By Our Correspondent
Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos has called for policy adjustments and payment of appropriate fees to enable Nigeria to run a world-class university system.
Ogunsola made this suggestion while presenting the Third Virtual Lecture Series of the University of Lagos Mass Communication TOPAZ ’88 on Saturday.
TheNewsZenith reports that TOPAZ ‘88 is a body of 1988 Graduates of Mass Communication of the University of Lagos.
Ogunsola titled the third lecture series: “Funding Tertiary Education: Challenges and Options”.
She also said “We have to invest more in other options for university education, using technology and not be too dependent on traditional university system”.
Ogunsola also called on the Federal Government to provide a grant tied to the student population in each federal university.
“Endowment funds should be released to the universities and the true cost of education should be determined and funding should be based on valid and reliable data.
“Funds should be released periodically and the universities should be able to manage such funds independently.”
Research, the VC said, is expensive and must be properly funded. She urged the Federal Government to ensure the proper constitution of Governing Councils of the universities.
Members should include professionals who have a good understanding and vision of the system, rather than appointing politicians.
“Student loans, bursaries, work-study, scholarships from various sources and alumni support should be strengthened,” the first Female University of Lagos VC said.
Ogunsola, who is also the 13th VC of the UniLag, highlighted the challenges faced by federal universities, which she summed up as “majorly lacking adequate funding”.
“Every country is expected to spend between four and six per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education.
“In Nigeria, we have never kept up with this recommendation, leaving the universities in a state where they could not efficiently transform people and materials into value for development.
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“Universities are supposed to be funded from a myriad of sources, one of which is the government. Funding should also come through tuition and fees, research grants and contracts, endowments and donations.
“Other ways include income from investments, commercialisation of intellectual property and continuing education and professional development programmes.”
While these revenue streams are varied, the VC said universities do not generate enough income to balance well with spending.
She also spoke about various areas on which universities spend money, with personnel costs taking the bulk of expenses.
“Expenditure goes to operating expenses, instructions, research and development, student services, infrastructure and capital projects, financial aid and scholarships and administration plus overhead,” TheNewsZenith quotes Ogunsola as saying.
She compared Nigeria’s system with foreign universities, saying universities in advanced countries “are better able to provide services because they have a steady revenue stream, usually from tuition and healthcare services, such as their teaching universities.
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“In Nigeria, there are serious challenges, with large population made mostly of young people imposing extreme challenges upon university resources.
Also in Nigeria, she said, the government pays the salaries of staff and leaves everything else to the universities.
“Regular closure of universities has had a devastating impact on the ability of the universities to meet their budgetary plans. And they, therefore, crushed in terms of meeting their strategic financial outcomes.”
Consistently, the VC noted that allocations from the government have been on the decline trend.
“It’s been dwindling and inflation continues to have its impact. However, the government allocates funds without tying it to the cost of education. It is a funding system not based on data,” she said.
Add to that is the problem of the proliferation of federal universities.
“Think of it this way – the more children a parent has, the less there is to go around for their upkeep. The more universities are established, the less the federal universities have.
“There are also regulations and policies preventing universities from growing their revenue. Meanwhile, the cost of running agencies kept being passed on to the universities,” Ogunsola, the professor of Medical Microbiology, submitted.
TheNewsZenith recalls that TOPAZ, the Class of ’88, had earlier held two series of this virtue lecture.
Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka delivered the first lecture on Life After Retirement with the theme “Bright Side of Life after Work”.
Mr Zaccheus Adedeji, the current Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service delivered the second lecture series. His presentation was titled: “Revenue, Challenges and Opportunities in Nigeria Today”
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