Reps seek adequate funding for university education

House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education at the weekend assured all federal universities of adequate funding in the 2016 Appropriation year as part of efforts to enable them meet their financial obligations as well as improve the products of the nation’s universities.

The Committee, chaired by Aminu Suleiman, gave the assurance during the 2015/2016-budget defence with vice chancellors of federal universities including University of Benin.

Suleiman, who expressed displeasure over the financial crisis facing the tertiary institutions as presented by their administrators, pledged to restructure the funding arrangement.

On his part, Johnson Agbonayinma (PDP-Edo) demanded for a special intervention in the case of the University of Benin which he said had added two additional faculties this year and had its overhead cost reduced from N12.78 billion in 2015 to N11.73 billion in the 2016 budget proposal with a shortfall of N829.40 million.

“I’m calling on my colleagues to look at the case of the University of Benin dispassionately, in the current academic calendar year, the University has two additional faculties, the Faculty Veterinary Medicine the only one in the South-South geo-political zone of the country, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences with seven departments alone.

“Now, how will the institution survive now that its allocation had been reduced from N12.78 billion in 2015 to N15.73 billion in the 2016 budget proposal now with the National Assembly with a shortfall of N829.40 million, I think we have to look into this critical and dispassionately if we don’t want system failure,” he said.

According to Agbonayinma, some of the challenges facing the University include: gully erosion, lecture/laboratory Rooms, furniture, equipment and consumables, hostel accommodation, fire fighting equipment and trucks, security/surveillance equipment, ICT infrastructure to meet local and international ratings, Academic staff for accreditation (from Graduate Assistant to Professorial levels, Technicians and technologists to derive research).

He stated that if all these challenges were adequately addressed through budgetary provision in the financial year, it would facilitate quality delivery and global ranking of the University and others in similar predicaments.

 

KEHINDE AKINTOLA