The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns about Nigeria’s education sector being neglected. ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, shared this worrying information during a workshop organized by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in Abuja. He pointed out that Nigeria has the lowest education budgets compared to other countries in West Africa.
Osodeke said that while other West African countries spend at least 15 percent of their budget on education, with some even reaching 32 percent, Nigeria only spends 4.5 to 7 percent. And even of that, less than 70 percent is released. This is very different from what the Awolowo government used to do, when they allocated over 30 percent to education. It shows that education in Nigeria is not doing well.
To tackle this funding problem, ASUU has repeated its request to raise the education tax to 10 percent. This could boost TETFund’s yearly funding from N600 billion to a significant N3 trillion. However, the union also criticized some Vice Chancellors for not involving the right people in how they use the money given to their schools by TETFund.
Osodeke praised states like Enugu, Abia, and Oyo for setting a good example by allocating over 20 percent of their budgets to education. He encouraged other states to do the same. Osodeke also suggested that TETFund should not give money to universities that don’t involve the right people in decision-making. He stressed that this money belongs to all Nigerians.
During the workshop, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, recognized the importance of considering various needs and expectations when funding educational activities. He highlighted the significance of investing in critical programs that match strategic goals and deliver the most impact and benefit to the intended recipients.
Echono also talked about the new Career Services Centers introduced in the 2024 funding cycle. These centers are meant to add to the existing programs and improve students’ chances of getting a job. They’ll offer students useful things like career advice, information about job trends, and help connecting with possible employers and alumni networks.
As Nigeria deals with the problems of not enough money and not enough attention in its education sector, ASUU’s requests for more money, including everyone in decisions, and setting up Career Services Centers show how important it is to take big steps to make education better in the country.
