The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), has noted with serious concern the inimical effect of the proposed tax reforms of the Federal Government on Tertiary Education in Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday by COEASU President, Dr Smart Olugbeko.
According to Olugbeko, the tax reform is a dangerous ambush aimed at destroying public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“We strongly reject the aspects of the proposed tax administration which aims to withdraw or impede on the source of fund to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
” Such injury, if allowed to stand, is bound to undermine the development of public tertiary education in Nigeria.
“TETFund is a brainchild of the struggles of academic staff unions in tertiary institutions led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“Prior to the establishment of TETFund, infrastructure in tertiary institutions were in a shambles and government of Nigeria became clueless on the way forward until ASUU came up with a brilliant idea of a trust fund for the education sector,” he said.
Olugbeko expressed concern that no Nigeria government in the last two decades or more had committed up to 9 per cent of the annual budget to education despite the UNESCO recommendation that 26 per cent of the annual budget be dedicated to education.
He added that the aspect of the tax reform that allowed TETFUND to be stifled of its source of Fund would gradually ‘drag tertiary institutions into the stock market making them become capitalistic ventures for the highest bidders’.
“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 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,” he added.
The president condermned the attack on TETFund without prejudice to the potential strengths of the proposed tax administration law in expanding the tax base and reinforcing compliance towards economic stimulation.
“Rather than killing TETFund through the purported tax reform, 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 called on stakeholders in education including students, parents, educators, the civil society to join hands with the union in rejecting proposal in order to save public tertiary education.
