Alausa Warns of Funding Shortfalls and Brain Drain in Tertiary Sector

Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has raised concerns over the chronic underfunding of the country’s education sector, noting that national allocations consistently fall short of global recommendations and threaten institutional growth.

Speaking at the 65th anniversary grand finale of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Osun State, Alausa disclosed that federal budgetary allocations to education historically hover between 5% and 8%. This figures sits significantly below the 15% to 20% benchmark advised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), resulting in decaying infrastructure, unequipped laboratories, and limited library resources across campuses.

The minister identified several critical bottlenecks undermining higher education, including a severe shortage of university admission slots. He explained that while Nigeria has more than 200 universities, they accommodate fewer than 500,000 students annually, leaving over 1.5 million qualified applicants without admission spaces.

Additionally, Alausa pointed to a widening mismatch between academic curricula and contemporary employment needs, stating that many graduates enter the workforce lacking essential digital, entrepreneurial, and critical thinking skills. This mismatch is worsened by an ongoing talent drain, as top-tier lecturers and exceptional graduates continue to migrate abroad.

The minister also highlighted low investment in innovation, stating that Nigeria directs less than 0.2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) toward Research and Development (R&D) well below international peers like Israel and South Korea.

To counteract these systemic deficits, Alausa emphasized the federal government’s ongoing intervention strategies, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) designed to support low-income students, alongside implementations of the revised National Policy on Education.

During the event, OAU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Simeon Bamire affirmed the institution’s future priorities, stating that the university will focus heavily on strengthening industry partnerships, driving the knowledge economy, and deepening technological research to address local and global developmental needs.