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PORT HARCOURT – National Vice President of a literacy advocacy group in Nigeria, the Literacy Promotion Association of Nigeria(LiPAN), Prof Ibiere Ken- Maduako, has lamented the poor funding of university education, including other public schools across the country, adding that most of the elites being celebrated went to public universities, among others.
Speaking with Our Correspondent recently in Port-Harcourt on the poor spate of university education, and other public schools in Nigeria, Ken- Maduako, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE), Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, says that Nigeria’s public universities are grappling with a funding crisis that threatens their foundational purpose, decrying the chronic under investment in tertiary institutions.
She used the opportunity to commend a local media, notably, the Port Harcourt- based online news outfit, PH Mundial Newspaper for shining light on the crisis.
Prof Ibiere Ken- Maduako stressed that in recent years, multiple indictments of Nigeria’s higher education system have emerged, adding that, “The National Universities Commission (NUC) has identified” inadequate funding, infrastructure deficit, staff deficit, poor research and development, and weak university industry linkages”, among other factors stifling the university system.
According to her, subventions from federal and state governments are insufficient forcing some institutions to rely almost entirely on external donors, irregular revenue streams or tuition hikes.
“Students themselves are being squeezed. At campuses in Port Harcourt and Calabar. Media reports that rising transportation, accommodation, and food costs are already impacting attendance, performance and mental wellness.”
Prof Ibiere Ken- Maduako described the situation as ‘ untenable for any system seeking global competitiveness”.
She also saluted PH Mundial for the depth and persistence of its editorial coverage of varsity education issues, saying that the media spotlight is essential to generate policy momentum.
Ibiere Ken- Maduako, a professor of Pragmatics in Communication of the ivory tower urged the federal and state governments to grant more autonomy to manage resources, generate income, and build partnerships with industry and international bodies, noting that student welfare must be prioritized transport, accommodation, mental health, and basic living costs cannot be ignored if learning is to flourish.
Ibiere Ken- Maduako averred: “A multi- stakeholder taskforce, which she said, includes, governments, universities, students, labour unions, civil society groups, and the media, should be constituted to monitor reform progress and report publicly”.
