Reliance of Varsities on government funding not sustainable – Bamiro

A former Vice Chancellor of the Premier University, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Emeritus Professor Olufemi Bamiro has posited that it is no longer feasible and sustainable for government alone to be funding public universities while calling all statkeholders to be involved in the funding of the universities.

Bamiro stated this at the maiden convocation lecture of the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology,  Okitipupa,  Ondo State.

Speaking on the title, ‘ Transforming the Nigerian university system for graduate employability and socio-economic development’. the University Don posited that the students must equip themselves with necessary skills that will improve their employability and enhance their service delivery..

Bamiro said,  “In respect of funding, as presented in this paper, the funding scheme of the public universities, characterized by heavy reliance on government funding, is highly unsustainable. The situation calls for the involvement of all the key stakeholders – government, our academic institutions, parents, and funding agencies – in cost sharing.

“Implicit in this is the need for every institution to put in place a computer-based enterprise resource planning model for a better determination of the real costs of
education, training and research coupled, most importantly, with the optimal management of resource inflow and outflow. This will facilitate the evolution of evidence-based policies and implementation to achieve sustainable financing of our universities.”

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“As for graduate employability, my appeal to the graduates is that they should embrace the concept of learning to learn through in which you use the opportunities that exist through the ICT-enabled information superhighway towards enhancing the skills acquired within the four walls of the university.

“Our lecturers are now facilitators equipping you with the basic skills and tools of analysis that we are expected to build upon to thrive in the local and global economies,” he admonished.