THE Federal Government recently expressed a desire to make hostel accommodation compulsory for all universities. Professor Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria University Commission (NUC), broached the initiative while representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the 21st convocation ceremony of the University of Uyo.
The government’s thinking on mandatory hostel facilities for universities is laudable. It brings back good memories of university education in the early years of Nigeria’s independence when all students were accommodated in good hostels and well catered for by university authorities. The arrangement aided the production of more rounded graduates as the students had the benefit of closer interaction with the university community and exposure to extra-curricular activities. They were fully embedded in the university system and enjoyed many facilities that promoted their academic, physical and moral development.
Alas, hostel accommodation has be- come a luxury that is accessible to only a small percentage of today’s university students. In virtually all the federal and state universities, there is a seious shortage of accommodation, with the result that students who ought to be fully embedded in the university culture live in deplorable private hostel facilities off- campus.
The rush for university education and the poor funding of especially public universities have resulted in the lowering of living conditions of varsity students, with many of them living in largely rural communities. Nowadays, students pass through the universities, without the universities passing through them. It is a sad end we have arrived at as a nation, the continuation of which we must do everything to avoid.
But, as desirable as this initiative is, the question that needs to be asked is whether Nigeria can afford to provide accommodation in these universities. At a time when even the payment of salaries to civil servants, including university personnel, has become a challenge, and the economy is experiencing a down- turn on account of falling oil prices, it re- mains to be seen that this desire of the Federal Government to have university students living in hostels is not a pipe dream.
How, exactly, does the government in- tend to bring this good initiative to fruition? Will the initiative be applicable to state and private universities? How feasible is the aspiration, considering the nation’s financial challenges? These are some of the questions the government must consider and find answers to if the desire is not to amount to a wild goose chase.
In our present distressed economy, the means to achieve this initiative is very much in short supply. The government will need to be creative to realise this objective. It may need to tap into the resources of university alumni, and partner with the private sector. Nothing but ingenuous leadership is required to make a success of this plan, since the funds for it are just not available.
If the Buhari administration really desires to reverse the rot in university education and provide accommodation for all students on campus, it must think hard and fast. There will be need for strong and well-defined collaboration with the private sector and, indeed, international partners, if this initiative is to have a chance of succeeding.
Considering the land constraints in some of our universities sited in urban areas, there may not be enough land to build adequate hostels for students in such universities. What might be realistic, then, is to encourage private investors and developers to partner with government to build hostel facilities very close to the institutions, so that the students can still have the benefit of proximity to their campuses.We urge the federal government to give more thought to the laudable initiative and find a way to sell its benefits to the critical stakeholders in the university system.
Sourcing the huge capital outlay required for the campus accommodation scheme will require deep thinking and the cooperation of all the universities in the country as well as Corporate Nigeria. Our view is that the initiative is worthwhile if the government can muster the political will required to carry all stakeholders along to make the plan a reality.
The government’s thinking on mandatory hostel facilities for universities is laudable. It brings back good memories of university education in the early years of Nigeria’s independence when all students were accommodated in good hostels and well catered for by university authorities. The arrangement aided the production of more rounded graduates as the students had the benefit of closer interaction with the university community and exposure to extra-curricular activities. They were fully embedded in the university system and enjoyed many facilities that promoted their academic, physical and moral development.
Alas, hostel accommodation has be- come a luxury that is accessible to only a small percentage of today’s university students. In virtually all the federal and state universities, there is a seious shortage of accommodation, with the result that students who ought to be fully embedded in the university culture live in deplorable private hostel facilities off- campus.
The rush for university education and the poor funding of especially public universities have resulted in the lowering of living conditions of varsity students, with many of them living in largely rural communities. Nowadays, students pass through the universities, without the universities passing through them. It is a sad end we have arrived at as a nation, the continuation of which we must do everything to avoid.
But, as desirable as this initiative is, the question that needs to be asked is whether Nigeria can afford to provide accommodation in these universities. At a time when even the payment of salaries to civil servants, including university personnel, has become a challenge, and the economy is experiencing a down- turn on account of falling oil prices, it re- mains to be seen that this desire of the Federal Government to have university students living in hostels is not a pipe dream.
How, exactly, does the government in- tend to bring this good initiative to fruition? Will the initiative be applicable to state and private universities? How feasible is the aspiration, considering the nation’s financial challenges? These are some of the questions the government must consider and find answers to if the desire is not to amount to a wild goose chase.
In our present distressed economy, the means to achieve this initiative is very much in short supply. The government will need to be creative to realise this objective. It may need to tap into the resources of university alumni, and partner with the private sector. Nothing but ingenuous leadership is required to make a success of this plan, since the funds for it are just not available.
If the Buhari administration really desires to reverse the rot in university education and provide accommodation for all students on campus, it must think hard and fast. There will be need for strong and well-defined collaboration with the private sector and, indeed, international partners, if this initiative is to have a chance of succeeding.
Considering the land constraints in some of our universities sited in urban areas, there may not be enough land to build adequate hostels for students in such universities. What might be realistic, then, is to encourage private investors and developers to partner with government to build hostel facilities very close to the institutions, so that the students can still have the benefit of proximity to their campuses.We urge the federal government to give more thought to the laudable initiative and find a way to sell its benefits to the critical stakeholders in the university system.
Sourcing the huge capital outlay required for the campus accommodation scheme will require deep thinking and the cooperation of all the universities in the country as well as Corporate Nigeria. Our view is that the initiative is worthwhile if the government can muster the political will required to carry all stakeholders along to make the plan a reality.
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