Nowadays, tuition fees in public universities and other government-owned tertiary institutions have become almost similar to the fees charged by their private counterparts. Federal universities that used to be exceedingly cheap now compete with state universities for who would charge more exorbitant fees. A couple of decades ago, the big selling point for public universities was that the costs were subsidised by the government. And in a better climate, where the future of the country and the welfare of its citizens were prioritised, the health, social services and infrastructure, and most importantly, the education of the populace were treated as priorities.
But nowadays, it would appear that even governments all over the world that should be more concerned about the quality of life of their citizens choose to focus on other priorities. And Nigeria is not left out in this unfortunate trend. The issue of commercialisation has left very gaping holes in various sectors of our economy, as almost everything in the country has been commercialised for the sake of efficiency, even education. As it stands, even with the student loans, a paltry 7% of the 2025 national budget was allocated to education, a figure so much lower than the 26% recommended by the UN.
The concept of free education that was so aggressively peddled in the past is now beginning to sound like a myth, echoes from a time that never truly existed. Leaders of tomorrow now have to pay through their noses to get anywhere close to obtaining the golden fleece. This is because universities and other tertiary institutions have elected to increase the amounts payable by the students, despite initial claims by the federal government that federal universities are tuition-free. However, with the student loans that have now been introduced by President Bola Tinubu's administration, a policy that has been described in several different quarters as insensitive and mortgaging the future of the country, students in government universities can now borrow money from the government to pay the fees charged by their schools. The NELFUND initiative even provides monthly stipends to beneficiaries, but if the original terms hold, they will have to start paying it back after graduation.
While the policy has provided a semblance of relief for students in some quarters, it is sad to note that only a few years in, reports of administrative shadiness as well as misappropriation have started circulating. What is even sadder is that a developing country like Nigeria found the student loans policy as the next step in the right direction for education in the country. One would think that a country like ours would focus primarily on building her youths and getting qualified individuals into its job market. Instead, the government has chosen to make education a commodity. Even if this is the case in other nations, it is important to note that Nigeria does not have the job market prospects of those other nations.
Furthermore, the education that students are now having to pay so much for nowadays is not exactly as qualitative as it should be. It's not like for all the fees that suddenly skyrocketed, the standards also took a similar leap. In fact, considering what used to be the standard as well as also the economic situation of the country, students nowadays are paying more for less. We live in a world that sees new breakthroughs and discoveries in science, technology, medicine and the humanities almost every other day. But Nigerian students find themselves struggling to replicate these feats with even more meagre resources. We cannot but mention the overburdened lecturers, the inadequate or nonexistent facilities, congested classrooms, and the congested academic calendar, among several other issues that the existing universities have, direct consequences of poor government funding.
There is also the mental and psychological strain. Students have literally turned themselves into superheroes trying to balance school and work. After working to support themselves in school, they have to work even harder to teach themselves what the lecturers are supposed to teach them. While doing all these, it seems like they would actually have to be praying for luck and for the government, because consecutive economic policies of the government seem intent on impoverishing the greater part of the population. After enduring all these and eventually making it out with a degree, these youths now have to deal with the truths of the harsh realities of the Nigerian labour market, with many of them having debts hanging over their heads.
Despite all these, however, more and more youths still struggle every year to get this education. In fact, since 2017, the number of UTME candidates has been on a steady rise. Despite stories of how broken the system is, these candidates are looking for the chance for quality higher education. While this is wholesome and heartwarming in a way, it is still a call to action for relevant stakeholders to remedy this decay. All is not lost, but the nation and its people must work together to salvage what is left of the country's university education.
