The Vice Chancellor of the Muhammed Kamalud-Deen University, Ilorin, Professor Rasheed Jimoh, has called for a policy review that would include private universities on the list of the beneficiaries of intervention of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
The Vice Chancellor, who made the call on Monday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while fielding questions from journalists on the
financial constraints of private universities in the country and the need for government intervention,
said the inclusion of private universities as beneficiaries of TETFUND is a way of promoting universal education, noting that public universities alone cannot accommodate all varsity admission seekers.
Prof. Jimoh said, though TETFUND’s intervention in private universities may not be at par with that of public-owned universities, accommodating them as beneficiaries would create a sense of belonging.
“This is more of a policy issue. When you look at education, we are talking of universal access to education, either private or public university. It is Nigerians that are in these universities, and in order to create access to universal education and because public universities alone couldn’t deliver universal education, the government had to open up the establishment of private universities”, he explained.
The Vice Chancellor added that government can give a fraction of what is going to public institutions to private institutions, saying: “There is nothing stopping the government from doing a review of their policy to allow, even if not at par, certain developmental interventions should also go to private universities.
“If you are giving public institutions, like N100m, maybe you give N20m project intervention to private universities. It might not be at par, but something needs to be done because Nigerians are the ones these private universities are also grooming.
“The number of private institutions surpasses even the number of public institutions. So, definitely, I’m sure the government is thinking on what to do and the pressure groups are also talking to the government on this.
“I also think Vice Chancellors of private universities are discussing this. I’m sure it has reached an appreciable level and I want to believe that something will be done in no distant time about this.”
Commenting on the recent policy on age limit for admissions by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Jimoh said the country has a perennial culture of implementation problems in its policies.
He said: “I see an implementation problem. The implementation problem is that you did not stop the student from enrolling in the primary school before six years nor stop them from enrolling for secondary school before 12 years.
“So, you want to create a gap. Have we created a college of a year or two years where they can attend before going to the University or do you want this set of students to be roaming on the streets for one year or two years?
“For those that finish secondary school, where do you want to keep them? Has the government provided a vocational centre for them to be before they enrol into the university? Of course, we have seen a lot in terms of underage, what do you call it, disadvantages of underage in the university.
“But that is not enough to say that you want to create a vacuum or you want to create a lacuna in terms of the lifetime of Nigerians that finish at 15 years, six months, and you want that person to stay until like 17 or 16, what is he going to do, and have we created a meaningful engagement for them?
“Before you make a certain policy, you must definitely look at certain issues. I can see a clear implementation problem. So, now, if we want to start with that one, we should start at the primary school. We must ensure that no pupil enters primary one except you are six years old.
“We should start now from the grassroots, from the primary and probably we should allow this generation to pass, and you know, it will be difficult for those people coming to even cross to the university, except you are 18, and I think that will be more seamless than just starting in the middle of it.”