Hike in tuition fees and risks of a mistimed varsity autonomy

Granting full autonomy to public universities in Nigeria could give the universities an open cheque to continue to charge exorbitant tuition fees which could lead to many students dropping out of universities and potentially going into the underworld.

The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, was recently reported to have said that the federal government will grant full financial autonomy to public universities.

While the intention for such a move by the federal government may be an honest one, it is imperative to diagnose the inherent risks involved in granting autonomy to public universities.

For the sake of clarity, autonomy means the universities are free to explore sources of funding to run their activities and achieve financial sustainability. On paper, this looks a positive plan to improve the capacity of the universities to generate revenue for improved services and better quality of education. However, there is more to this than meets the eye.

It cannot be over-emphasised that Nigeria is not ripe for full university autonomy. Granting full autonomy to universities will make worse the current excruciating hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.

Research has shown that only 5 percent of students in Nigeria can afford private universities while the rest 95 percent are in public universities. It has also been argued that about 50 percent of students in public universities are at the risk of dropping out because they cannot afford the current arbitrary hike in tuition fees. What happens to the parents who cannot afford the high fees in private universities and are now faced with unaffordable fees in public universities?

Education is a right not a privilege to every Nigerian. This right is clearly stated in chapter 2 of the constitution Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the child’s right act 2003.

Section 18 (3)(c) makes it mandatory (when practicable) for the government to provide FREE university education to every Nigerian. Obviously, Nigeria can afford free university education if the current leakages in the system are plugged.

This relevant section 18(3)(c) is clear, explicit and unambiguous that: ‘18(3) Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy; and to this end, Government shall as and when practicable provide: (a) free, compulsory and universal primary education; (b) free secondary education;(c) free university education; and(d) free adult literacy programme.

The Child’s Rights Act 2003 is clear in section 15(1) that “Every child has the right to free, compulsory and universal basic education.”

It is simply bad timing to even talk of granting financial autonomy to universities at this time when people are in dire need of subsidy and succour from the government at all levels. Just when the government is giving out palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, it is talking about granting university autonomy and empowering the universities to increase their tuition fees.

Over 150 million Nigerians are living in abject multidimensional poverty (MDP) and cannot afford to send their wards to primary or secondary schools. People cannot afford meals today due to the skyrocketing of prices of food. Is this really the time to grant autonomy to universities and make it more difficult for parents to sponsor their children to universities?

Clearly, university autonomy and increase in tuition fees are not mutually exclusive. When universities are granted autonomy, fees will hit the skies and become unaffordable to most Nigerians.

Students who cannot afford universities will drop out. After all, jobs are not guaranteed upon completion of a degree. These students who drop out could be tempted to join cult groups, kidnappers and other violent non-state actors and criminal gangs thus increasing the current high-level insecurity in Nigeria.

Granting autonomy and increased university tuition fees could lead to mass action by students and possible anarchy which will make the #Endsars protest of October 2020 look like a piece of cake.

The federal government should as a matter of urgency stop public universities from further increases in tuition fees and accommodation charges and order them to revert to status quo.

Dr Abubakar Alkali wrote via: alkalizai@yahoo.com