ADVANCING NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION SECTOR TO WORLDCLASS THROUGH ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR QUALITY ACADEMIC STANDARD

Abstract

The Nigerian education sector is still suffering from neglect and chronic under- funding,
which results in low academic standards. With the little budgetary allocations to education, there is still glaring disconnect between the budget contents and actual projects on the ground. Every sector in education is therefore affected by corruption that undermines its performance for academic excellent. The gross underfunding of education is clearly reflected in the Nigeria’s budgetary allocations and exposed as the biggest challenge leading to numerous problems of brain drain, corrupt practices, lecturers’ growing nonchalant attitudes, and outbound mobility of Nigerian students to foreign universities at a rapid pace among
others. Against this background, this paper discussed the development of university education in Nigeria, objectives of higher education, underfunding and Nigerian universities, and implications of underfunding to the Nigerian universities, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) struggles for funding of Nigerian university education among others. The latter part of the paper contained recommendation that centers on the philanthropies,private organizations and other stakeholders that need to be encouraged in funding the Nigerian university education system to ensure quality and overall academic standard.