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The problems of funding and utilisation in tertiary
institutions
By
Tom Chiahemen
Senior Correspondent, Abuja
Mallam Nasir Bello, the Liaison cum
linkages officer of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, was caught
recently lamenting how the Nigerian university system, once well respected
around the globe and envied by others in Africa, had over the last decades,
been reduced to a shadow of its former self. According to him, Nigerian
universities, like other public service, “have been practically decimated
by decades of economic mismanagement and military interventions.”
The ABU liaison officer, who presented a
paper on “Issues in Fundraising campaigns for Nigerian
Universities” at a workshop on “Funding of University Education in
Nigeria,” organised by the Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian
Universities (CAANU) in Abuja, said it is now left for the present generation
of university administrators and professors to rebuild their capacity and
reputation by ensuring that the universities return to the lost glory.
The problem of funding in the system
especially those tertiary institutions owned by the Federal Government has in
recent times been identified by many as the major cause of the falling standard
of tertiary education in the country, he noted. It has also been cited as one
of the reasons for the restiveness by students and endless strikes by the
academic and non-academic staff of institutions of higher learning.
Just recently, the presidential
visitation panel to the 61 federal tertiary institutions in the country,
submitted its report to government, in which it identified, “lack of
funds, unfulfilled promises by the Federal Government, absence of research due
to lack of proper funding ”, as some of the factors that had contributed
to the tension and attendant crises on the campuses. Indeed, the chairman of
the visitation panel to the ABU, Senator Alex Usman Kadiri, who presented the
report, stated categorically that the government had not funded the tertiary
institutions properly. “As a consequence, the universities are in total
neglect,” he lamented.
Speaking on “The emerging role of
development/alumni relations officers as university fund raisers and
development agents” at the recent CAANU Workshop, Professor. A. R. Anao,
visiting Professor of accounting at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, noted
that the call on government to increase the level of funding of Nigerian public
universities had progressively become more strident in recent years.
"These days, it is not just the
solitary voice of the university unions, which understandably make a singsong
of it, but even senior university officials themselves, who, erstwhile, for
reasons of tact and due deference or decorum as public servants, would not want
to be publicly quoted on the issue, have joined the chorus," he
It is against these backdrop that the
recent directive by Education Minister, Professor. Fabian Osuji to principal
officers of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education on the
issue of utilization of fiscal provisions, can be appreciated.
The minister who was visibly angry about
the inability of some heads of tertiary institutions to utilize a standardised
process to access available funds provided in the 2004 budget in order to
address the crying and clearly identified needs of their institutions, warned
that henceforth, government would view seriously the non-utilization of the
full capital allocations by any institution.
He noted that in recent times, the
Federal Government had made substantial provisions for the funding of the
nation's universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. For instant, in
the 2004 appropriation, a total sum of N93.8 billion was appropriated to
Education and of this amount, N50.96 billion, N12.305 billion and N8.086
billion were allocated to the universities, polytechnics and colleges of
education systems, respectively.
"This is an implicit show of the
commitment of the Federal Government to qualitative education for our youths
and to the future of our nation," Osuji said.
Of the above allocations, the minister
continued N12.283 billion, N1.825 billion and N1.615 billion were respectively
allocated to federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for
the completion of on-going capital projects which were clearly identified and
specifically funded in the budget.
If the figures, as released by the
minister have actually been released to the tertiary institutions, then it
would seem that the present administration has kept faith with the full release
of due funds to date.
It would however appear that while the
funds were made available, the heads of the tertiary institutions had been
confronted with the problem of "due process," which has reportedly
made it difficult for many ministries and other agencies of government to
receive funds allocated to them for their activities. For capital projects,
Osuji said the modalities for the utilization of the funds had been provided
"to ensure full value for money." According to him, all capital
utilizations were to go through "due process" and the Ministry of
Education and the coordinating agencies - National Universities Commission
(NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Commission
for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in consultation with the Budget Monitoring,
Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU) or Due Process in the Presidency, conducted a
series of briefings for the principal officers of all institutions of higher
learning to acquaint them with the process.
Findings from the Ministry of Education
indicate that while some institutions would appear to have mastered the process
and have effectively utilized it to gain approval for the release of allocated
funds, some have not taken advantage of the facilitative measures.
It was in realisation of the fact that the
funds allocated to these institutions in the 2004 budget would soon lapse that
the minister called for a review of the process of accessing the funds and to
ascertain what hindrances might exist in the processing of projects by
institutions and to set a target for the full utilisation of the budgeted
funds.
At the meeting, the minister warned that
heads of institutions that failed to utilise funds allocated for capital
projects must bear full responsibility for such failure. "For two years,
our institutions received no capital funds; it will amount to sheer ineptitude,
gross insensitivity and a display of total lack of executive capacity on the
part of the leadership of any institution not to fully utilize the generous
provisions by government to improve facilities in his/her institution," he
declared.
He made it clear the heads of institutions
who failed to follow clearly defined government policy and process in this
matter would be sanctioned appropriately.
The minister explained that for the higher
educational institutions, much of the capital provisions in 2004 was to enable
them complete abandoned projects that littered and disfigure their campuses or
rehabilitate dilapidating ones.
"It will be totally inexcusable to
fail to deploy these resources for the purpose," said the minister.
But besides the huge allocations to them,
the minister told each of the tertiary institutions to design and execute
projects that would increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to meet
other critical needs. "In this regard, all institutions must strive to
achieve at least 25% of budgeted funds as internally generated revenue in
2005physical year," he directed.
President Olusegun Obasanjo last week
proposed six strategies for reforming the funding of university education in
the country, saying that the total dependence on the government for funding was
not sustainable. These include
Giving greater autonomy to the
universities as provided for in the university autonomy act;
Diversification of funding, particularly
the attraction of private sector funding, and consideration of more appropriate
pricing of facilities and services (including hostel accommodation);
Updating and restructuring the curricula
to meet the demands of the national economy in the 21st century;
Ensuring effective monitoring of the
public and private universities to ensure strict adherence to stipulated
minimum standards;
Developing innovative approaches to ensure
continuing re-tooling and capacity-building of university teachers in order to
operate at the cutting edge of their disciplines and;
Mass mobilization and value re-orientation
among students to emphasize hard work, discipline, and selfless service.
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