The immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, has said that free university education is not sustainable as the introduction of tuition fees in federal universities would go a long way in resolving diverse problems.
Daramola, who identified poor funding as a major challenge facing the Nigerian university system said this during a briefing held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The Former Vice Chancellor urged the government and stakeholders in the education sector to find a means of adequately funding federal universities if tuition fees would not be adopted.
“Free education cannot work in a university system. In developed countries, it is not free. So why are we fooling ourselves in Nigeria? If we continue to have free education in our federal universities, the output will continue to be substandard. The payment of tuition fees should be introduced.”
Daramola, however, advised the Federal Government and other stakeholders to provide a means for indigent students to pay their school fees, either in the form of grants or as loans.
The VC, who was recently discharged and acquitted by the Ondo State High Court after being charged for corrupt practices by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission explained that his ordeal started towards the end of his tenure in FUTA and it was due to his determination to run a prudent administration.
Leave a Reply