Govt alone cannot fund varsity education, says AE-FUNAI VC
Prof. Sunday Elom
The Vice Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Prof. Sunday Elom, has said that government alone cannot adequately fund university education, noting that cost-sharing option, involving all stakeholders in the system, is the way to go for sustainable funding of universities.
Elom stated this during the 10th matriculation ceremony of the university held last week.
His said: “The Nigerian university system is facing challenges, especially in the area of funding, which has led to incessant strike/industrial actions by university-based staff unions, notably the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). It is my belief that government alone cannot adequately fund university education in Nigeria.
“We need a cost-sharing approach to the funding of our universities, which would involve stakeholders – government, university management, parents/guardians and organised private sector to make positive impact in the system.”
“I, therefore, use this opportunity to appreciate parents/guardians of our students for their contributions through the AE-FUNAI Parents’ Forum, to the infrastructure development of the university since 2016 when the forum was inaugurated.
“As a university, we are prepared to move with changing times by adopting the use of technology.
“I envision a world-class campus, where management, staff and students work together as a team in an atmosphere that meets global best practices. I, therefore, call on everyone to join hands with me to make this dream a reality.
“The focus of the university is to instill, in our students, hard and soft skills, as well as functional knowledge to be relevant and resourceful in a 21st century knowledge-based economy. I assure you of our commitment to that mandate.”
