While hundreds of educational institutions in Nigeria are underfunded, the country’s lawmakers are pushing for the establishment of 32 more federal universities.
Development Diaries reports that the Senate and the House of Representatives have received at least 32 bills seeking the establishment of new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education since the inauguration of the tenth National Assembly
In a country where the menace of out-of-school children still lingers, where the federal government has yet to meet the needs of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), where public schools are struggling to stay afloat, and where the country’s educational standards are going down like a waterfall, the move by the lawmakers is not in the interest of the country.
Already, Nigeria has a total of 52 federal universities, 63 state universities, and 147 private universities. What, then, is the need to establish additional universities instead of turning the existing ones into world-class institutions?
In a country where millions of children are out of school, lawmakers should be focused on amending the Universal Basic Education (UBE) law to allow for 12 years of free, compulsory, safe, and inclusive education for Nigerian children.
Also, many public schools lack basic infrastructure, such as laboratories, libraries, electricity and a quality learning environment. It is only when there is a proper foundation that these children can make it into institutions of higher learning.
Establishing new universities without addressing the root issues could lead to a proliferation of institutions with varying standards, exacerbating the already prevalent problem of educational inequality.
Rather than spreading resources thinly across numerous institutions, the government should concentrate on enhancing the infrastructure, curriculum, and overall quality of education in Nigeria.
Development Diaries calls on the National Assembly to perish the idea of establishing additional universities and instead push for adequate funding of existing institutions in Nigeria.
The lawmakers should also take seriously the amendment of the UBE Act, 2004 to cover free senior secondary education for all Nigerian children, in line with the country’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
