ASUU Seeks More Funding, Canvasses Education Summit

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has  reiterated the need to adequately fund universities across the country.

President of ASUU, Dr Nasir Fagge,said that lack of funds was reducing the quality of education in Nigeria.

Fagge, who took over from Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie as ASUU President early this month, said that setbacks recorded in Nigerian universities had continued to increase student’s migration to other countries.

He said the major problems faced by Nigerian universities were lack of research facilities and learning and teaching environment which, he said, were affecting the standard of education in the country.

According to Fagge, the situation of the universities has become so bad that students are constrained to study in unfavourable places.

“You will not be surprised to find about 12 people staying in one room instead of the usual four and you visit those hostels, you will feel ashamed.

“So, if we insist on adequate funding in the system, we are not out of place because as it is now, we have many students migrating to Ghana for education and we are spending a lot of money there.’’

Fagge said the union had forwarded a proposal to the Federal Government, requesting that the plight of Nigerian universities be looked into to attract students from African countries and beyond.

He said the revenue to be generated if the universities were made to compete internationally would be as much as what the country got from crude oil.

Fagge said that sending children abroad for further studies might not be the panacea for securing good education for them.

He said for the education sector to do better, there must be collaboration between Nigerian universities and other universities internationally as exchange of ideas was critical to the sector.

He noted that Federal Government had started making moves to inject more funds into educational sector, adding that this was a welcome development.