Academic groups, experts kick as N’Assembly proposes 63 new varsities, others

CenturyPost August 1, 2022

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No fewer than 63 bills have been tabled before the Senate and the House of Representatives for the creation of new universities, polytechnics, colleges of education since the beginning of shutdown of activities in public tertiary institutions in the country in 2022.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union have, however, warned the government against the establishment of new institutions while failing to fund the existing ones.

Nigeria has a total of 49 federal universities. The official data from the National Universities Commission also revealed that the country has 59 state universities and 111 private universities.

The National Board for Technical Education also puts the number of Federal Polytechnics at 40; state owned at 49 and private at 76.

While a total of Federal and state owned colleges of health is 70; Nigeria currently has 17 private colleges of health.

Also, the National Commission for Colleges of Education put the total number of colleges of education in Nigeria at 219.

An analysis of the 63 bills on creation of new institutions being considered by both the Senate and the House of Representatives revealed that 26 bills are for federal universities; 33 bills for federal colleges of education; agriculture; health; technology; and forestry among other specialised colleges.

The lawmakers also proposed four bills for the creation of new polytechnics.

However, a professor at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, Victor Olumekun, in an interview faulted the lawmakers for turning the establishment of new institutions into constituency projects.

Olumekun said, “I say it often that it is not the number of universities that we have that matter but the capacity to do what universities are supposed to be doing.

“As an academia, we don’t have to establish universities in every town, village and hamlet. University education is not about number, it is about capacity.”

The National President of ASUP, Dr. Anderson Ezeibe, said the move showed a clear lack of direction.

“We have continued to maintain that government should fund existing institutions to enable them meet their mandates.

“Passing bills for new institutions at this time is for political convenience and not in the public interest,” he argued.

(The Punch)