Despite ASUU Strike, FG Will Continue To Establish More Varsities – TETFund
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its decision to continue establishing more universities across the country despite persistent opposition and industrial actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This position was made known by the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Mr. Sonny Echono, during a media interaction at the second anniversary of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State.
According to Echono, halting the creation of new universities in order to focus solely on improving existing institutions does not address the real challenge facing Nigeria’s education sector.
He explained that Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and increasing demand for university admission make it necessary for the government to keep expanding access to higher education.
“If you want to address the problem, you must address it from the root. Merely stopping the establishment of new institutions because you want to concentrate on existing universities, although it sounds like a good idea, does not solve the problem.
“Millions of Nigerians are being born every year and millions are applying for admission, yet the available spaces are very few.
“If we stop creating new universities, more people will be denied access to education. That will only increase the number of illiterates in the country. We must strike a balance and continue to establish new universities in response to the growing demand.”
The TETFund boss further explained that the Federal Government has recently shifted attention towards the creation of specialised universities that respond directly to national and human development needs.
According to him, most of the new institutions approved in recent years are focused on areas such as health sciences, technology and other priority sectors.
“That is why, if you observe closely, most of the new universities established in the last few years are specialised institutions designed to meet specific human and national needs,” he said.
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TETFund Speaks on Poor Lecturers’ Salary
Commenting on the welfare of university lecturers, Echono described the current salary structure of Nigerian academics as embarrassing.
He revealed that the issue became more glaring to him during an international engagement.
“On the salary of lecturers, I feel ashamed. I once represented Nigeria at a global conference attended by former presidents and prime ministers.
“I was asked if it was true that a professor, after 20 years of service, still earns less than one thousand dollars a month. I could not answer the question. I only said that we are doing something about it.”
Over 65,000 Scholars Trained – TETFund
Echono also disclosed that TETFund has continued to invest heavily in staff development across Nigerian universities.
According to him, more than 65,000 academic staff have benefited from TETFund-sponsored training and capacity-building programmes.
“We undertake staff development to help scholars who were employed to obtain higher qualifications. We sponsor them for Master’s degrees, PhDs and even post-doctoral programmes.
“As at last year, we have trained over 65,000 scholars. We have beneficiaries studying both within Nigeria and abroad.
“Our present focus is to give more attention to first-generation universities and specialised institutions,” he said.
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FAQs – Despite ASUU Strike, FG Will Continue To Establish More Varsities – TETFund
Did TETFund confirm that the Federal Government will continue establishing new universities despite ASUU strikes?
Yes. The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, clearly stated that the Federal Government will continue to establish new universities in response to increasing demand for admission, even in the face of ASUU’s opposition and industrial actions.
Why is the Federal Government still creating more universities?
According to TETFund, millions of Nigerians apply for admission every year, while available spaces in existing universities are not enough. Stopping the creation of new institutions would deny many young Nigerians access to higher education and increase the level of illiteracy in the country.
Is the government still focusing on existing universities at all?
Yes. Echono explained that while new universities are being established, TETFund is also prioritising funding and development for first-generation universities and specialised institutions to improve quality and infrastructure.
What type of universities is the Federal Government now establishing?
The Federal Government is now focusing mainly on specialised universities, such as institutions dedicated to health sciences, technology and other areas that directly support national and human development needs.
What has TETFund done to support university lecturers in Nigeria?
TETFund has sponsored over 65,000 scholars for postgraduate training, including Master’s, PhD and post-doctoral programmes, both within Nigeria and abroad, as part of its staff development and capacity-building interventions.
