Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has described the “controversial” tax reform bills as a dangerous ambush aimed at destroying public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
COEASU President, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, in a statement earlier today (Wednesday, December 4) said the union is uncomfortable with the bills, hence it rejected the aspects of the proposed tax administration which aim to withdraw or impede the sources of funds to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
He said that such an injury, if allowed to stand, is bound to undermine the development of public tertiary education in Nigeria, recalling that TETFund is a brainchild of the struggles of academic staff unions in tertiary institutions led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He explained: “Prior to the establishment of TETFund, infrastructures in tertiary institutions were in shambles, and the government had become clueless as to the way forward until the academic staff unions came up with the idea of a Trust Fund for the education sector.
“Except for TETFund which has become the spine and lifeblood of public tertiary education funding, Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education would have gone comatose. TETFund has been playing an indispensable and exclusively vital role in the development of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, providing funding for infrastructure, research, teaching and learning facilities as well as staff development.
“Despite the alleged pervading corruption in the country and administrative inefficiency of many government parastatals and agencies, TETFund is one of the best-run government establishments in Nigeria with a highly innovative, resourceful, efficient management and well dedicated staff.
“TETFund has been discharging its responsibilities efficiently and has been the only reason why many public tertiary institutions are still functioning. We suggest that rather than killing TETFund through the purported tax reform bills, the federal government should strengthen and expand its revenue accrual sources with a view to sustaining the Fund’s commendable efforts in our institutions.”
He accused the government of taking the path of destroying public institutions through policy somersaults and lack of commitment to education, an indication of the seeming poor interest the government has shown in education development in Nigeria.
“No administration, in the last two decades or more, has committed up to nine percent of the annual budget to education despite the UNESCO recommendation that 26 per cent of the annual budget be dedicated to education,” Olugbeko said.
The COEASU President thus called on all stakeholders in education, including students, parents, educators, the civil society and all people of goodwill, to join in rejecting the backward proposal in order to save public tertiary education in Nigeria.
