MORATORIUM ON PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
Much more is needed to make our tertiary institutions competitive
Although the current administration can be accused of hypocrisy for the seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions after creating no fewer than 12 in the last two years, it is nonetheless an appropriate decision in the circumstance. “The unchecked duplication of federal tertiary institutions had led to inefficiencies, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and declining student enrolment,” the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa declared after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last week.
The moratorium covers admissions into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. According to Alausa the move was aimed at curbing the proliferation of under-utilised institutions, and refocusing resources on improving existing ones. But to demonstrate how unserious the administration is on the issue, the same government also approved the establishment of more private universities.
As we have highlighted on several occasions, this cynical approach to tertiary education in Nigeria explains why there is an urgent need for a total overhaul of the sector. Even at that, there is nothing new in the lamentation by Alausa. The Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities once identified a common problem among Nigerian universities, irrespective of region and ownership: they are all battling with the challenge of poorly equipped laboratories and workshops, outdated equipment, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated structures, etc. These inadequacies and many other irregularities in the Nigerian education system have contributed to their declining quality.
What the federal government has refused to admit is that many of these public tertiary institutions were established to appeal to the base sentiment of political leaders. That many of them are now choices of last resort for admission of candidates is therefore no surprise. It is also no surprise that most graduates of these universities lack sufficient knowledge, skills and possibly other attributes that will enable them to serve themselves, their employers, and society. These are critical issues that authorities in the sector should pay attention to.
With the proliferation of institutions of higher learning, the implications are clear: limited skilled human resources have contributed to the declining quality that has continued to elicit concern from stakeholders. The situation is exacerbated by brain drain. Many senior academic staff, due to poor remuneration, continue to take their services to countries where they are more appreciated. The depletion of scholars inside faculties is also aided by inability to attract visiting scholars from other academic environments. This problem can be traced to the neglect that the sector has suffered over the years in the hands of successive governments in the country. Unfortunately, this has led to a situation in which the future of many innocent education-seeking young Nigerians is now practically compromised.
Dealing with the challenge of tertiary education in Nigeria requires much more than a declaration of moratorium. There is a dearth of qualified academic staff to drive the universities. Most of the institutions of higher learning are not only suffering from inadequate infrastructure, ill-equipped laboratories, overcrowded classrooms, but they are also ill-staffed. Yet, with a robust environment for learning, quality teachers and international competitiveness, the Nigerian university system once attracted the best from Africa and beyond, to study. The products could match the best anywhere. In the last few decades, however, the system has suffered benign neglect, and many are increasingly questioning the ability to maintain comparable standards in the knowledge world.
Now that the declaration of a moratorium on the establishment of these institutions has focused attention on the sector, going forward requires a pragmatic solution to the problem of tertiary education in Nigeria.
