Friday, 08 May 2009
The Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC) Professor Julius Okojie said has suggested that students in government universities should pay N150,000 as minimum tuition fee per annum.
Professor Okojie while speaking on the forthcoming “Forum on Financing Higher Education in Nigeria,” said it was erroneous for people to hold the view that funding education must be left to government alone.

“The future of university education is the private universities. Most of the institutions that are making wave outside this country are privately-owned or funded by faith-based institutions and people are paying and attending them. For example out of about 2,600 universities in the United States of America (USA), close to 2000 are privately-owned and they are doing better than the public ones.

“Given the cost of running universities and even the amount that are paid in some secondary schools, I think Nigerians should change their attitude towards government owned institutions. At least N150, 000 which is just about $1000 should be the minimum amount students should pay for a year,” he said.

SOURCE: DAILY TRUST

OPINION

Its part of the "re-branding" abi? Although its a proposal

This could be true. The cost of tution at the moment is noe enough to fund education in Nigeria.

However, The govt can take responsibility of this by giving interest free loans to all students ; which they will start paying back after earning a salary of about 1.5 million

georgecso:

   
Friday, 08 May 2009 
The Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC) Professor Julius Okojie said has suggested that students in government universities should pay N150,000 as minimum tuition fee per annum.
Professor Okojie while speaking on the forthcoming “Forum on Financing Higher Education in Nigeria,” said it was erroneous for people to hold the view that funding education must be left to government alone.

“The future of university education is the private universities. Most of the institutions that are making wave outside this country are privately-owned or funded by faith-based institutions and people are paying and attending them. For example out of about 2,600 universities in the United States of America (USA), close to 2000 are privately-owned and they are doing better than the public ones.

“Given the cost of running universities and even the amount that are paid in some secondary schools, I think Nigerians should change their attitude towards government owned institutions. At least N150, 000 which is just about $1000 should be the minimum amount students should pay for a year,” he said.

SOURCE: DAILY TRUST

That is just a misrepresentation of the facts. The NUC secretary should know better.

On the verge of making most nigerian youths uneducated ! Federal University students still pay less than 20k per session.

deor03:

This could be true. The cost of tution at the moment is noe enough to fund education in Nigeria.

However, The govt can take responsibility of this by giving interest free loans to all students ; which they will start paying back after earning a salary of about 1.5 million

if OBJ had not lootted $16bil may be more fund would be available.

if the $180mill bribery from Haliburgton was put to university use may be more fund would be available.

4 govt uniz? aint yu better being in a private uni?

hoeyeadoe:

4 govt uniz? aint yu better being in a private uni?

If care is not taken, private universities will deliver the death blow to the Nigerian education system.

Binna, what are they like?

that is too much for now

hoeyeadoe:

Binna, what are they like?

They are slightly better than glorified secondary schools.

The proposal is outrageous. For tuition to go that level, minimum monthly wage for workers should be at least N150,000.

Binna, in what sense?

hoeyeadoe:

Binna, in what sense?

A tertiary education system is made up of different kinds of institution, each differing in its form and objectives.

A university is different from a school. A university is primarily a center of cultural life and cultural progress. Its primary business is to maintain, and to advance, knowledge and learning. It duties include (in order of importance) the maintenance and diffusion of culture in the community, research in all branches of learning, and the education of students. All this should be based on a foundation of intellectual and cultural freedom. To think of a university as simply a place where students learn is to be quite mistaken.

Private universities in Nigeria are run like if they are simply the upper floors of the Nigerian school system, with culturally stifled environments and limited intellectual freedom, which makes them slightly better than glorified secondary schools. Their foundations are wrong.

I wish the university I'm trying to get into had a tuition fee of only $1000.

blackspade:

I wish the university I'm trying to get into had a tuition fee of only $1000.

If you dont mind my asking, which school is that?

UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), it costs almost $8,000 a year ($28,000 if you live outside of California).

Ok, $8000 a years is chicken change!

blackspade:

UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), it costs almost $8,000 a year.

Don't you wanna leave home? as I assume from your profile that you leave in/around LA.
Schools with smaller minority student populations often have more scholarship opportunities for 'students of color' (irritates me every time I hear that phrase).
I would recommend that you broaden your school search and try to get in touch with current students in the schools, who can hopefully provide you with inside info on funding opportunities.
Most school often have African student and/or black student associations which you can contact.
What is your field of interest?

They dare say this to Nigerian students!!! It'll be the real broom revolution cause it will cause massive riot that'll destabilize all forms of government. You can mess with elections all you want but you know 80% of the students believe without school their lives are ruined so you dare make that a proposal. Don't even let it get to one campus. You are there looting money and now you are asking the students to pay more? you must be made for real. What you think? every Nigerian student have a brother abroad? Borrow money from World bank where does the money come from? out of thin air and you get to give up your resources as a way of paying back unless you default. Shitty world. Back to Nigerian students, you dare make such a gesture.

biina:

Don't you wanna leave home? as I assume from your profile that you leave in/around LA.
Schools with smaller minority student populations often have more scholarship opportunities for 'students of color' (irritates me every time I hear that phrase).
I would recommend that you broaden your school search and try to get in touch with current students in the schools, who can hopefully provide you with inside info on funding opportunities.
Most school often have African student and/or black student associations which you can contact.
What is your field of interest?

Thanks for the info. I actually don't mind attending a school outside of LA as long as it's in California (I really like this state).

My field of interest is engineering, but I also want to study business.

blackspade:

Thanks for the info. I actually don't mind attending a school outside of LA as long as it's in California (I really like this state).

My field of interest is engineering, but I also want to study business.

