http://www.punchng.com/index.php/news/item/8063-nigeria-varsities-short-of-30000-teachers-%E2%80%94-ASUU

Nigeria varsities short of 30,000 teachers — ASUU

The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Nigeria Universities, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, has decried the insincerity of the government to revamp the education sector.



He said the Federal Government was allocating 5.3 per cent of the agreed annual budget to universities instead of the 8.7 per cent under the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.

The ASUU boss further said the country’s universities were short of professors and this makes it important for older professors to stay longer in service to train the younger ones, so that the system would not collapse.

Awuzie said, "According to a research we conducted few years ago, we discovered that the universities were short of 30,000 academic staff; this excludes the state and private universities. Where are we going to get them?

"Government has continued to create more universities and has never asked where the competent teachers are. Our proposal that professors should remain on campuses until they are 70 years old is because we want them to groom more hands to run the classrooms. Let our people stay back to train more professors."

He added that while Nigerian students in Ghana paid about N124bn as school fees annually, the Nigerian government released N122bn as intervention funds for the nation’s 24 federal universities.

Awuzie, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on the phone, said, "The major issue we are canvassing is funding education. If the sector is well funded, every other issue like welfare of academic staff and infrastructure will follow. In 2009, we designed a budget of N1.5tn, big enough to restructure the sector. Its implementation is a part of the said agreement.

"We reached an agreement with the FG to release 8.7 per cent of the budget to fund tertiary education. For three years now, the percentage remained at 5.7 per cent. We have played politics for too long. What we are asking for is for the benefit of every Nigerian."

Speaking on the cost of running tertiary institutions, the Vice-Chancellor, Caleb University, Lagos, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, told our correspondent that with an average of N500, 000 tuition paid in private tertiary institutions, the cost of running the institutions still remained in deficit.

Olukoju, who spoke for the private sector, added that the nation was not doing enough at the primary and secondary education levels.

Olukoju said, "The pre-tertiary level is not well funded. Government has the capability to offer education free at this level or, at least, make it hugely subsidised. Every Nigerian child must be educated, regardless of the cost. At the secondary level, for instance, we are not doing enough."

The professor also faulted the 26 per cent vote for education in the annual budget of the government.

He said, "The government often claims that 26 per cent of its budget is spent on education. I am not concerned about the percentage; I am concerned about the money. There is a difference between 26 per cent of 100 and 26 per cent of 1000."

and the ones who are there are not always found - they go after private business.

Find the missing link between Universities and the industry, then you will fix half of your problems.

sheyguy:

http://www.punchng.com/index.php/news/item/8063-nigeria-varsities-short-of-30000-teachers-%E2%80%94-ASUU

Nigeria varsities short of 30,000 teachers — ASUU

The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Nigeria Universities, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, has decried the insincerity of the government to revamp the education sector.



He said the Federal Government was allocating 5.3 per cent of the agreed annual budget to universities instead of the 8.7 per cent under the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.

The ASUU boss further said the country’s universities were short of professors and this makes it important for older professors to stay longer in service to train the younger ones, so that the system would not collapse.
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Speaking on the cost of running tertiary institutions, the Vice-Chancellor, Caleb University, Lagos, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, told our correspondent that with an average of N500, 000 tuition paid in private tertiary institutions, the cost of running the institutions still remained in deficit.
Olukoju, who spoke for the private sector, added that the nation was not doing enough at the primary and secondary education levels.
Olukoju said, "The pre-tertiary level is not well funded. Government has the capability to offer education free at this level or, at least, make it hugely subsidised. Every Nigerian child must be educated, regardless of the cost. At the secondary level, for instance, we are not doing enough."

The professor also faulted the 26 per cent vote for education in the annual budget of the government.

He said, "The government often claims that 26 per cent of its budget is spent on education. I am not concerned about the percentage; I am concerned about the money. There is a difference between 26 per cent of 100 and 26 per cent of 1000."

I hope the likes of internet-bragging Luvola, timdam1, elrony, tosnat, and Swaginton get to see this and learn something from it.

ASUU is unbeliveably annoying,
How productive can u be when u are seventy.
Only last year they had their allocations jerked up
their salary is going to be increased with implementation of minimum wage
what hope do the youth have when some never one to retire
they ask for autonomy but yet, they want goverment to increase funding
govt subsidy in oil health education is only going to stagnate,
recurrent expenditure for the year tops over two trillion
whilst capital is way lower.
some even have double employment in private hospitals.
I am sure the read through the proposed budget and noticed how uninspiring it is with huge wage bills