The Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) has identified insufficient funding as a significant obstacle hindering the effective growth and global ranking of public universities in Nigeria.
The committee revealed that the cost of training a single medical student in a university, whether public or private, is approximately N5bn.
This revelation underscores the need for a cost-sharing approach based on the actual cost of training a student at the university.
These issues were discussed by the Secretary-General of CVCNU, Prof Yakubu Ochefu, during a 'Workshop for Advancement and Alumni Officers' held in Abuja on Thursday. The event, themed 'Institutional Advancement, Alumni Relations and University Education in Nigeria', was organised by CVCNU in collaboration with the Conference of Alumni Association of Nigerian Universities.
Prof Ochefu disclosed that the committee had determined the cost of training a student in a university, including public universities. He noted that there were still gaps in the cost-sharing ratio between the government and students. He stated, “To train one medical student in a university costs about N5bn. Even in the public university, it costs about N5bn, so what is the cost-sharing ratio between the government and individuals in public universities?
He further explained that if the government wishes to assume full responsibility for a student's training, it should provide the N5bn required for the university to operate effectively. He said, “You cannot give a vice-chancellor N3m and say go and manage.
However, Prof Ochefu acknowledged that the government alone could not fund education. He added that the workshop was organised to tap into the potential of alumni from various institutions across the country, as well as non-university organisations or individuals, as a significant alternative source of funding for universities.
He said, “At the level of the committee of vice-chancellors, we discussed various challenges that are facing the Nigerian university system and we realised very quickly that our relations with persons or with institutions that are not within our ecosystem is not as strong as it should be.
The Vice-Chancellor of Joseph Tarka University, Makurdi, Prof Isaac Itodo, who is also the immediate past Vice-Chairman of CAANU, said the workshop was organised not only to examine the roles of alumni association desk officers but to redefine their roles for positive delivery. He said the time had come to revisit the activities of alumni associations because they were major stakeholders of every institution.