…As he calls for adequate funding
From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
In the face of deteriorating education standards in Nigeria, Prof. David Mba, a Nigerian in the diaspora, and the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of Birmingham City University (BCU), United Kingdom has described education as a panacea for economic growth and social mobility.
Mba who has held positions as a visiting Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and University of Lagos (UNILAG) disclosed this in a chat with our reporter while reacting to the state of the higher education system in Nigeria.
He said that the importance of universities in driving innovation, supporting industries, and creating new jobs cannot be understated, adding that the fundamental question that underpins the current state and performance of the tertiary education system in Nigeria “remains what importance does national prosperity and development depend on an educated populous?.’
He regretted that Nigerian universities lag on various measures when compared with other countries, stressing that insufficient funding has affected research activities and limits the ability of academics to pursue high-quality research.
“A country like Nigeria should invest more in education to help cultivate their human capital, foster social progress and mobility, reduce poverty and inequality, improve health and well-being of the people, enhance resilience and adaptability to rapidly changing world.
“Quantitative comparisons of Nigeria’s universities with those of South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, Turkey, and Brazil showed that Nigeria lags behind on various measures such as published research, corporate collaborations, international patents, and global rankings.
“The analysis revealed that Nigerian universities have lower scholarly output and fewer corporate collaborations than their counterparts in other countries.
“Funding levels remain relatively low compared to other countries and without a stronger emphasis on applied research and knowledge development, Nigeria may miss out on opportunities for economic growth and social mobility,” he said.
Speaking further, the Umudei, Onitsha, Anambra State-born academic noted that the current levels of federal and state government funding for education are low, adding that education budget in the country has seen little or no change over the last decade, with the majority of the allocated budget for recurrent expenditure such as salaries, leaving limited resources for capital expenditure.
“Insufficient funding affects research activities and limits the ability of academics to pursue high-quality research. If it were not for the conviction of our brilliant academics, the state of the nation’s research would be significantly worse.
“It is a deplorable fact that some academics in modern Nigeria have to fund their research from salaries that haven’t kept pace with inflation and the overall cost of living. Whilst the case for an increase in government funding is stark, it is inconceivable that a significant increase can be achieved in the short term, given competing demands like transport infrastructure, security, power, and health.
“The result of insufficient funding has ultimately led to a decline in the quality of student experience with outdated teaching methods and poor laboratory facilities.
“Under such conditions, it is not surprising that Nigerian undergraduates are ill-prepared for entry into employment, not just internationally but more importantly within the country. This may to some extent highlight the growing outflux of Nigerian graduates to pursue master’s degrees in Western countries,” he said.
Speaking on the academic and intellectual ability of Nigeria students, as well as the incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the recently introduced student loan, Mba said thus; “the academic and intellectual ability of our students cannot be questioned, evident by their performances internationally whilst undertaking masters and undergraduate degrees at international institutions.
“Unsurprisingly, the current state of Higher Education has led to a string of strikes by ASUU.
“Given this financial context affecting the higher education sector, it is not surprising that universities across the country, both public and private, have had to find avenues for increasing income. For private universities, this is clearly directly related to increases in tuition fees. For public universities (Federal and State), they have had to increase charges for new and returning students as the government’s position on tuition fees is clear – no increase in tuition fees. As such students are faced with a litany of charges covering identity cards, library services, examination fees, sports fees, and so forth.
“This is the only way such universities can maintain their estate, accommodation facilities, students’ services, and administrative costs among others. Ultimately this puts the burden of funding on the student and makes a mockery of the tuition fee system. Inevitably this unsustainable funding situation means fewer Nigerians will have access to higher education.
“The introduction of the student loan via the government’s new Higher Education Bill aims to address some of the funding issues, however, with the current high levels of unemployment at 33%, there are limited jobs for graduates to repay the loans.
“Nigeria needs a model that combines the public university concept with a cost-sharing mechanism that involves government, industry, universities and students. I will end with my Nigerian version of an apt Chinese quote from the 7th Century BC (Kuan Chung), “If your plan is for one year, sell oil. If your plan is for ten years, build a refinery. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate your children,” he said.
Mba, our reporter gathered has led numerous commercial and publicly funded research projects, culminating in over 300 journals and conference publications. He would be assuming his new position as the Vice Chancellor of Birmingham City University on 1st October, 2023.
From an education that started at Ekulu primary school, Enugu, through boarding school at Federal Government College Enugu and some time at University of Lagos before continuing studies in the UK, Professor Mba is now the second Black appointed Vice Chancellor in the history of UK higher education. He will now lead a university with a history spanning 180 years since its inception in 1843, with over 31,000 students.