N403bn Education Allocation Too Low – SSANU

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has stated that the allocation of N403 billion to the education sector in the 2016 budget is still a far cry from the 26 per cent UNESCO standard.

In a communiqué signed by its national president, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, after a four-day workshop and national executive council, NEC, meeting at Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin, Kwara State; the association labelled the allocation as disappointing and a far cry from the 26 per cent UNESCO standard and also extremely low for positive impact on the educational sector.

 “NEC-in-session noted with disappointment that the educational sector still remains highly underfunded, as the 2016 budgetary allocation to the educational sector is still extremely low.

NEC notes that the education sector is grossly disproportionate to the needs of the sector and N403.16 billion allocation is a far cry from the 26 per cent UNESCO standard. “NEC- in-session, notes that many countries with less incomes and population than Nigeria, place more premium on budgetary allocations on education and find it ironic that a government that promised to employ 500, 000 teachers can devote so grossly meagre sums to the educational sector,” stated SSANU.

According to the association, if the federal government believed that more than oil or any mineral, its human resource was its greatest asset, then a supplementary budget should be made to cater for the shortfall in the funding of education in the 2016 Budget.

The communiqué further reminded the government over the renegotiation of the SSANU/FGN 2009 agreement and said continued delay will not be good for the university sub-sector.

“NEC in session noted that the SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement had been due for review since 2012, in line with the terms of the agreement that it should be reviewed every three years.

Council noted that the continued delay in setting up a negotiation committee was not in the best interest of peace in our universities and called on government to immediately invite the union for discussions and negotiations.”

“NEC further advised the government that the membership of the negotiation team should not be tilted towards only teaching staff in the University, but be balanced, to include registrars, bursars and representatives of other constituent groups in the system, including Technologists.”