The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed deep concern over the neglect of the education sector in Nigeria, highlighting the country’s lowest education budgets across the West African sub-region. ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, emphasized the need for urgent action to address the funding challenges facing the sector during a one-day workshop organized by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in Abuja.
Prof. Osodeke reiterated ASUU’s call for an upward review of education tax to 10 percent, which would significantly increase TETFund funding from the current N600 billion annually to N3 trillion. He pointed out that while other West African countries allocate between 15 percent and 32 percent of their budgets to education, Nigeria’s allocation ranges from 4.5 percent to 7 percent, with less than 70 percent of the allocated funds being released.
The ASUU president commended states like Enugu, Abia, and Oyo for earmarking more than 20 percent of their budgets for the education sector, highlighting the importance of prioritizing education funding at both federal and state levels.
Prof. Osodeke also criticized university vice-chancellors for their failure to involve necessary stakeholders in the utilization of TETFund allocations. He urged universities to adhere to the agreed-upon protocol of convening stakeholders’ meetings before utilizing TETFund allocations, emphasizing that transparency and accountability are crucial in the management of funds.
In response, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, emphasized the importance of directing funding towards essential programs that align with strategic objectives and ensure maximum impact. He highlighted TETFund’s commitment to reviewing its operations and interventions to ensure that investments lead to tangible outcomes in both physical and content development within the education sector.
The statements from ASUU and TETFund underscore the urgent need for increased investment in education and improved governance in the utilization of education funds to address the challenges facing the sector and enhance the quality of education in Nigeria.
