From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has endorsed the introduction of tuition fees in public universities as a crucial step towards ensuring their sustainability. The Fund argues that the Federal Government alone cannot shoulder the burden of funding higher education in Nigeria if it aims to provide quality education for its citizens. TETFund commends some state-owned institutions that have already begun implementing tuition fees.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, made the suggestion at the “Funding for Tertiary Education in Nigeria” event in Abuja. He emphasized that the government’s inability to solely and fully finance tertiary education necessitates giving institutions the flexibility to explore alternative funding sources to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in line with emerging opportunities.
“I need to stress the fact that the government alone can no longer be the sole source of financing for education, particularly tertiary education. Cost-sharing is very important in this regard,” Echono stated. “Such an approach will enable parents and students, who are the primary beneficiaries, to contribute to the funding of the system through the payment of tuition fees to complement government subvention to the institutions.”
Echono expressed optimism that the implementation of the student loan scheme would significantly assist students in accessing quality and affordable education. “The interest-free loan with a moratorium will provide an avenue for a growing number of students to access loans at affordable rates to pay their fees and support their education,” he said. “The significance of the student loan scheme, which targets the primary beneficiaries of education, is that it shifts the burden of payment by the student to after graduation when the graduate is able to earn and repay the loan.”
Echono also recommended that institutions provide more opportunities for scholarships. “Tertiary institutions should, as a matter of policy, explore partnerships and collaborations with funding agencies and development partners to attract support and complementary resources to support the institutions,” he added.
Kabiru Isyaku, President of the Nigerian Academy of Education, suggested declaring a state of emergency in the education sector. He believes this would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to engage in sincere discussions about the sector’s future.
Isyaku emphasized that the Academy believes Nigeria can achieve rapid development when the right attention is given to education. “Issues like the status of education in the constitution, structure and funding, the relevance of the current curriculum, evaluation, and certification should be addressed comprehensively,” he concluded.