentives are provided to stimulate private sector participation to provide enough space for admission. Provide for effective regulatory process. So many things need to be reviewed in the sector.

-Oyedeji, an Economist wrote this article in 2021