Some thoughts on funding education (Oh, the things I think about)

Whenever I get the opportunity to relax and think about anything not related to my day-to-day routine, I end up trying to conjure ideas about new ways to help improve education in Nigeria. It is certainly an odd thing to think about during one's free time, but it is something I relish. Some of my thoughts revolve around 'what kind of programs can be instituted? Will they work? etc. etc.'

Recently, I was opportuned to have a chat with a recently promoted deputy vice chancellor (DVC) of a university in Nigeria. I asked him what he hoped to accomplish as a DVC. His reply was not surprising: he just wanted to get used to the responsibilities of the job before he started focusing on what he wanted to change. But he ended with this: "No matter what I hope to accomplish, I can't achieve any of it without funding. Currently, we are underfunded and it is a struggle to pay our lecturers, pay for fuel for our generators and so many other things." In summary, the elephant in the room is 'funding.'


For those of you who read my previous post, you might wonder why I am revisiting the issue of funding/financing. After my mother read my post about 'Financing', she called me to tell me that I needed to rewrite everything I wrote in that post. "Chibueze, you have to rewrite it, it just doesn't flow," she said. So, I will be revisiting the issue of funding and what can realistically be done to help our education system.

There is some merit to the claim that our education system is underfunded. But what education system in the world is adequately funded? Even US universities, especially public institutions struggle with funding. The simple fact is there will never be enough money. But, we should ask our university administrators to show what they have done with the money they currently have. If they have performed so admirably with the little money they have, one can honestly say 'Only if they have some more money, they could do better.'

If universities and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education want to address the lack of funds for basic operations like paying for fuel or paying lecturers and staff, they must abandon the misconception that funding for education must always come from the government. That is the way education is run in the country; apart from fees levied on students, a universities' alternative funding is through budgets from the state or federal government depending on whether they are a state or federal university. Why is the private sector not involved? In many US universities, private companies and alumni provide an important money source to help universities accomplish the goals they set out. For example, if you live in a college town and most of the scholarships or buildings are named after Shell or Chevron, you know that those companies have an investment in that town. But in Nigeria, if you visit a place like Warri or Port Harcourt where foreign companies operate, they never invest in university education nearby. We only know those companies are operating in those towns because of their offices or refinery.

Shouldn't these companies that benefit from our resources (natural or personnel) invest in our communities also? What our government should do is to require that companies who operate in a certain area contribute a certain percentage of their profits towards the educational needs of that community. For example, ten percent of the profits must be given back and one such part of the community or the state that can receive these funds is the university located in that state. The company can decide to use its mandatory contribution for specific projects in that university (which can be named after the company) or donate the money to a foundation. It is a win-win scenario for the company and the community. The company can claim to be 'giving back to society' and they can brag about that wherever they want to. To facilitate this, universities and the Federal Ministry of Education should create foundations that can solicit additional funds from these companies, foreign organizations, alumni, government officials, and just about anyone. These foundations should be fund-raising machines, hosting dinners and doing everything legal it takes to obtain money for their universities. They should be passionate about their university and what it should stand for. The money they raise will be so invaluable to ensuring that improvements that the Minister of Education or university officials like the DVC desire can be accomplished. More money will become available for research work, building projects, increasing faculty pay and improving the quality of education being provided.

Here's another thought: what about confiscating stolen money from corrupt politicians and donating it to a university foundation? Unfortunately, there are many of those corrupt politicians in Nigeria. For example, if a corrupt politician is accused of fraudulent dealings in Delta State and the government is lucky to recover any of the money, that money can be donated to a university foundation in the state, e.g., the Delta State university foundation.

Finally, assuming these universities get their required funding, is there an assurance that the money will be judiciously used? We know the corruption problems that pervade every ministry in the nation. This is why an able Minister of Education is highly desired. He has to be incorruptible, fair-minded, and firm. He has to be a visionary and must develop rules to control university foundations to ensure that the money raised is being used as expected.

So, these are the kind of things I think about during my free time; thinking about ways to help our beloved country, Nigeria. If we don't do our part, should we expect others to do it for us?