FG TO FUND STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS, TRANSFORM UNIVERSITIES INTO RESEARCH HUBS – EDUCATION MINISTER'S REPRESENTATIVE.

FG TO FUND STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS, TRANSFORM UNIVERSITIES INTO RESEARCH HUBS – EDUCATION MINISTER'S REPRESENTATIVE.

By Tofunmi Adewusi and Adeyanju Ajao

The Federal Government has announced plans to turn Nigerian universities into research centers and directly fund research projects created by students.

The announcement was made during a lecture titled "65 Years of Excellence: Engineering the Future" at the Grand Anniversary celebration.

The Minister of Education was represented by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, who delivered the comprehensive address to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, university leaders, and students.

Professor Adebowale spoke plainly about four major problems slowing down higher education in Nigeria, noting that there are fewer than 500,000 university spaces for over two million applicants each year, and the government gives only 5% to 8% of its budget to education, which is well below the 15% to 20% recommended by UNESCO.

Furthermore, the country is losing its best teachers and researchers to other nations while spending less than 0.2% of its GDP on research, compared to countries like South Korea which spend nearly 5%.

To fix these problems and truly engineer the future, Professor Adebowale stated that top institutions like OAU must transition into leading research powerhouses. 

To support this vision, the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is actively using the new Student Loan Bill and the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to stop students from dropping out due to financial hardships.

Additionally, the Minister declared a brand new federal government initiative specifically designed to fund and support research projects developed by the students themselves.

The lecture also praised OAU's proud history since 1961, noting that Chief Obafemi Awolowo originally designed the campus with an open architecture to force students from different departments to meet and share ideas. Professor Adebowale then challenged the university community to ensure that the next 65 years are even better than the past 65 years. Concluding with a direct, empowering message to the youth in attendance, he reminded them that students are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but are the change makers of today.

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