University dons, under the umbrella of the Southern Kaduna Professors, FOSKAP, have strongly condemned the opposition to the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in the southern part of Kaduna State.
Those against the establishment of the university have claimed that there is a paucity of funding for tertiary institutions by the Federal Government.
According to the professors, it is inconceivable that the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, would be a harbinger of catastrophe for the people of Nigeria when it takes off.
While condemning a national newspaper editorial against the establishment of the university, FOSKAP’s chairman, Professor John Gambo Laah, said, “Nigerians are aware that all universities in the country, both private and public, are faced with the challenge of funding. Not establishing the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, will not improve the funding situation of Nigerian universities.”
He stated that the Forum of Southern Kaduna Professors completely condemned the attempt to oppose the establishment of the Federal University under the veiled argument that existing institutions are underutilized.
Prof Laah noted that they have always known there would be people naturally opposed to any form of development in Southern Kaduna, urging the federal government to reject the call against the establishment of the university.
He gave reasons, noting that in the past ten years, there has been an increase in the number of universities and other higher educational institutions in Nigeria, which has significantly reduced the high student-to-staff ratio that the editorial had observed as being very high compared to institutions in Europe.
He opined that every Nigerian deserves equal access to education and that newspapers have a responsibility to address all forms of discrimination, including educational discrimination in terms of access.
The chairman lamented that the editorial suggested that areas denied access to education should continue to suffer because the government does not have the money to establish new universities.
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