Politics
THE Federal Executive Council, on Feb. 3 approved the establishment of 20 additional private universities in Nigeria, bringing the number of universities in the country to 190. Of this number, 91 are public institutions.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who briefed journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting, said that the approved universities would get their provisional licences from the National Universities Commission (NUC), which they would use for three years, while monitoring and evaluation would go on.
The geopolitical spread of these new institutions shows that nine of the universities are located in the North-Central, three in the South-South, two in the South-East, five in the North-West and one in the South-West.
After the announcement, there were divergent views about the desirability or otherwise of establishing more universities in the country.
Prof. Gregory Ibe, the Chairman, Proprietors of Private Universities in Nigeria, in his reaction, described the establishment of new institutions as a giant stride.
He said that it would address the incessant patronage of mushroom universities outside the country by the teeming Nigerian youths who are in dire need of university education.
“What this singular action entails is that instead of mushroom universities springing up outside Nigeria and patronised by our teeming youths without the NUC’s guidelines, it is better we have these universities licensed to operate.
“No doubt, the spread of private universities is looking good. I sincerely believe that the Federal Government in the future will do more and help private institutions receive grants,” he said.
In the same vein, Mr Daniel Akpan, Executive Director, African Centre for Educational Development (CLEDA Africa) said the establishment of more private universities would reduce stiff competition for admission into public universities.
Akpan argued that the step was a good development considering the huge population of youths seeking university education.
“With fewer universities, if you do not know someone, who knows someone that knows someone, it is almost impossible to secure admission even when you pass the requisite examinations.
“But with more and more private universities springing up, the rich have the option of getting admission for their children in private universities.
“This will help to free up some spaces for children of the poor in our public universities,’’ he said.
The executive director also said that the new universities would also increase the production of manpower and human resources needed to efficiently boost the untapped nation’s abundant natural resources.
“Even the host communities will witness socio-economic transformation and urbanisation,” he said.
On his part, Mr Ike Onyechere, Founder, Exam Ethics Marshall International, explained that establishing more private universities will bring down the fees in private universities.
“As it stands now, only rich people can afford a private university education,” Onyechere said.
He, however, advocated integrity of the accreditation process, so that only institutions with minimum infrastructure, academic and human resource standards were given the nod to operate.
Onyechere said that some of the private universities granted approvals in the past were nothing more than glorified community secondary schools.
Those who opposed the establishment of more universities hinged their opposition on the fact that the existing universities were neither adequately funded nor properly monitored to ensure compliance, with appropriate guidelines.
Prof. Monday Omoregie, the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Benin chapter, said that he had begun to see the approval of more universities as political patronage, in spite warnings to the relevant authorities, on the inherent dangers.
According to him, education is meant to be a social service, but these private universities are established by investors, who believe in profit-making.
“The guideline is that private universities must be run for 15 years before any plan of making a profit, but which university can do that,” he asked.
Sharing a similar sentiment, Prof. Monday Igbafen, Chairman of ASUU, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, said that establishment of more universities, without proper recourse to the challenges facing the existing ones, was what the union had been trying to criticise.
“How do you justify the establishment of additional universities when there is this cry that even the private universities that are operating now lack proper monitoring, to see if they comply with the NUC guidelines and what is required to run a university.
“They are all just centres where they collect people’s money. That is why most of us are getting worried about the education system in the country,” he said.
Igbafen claimed that the excuse that those universities were established to expand access to university education in the country is not tenable as one university in the country if properly funded, might take half of the population of prospective university students.
“Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, can cater to almost half the population of students we admit in this country, but there is nothing on ground to sustain an ideal university.
“When you carry out an objective assessment of these universities, you discover that they are not really universities; they are just there to divert our attention, where the rich ones can send their children, whereas they will not be properly trained in terms of developing minds.
“It is all about just dishing out degrees; not necessarily interested in the content and quality of the product.
“It is just about giving out first class and what is important is to get money.
“I think it is necessary for the government to reflect on some of these decisions that they have taken,” he said.
Mr Benjamin Egwu, the President, Students’ Union Government (SUG),
The University of Benin, in his reaction, said that the proliferation of private universities would soon cripple the standard and patronage of public universities.
“The attention of students is being diverted to private universities because the situation of our public universities is worrisome.
“The incessant industrial action by the ASUU is one factor, while the lack of proper funding is another.
“The public universities are dying and if the situation is not properly checked, it will lead to what is currently happening to public primary and secondary schools in the country.
“If you compare public and private primary and secondary schools, the difference is clear. It is affecting the system negatively and that is now moving to the higher institutions.
“It is getting to a situation where commoners would also not want to train their children in the public universities because of the environment”, he said.
Egwu bemoaned the obsolete state of facilities in the public universities, saying “when you walk into any public university, whether state or federal, what you will see in their libraries are books of the 1980s and 1990s.
“There are no update-to-date books in the libraries as we speak. Just ask the librarian when last they updated their shelves,” Egwu said.
The issues are clear, for those for and against the establishment of more private universities. Nigerian universities, either public or private are not highly rated. As canvassed by stakeholders, policies should be put in place to ensure proper funding of public universities, as well as strict monitoring of private universities to ensure they comply with NUC guidelines.
(NANFeatures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
– Feb. 8, 2021 @ 16:19 GMT
Tags: Issues in proliferation of universities in Nigeria