Can you provide an email so that we can take the discussion offline? I have a friend who is in engineering that should be in a better position to advise you.

Good IDEA on paper  but impracticable considering that most parents who send their kids to Nigerian schools don't make N150,000 per month. The ones who make millions per month send their kids to school outside Nigeria and doesn't the NUC know that?

I read a proposal by the Nigerian Rally Movement which proposed some new ideas. . .perhaps NUC should take a look at that proposal. To free-up money for education in Nigeria, the HUGE GOVERNMENT and BIG USELESS SPENDING MUST be removed. When Nigeria begins to save billions of Naira per month from it's inefficient and over-bloated government and it's hangers-on, the GOVERNMENT can finally get a clue as to what it is to FUND education in NIGERIA. . .not the JOKE they have been playing for YEARS. When government has truely fulfilled it's obligations. . .no one will complain or have a problem with asking parents to pay higher tuition because the over-all quality of the educational system and quality of life of NIGERIANS would have improved considerably from what it is NOW.

A situation where a NIGERIAN student, gifted and smart could hardly get a MEANINGFUL (even any) scholarship in NIGERIA but here. . .he has FUNDING (scholarships) sufficient for the entire term of his education. . .even to doctoral levels will call to question the BIG JOKE of funding of education in NIGERIA.

biina:

Can you provide an email so that we can take the discussion offline? I have a friend who is in engineering that should be in a better position to advise you.

here is my email:

blackspadeone@hotmail.com

blackspade:

here is my email:

blackspadeone@hotmail.com

Thanks, will get it across.

Sorry for the OT

I am still trying to recollect whether Prof Julius Okogie (current NUC chairman) increased my tuition fee when he was my Vice Chancellor, couple of years.

NUC Chairman should look  to France where tuition is  free or to the US where students  who work earn  about  N1350 per hour.

The truth is that there is nothing like free education, it is a misnomer for indirect payment for education, and is just another item of propaganda used by the politicians to gain popularity with the masses. The government does not make money, it only spends the productivity of the populace.

Given the fundamental role of education in the development of a nation, it would be disastrous to leave the system at the mercy of the market forces, as it is impossible to make education a financially profitable venture. In all countries with respectable educational systems, top universities are primarily funded by public funds. Even the top private schools in the US are primarily funded by public funds. The primary difference between private and public universities, is in the allocation of state funds and the governance of the school. The private universities are to support and complement the public ones, and are not to champion the cause as we seem to be heading for in Nigeria

What the Nigerian university, and educational system really needs is transparency. Let the schools declare how much funds they have received from the university, and also state how they been allocated (judiciously or otherwise). It is after proper accountability that we can start to talk of if more funds are needed and from where such funds should be sourced. All you ever hear is that the system is underfunded, but they never come out to justify their expenditures.

biina:


What the Nigerian university, and educational system really needs is transparency. Let the schools declare how much funds they have received from the university, and also state how they been allocated (judiciously or otherwise). It is after proper accountability that we can start to talk of if more funds are needed and from where such funds should be sourced. All you ever hear is that the system is underfunded, but they never come out to justify their expenditures.

I disagre with this point. Given the way the university is run, it would be petty difficult for its management to engage in frivolous spending because the bureaucracies involved - approval by council, senate, etc - are, and have been pretty effective in preempting such situations. Moreover, all its financial transactions are handled by the Bursary, whose records external auditors scrutinize from time to time, and the results are always available to NUC(regulatory body) and indeed any interested person.

The truth of the matter is they are seriously underfunded. For instance, at my former institution, (UNIBEN) our VC used to cry then that the monthly subvention was short by about 12 million naira monthly for the payment staff wages, which means that the remain had be sourced locally. this is also apart from the millions spent buying diesel to run the generator.

Even if we can justifiably accuse all other sectors of Nigeria of mismanagement, I doubt hat our tertiary institutions should be included

Mai Suya:

I disagre with this point. Given the way the university is run, it would be petty difficult for its management to engage in frivolous spending because the bureaucracies involved - approval by council, senate, etc - are, and have been pretty effective in preempting such situations. Moreover, all its financial transactions are handled by the Bursary, whose records external auditors scrutinize from time to time, and the results are always available to NUC(regulatory body) and indeed any interested person.

The truth of the matter is they are seriously underfunded. For instance, at my former institution, (UNIBEN) our VC used to cry then that the monthly subvention was short by about 12 million naira monthly for the payment staff wages, which means that the remain had be sourced locally. this is also apart from the millions spent buying diesel to run the generator.

Even if we can justifiably accuse all other sectors of Nigeria of mismanagement, I doubt hat our tertiary institutions should be included

It is not too difficult to mismanage funds in a Nigerian institution. Most of the spending fall under the executive office, headed by the VC, and the senate has limited administrative influence. The bursary manages the cash flow of the institution. Your basis (auditors & co) for expecting judicious spending sound foreign, and is shaky in the Nigerian context.  Even at the secondary school level, their is gross mismanagement of funds.

Yet I did not accuse them of mismanagement or said that they were not underfunded, but rather encouraging transparency and due process. You cannot make a clear case of being underfunded by the government to Nigerians, if you are unwilling to be scrutinized by the same populace you seek sympathy from.

To demand more money from the Nigeria populace without providing information on how past funding is allocated, or how the the new funds would be spent is unfair to the people. I personally would not support such.
The university should set an example for the rest of the system and not engender the same cloaked business that the politicians use in embezzling public funds.

I agree that the educational system can still use a LOT of TRANSPARENCY. Let the audited accounts be published on school websites, pasted on school notice boards and everywhere possibly. . .that wouldn't cost the universities anything if they really wanted to be TRANSPARENT.