FUNDING UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA: IMPLICATION FOR SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This study examined Funding University Education for Sustainable Development in South-East Nigeria: Implication for Societal Development. Two research questions guided the study; descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 23000 lecturers from 10 public universities in South-East Nigeria. The sample comprises of 1000 lecturers from 5 universities. The sample was composed using the simple random sampling   and purposive sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using mean. Findings of the study revealed that  poor funding  of university education in south-east Nigeria could lead to no practical and laboratory sessions, little number of field works, non-sponsorship of lecturers for academic conferences, little or no appointment of new lecturers, reduction in study grants, loss of variety in research and teachings, closing down of schools, loss of autonomy, increased administrative burdens and poor infrastructure, poor staff working conditions, poor salaries and rewards, brain drain, incessant strike actions, lecture boycotts, enlarged student teacher ratio, overcrowded classes, poor quality teaching , corruption on the side of the lecturers, and other negatives. It was also found that poor funding of university education could be ameliorated through privatization of university education, donations from private bodies, increased government budget for education, granting universities autonomy to source their own funds, aids, grants from international bodies and Non-Governmental Bodies, and scholarship for outstanding students and lecturers. The study recommends that Nigeria government must urgently work towards meeting the recommended UNESCO 26% budgetary allocation for education in the United Nations and as well increases its Tertiary Education Trust Fund for universities in the country.