To be or Not to be: Should Government Fund Private Universities in Nigeria?

Abstract

The issue of funding has been critical and fundamental in the discourse on the operation of Nigeria’s university system. Indeed, over the years, the issue has generated a lot of furor, with some calling for the government’s sole funding of the university system, while others believe the government has no business running and funding universities. To address the issue, several strategies have been adopted by successive governments in Nigeria, starting with the establishment of the Education Tax fund (ETF), which later metamorphosed into the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Despite these efforts, the issue has remained contentious as private universities that have been excluded from the TETFund funding have also joined the fray, also calling for inclusion in the TETFund funding. This study, therefore, examined the issue of funding as central to the discussion of the university system in Nigeria, the desirability or otherwise of the calls by private universities in the country for inclusion in the TETFund disbursed funds. In doing this, the study made use of secondary data sources, interpreting already existing works on the subject matter. The study argued that funding of university education should not be seen as the sole duty of government; rather, public and private universities alike should adopt the acceptable best practices worldwide where universities source funds independently of government through chair endowments from individuals and corporate organizations in order to ensure total autonomy of the university system