The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has said plans by the Federal Government to deduct 40 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenues of higher institutions would lead to increase in tuition fees.
It therefore called on the government to exclude Colleges of Education from remitting 40 per cent of their IGR to the federal treasury as collections made by the Colleges are not revenues but charges meant to support specific services.
President of the union, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, stated this in a letter addressed to the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in Abuja and made available to The Guardian.
The union also called on the Federal Government to improve its funding of Colleges of Education.
According to the COEASU President, the deduction of IGR and increase in tuition fees will have domino effect on parents, stressing that they “will withdraw their children from schools”.
Titled, ‘Directive on 40% IGR remittance to Government is Retrogressive’ the letter reads in part: “Our Union notes with enormous reservations the directive of the Federal Government that Federal Colleges of Education should remit 40% of their Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) to the Federal Treasury. There is no basis to apply this directive to the Colleges of Education because revenues collected in the Colleges are meagre charges meant for the discharge of specific services. In other words, Federal Colleges of Education do not generate IGR. What they charge are service charges for student identity cards, health clinic services, hostel maintenance, laboratory equipment, teaching practice, consumables, etc.
“It is necessary to note that the aforementioned charges cover for government inefficiency as these services are not being funded by government. Following the monetisation policy of 2003, Government basically stopped paying for outsourced services such as cleaning, grass-cutting, facility maintenance, and security, which are supposed to be government responsibilities. Government only gives the Federal Colleges between an average of N8 million monthly to run the Colleges and this fund is not always made available as and when due, creating serious challenges in running the institutions.
“Apart from the fact that this fund is grossly inadequate, Colleges of Education are not elitist schools, and they are not patronized by wards of the high and mighty in the society. They are schools for under-privileged but generally patriotic Nigerians who are ready to make the sacrifices to engender a positive change in the education sector. How many Nigeria ministers, governors or Chief Executive Officers of government parastatals have their children studying in a College of Education? Thus, our students come from modest backgrounds, but are committed Nigerians who are striving to improve the Nigerian education system and should not be made to pay a huge price for the sacrifices they make to the country.
“Thus, government by its new demand on Provosts to remit 40% of internally generated revenue will be giving the Provosts no other options but to increase fees payable by students in order to provide the aforementioned services thereby leading to many student-teachers dropping out”.
