We have read from several media and News Platforms, the call made my Sen. Murray Bruce for the privatization of Nigeria public universities owned by States and the Federal governments. In his call, he maintained that the privatization of these Institutions will attract direct investors to the education sector and thus eradicate the regular strikes of staff unions in the Universities.
Our position on this is that Nigeria is not yet ripe for such privatization. One can not advocate for privatization in a country where about half of its population does not have university education. Nigeria ranks among the countries with the highest number of out of children in the World.
The major reason responsible for the high rate of uneducated people and school drop out in Nigeria and other parts of Africa is poverty. Many families live below poverty level and can hardly pay rents and provide for the basic needs for their families. Worst of all the many hardships people go through is their inability to afford three square meals per day. In fact, in extreme cases, they can not even afford any.
A good percentage of Nigerians can not even afford the subsidized fees in Public institutions, and very many of the students in these schools are indigent. They are barely able to pay their way through these universities.
When higher institutions become purely business ventures with the sole aim of making profit, more people will be out of the University system. In order to maintain the so - called standard and carter for staff welfare, increases in fees, just like the existing private universities we already have in Nigeria, then only the children of the rich can afford university education.
Privatization of university education at this stage will worsen the affordability of university education.
Senator Murray Bruce is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the most attractive salary in the world and privileged to be among the class of the super rich in Nigeria. Consequently, he does not and cannot understand how the poor strive and sell their belongings to keep their children in school. It is very sad!
Even in developed countries like America with very strong economy and high population of educated persons, though they mostly operate private universities, do operate State owned universities and provide scholarships and credit facilities for all their citizens.
It is on this note that we call on the government at all levels to ignore the Counsel of Ahitophel by Senator Murray Bruce in the interest of the Nation and her citizens.
We also wish to call on government at all levels to improve funding for education and initiate platforms for accessible scholarships, loans and counterpart funding for citizens' education in Nigeria as tertiary education is the most potent tool needed for us to move the at close pace with rest of the world. Privatizing Tertiary Education does not make any Common Sense. Period!
It is on this note that we call on the government at all levels to ignore the Counsel of Ahitophel by Senator Murray Bruce in the interest of the Nation and her citizens.
We also wish to call on government at all levels to improve funding for education and initiate platforms for accessible scholarships, loans and counterpart funding for citizens' education in Nigeria as tertiary education is the most potent tool needed for us to move the at close pace with rest of the world. Privatizing Tertiary Education does not make any Common Sense. Period!
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