FG cannot finance varsity education – Jonathan

Jonathan said the demand of the tertiary education sub-sector is rising while other sectors are competing for financing. Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Viola Onwuliri, the president stated this during the 40th convocation of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State. He urged Nigerian university authorities to join hands with the government […]

Jonathan said the demand of the tertiary education sub-sector is rising while other sectors are competing for financing.
 Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Viola Onwuliri, the president stated this during the 40th convocation of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State.
 He urged Nigerian university authorities to join hands with the government in the search for solutions to the poor funding of the education sector, particularly the tertiary institutions.
 He said: “It is evident that the capacity of government to bear the full burden of financing our universities will continue to decline as the demand for education continues to grow and other sectors of the economy compete for the lean financial resources.”
 The president therefore called on university authorities to ensure prudent and effective management of the available resources at their disposal.
 “To overcome the financial crisis, our universities should make conscious efforts to use the existing resources more effectively and prudently by increasing efficiency,” he stressed.
Earlier, OAU’s Vice Chancellor Professor Tale Omole said the institution conferred First Degrees on 9,094 students from 13 faculties, out of whom 127 made first class honours.  
He added that 2,755 students got master degrees, while 150 got doctor of philosophy (Phd) certificates.