The Vice-Chancellor of Owolabi University, Oke-Ila Orangun, Osun State, Prof. Samuel Adedotun, has decried the attitude of some parents who pay huge sums to fund their children’s secondary education but expect free university education for them thereafter.

Adedotun, who spoke with journalists at the Osogbo campus of the university on Friday, said good university education could neither be free nor cheap.

The VC, who said the university, had already secured the National Universities Commission’s accreditation for 15 academic programmes across three faculties, called for a change in Nigerians’ attitude towards funding education to ensure that younger scholars receive quality tertiary education.

He said such a change was necessary for the country to achieve the desired stability, particularly in the education sector.

Adedotun, who also said the country did not have enough universities to train the younger generation, noted that many aspiring students who sat the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination still failed to secure admission into their preferred institutions.

Calling for the establishment of more universities to meet the educational needs of aspiring students, Adedotun said, “The truth is that we don’t have enough universities. I do tell people that after 30/40% secure grades good enough to earn university admission, the existing public universities cannot give all of them admission.

“Many of them will still end up not having university admissions, and that is to tell you that we don’t have enough universities. Now, whether the parents will be able to pay the fees obtainable in private universities or not is another issue entirely. But the truth is, it is a function of choice. The payment of private university fees is a matter of choice. What I have observed is that as a people, we are not often very serious about funding education.

“Some parents will pay as much as N500,000 or more per term in secondary school. In three terms, they would have paid over N1 million. These parents may have two or three children in secondary school at a time. After secondary school, they will want a free university education for these same children. You cannot get the best out of such a system.”

On the academic programmes available at the university, the VC said five courses were being offered by the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences: Bachelor of Nursing, Doctor of Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science.

He added that the Faculties of Science and Computing, and Management and Social Sciences also offered academic programmes.

Adedotun invited qualified candidates, parents, guardians and education stakeholders to consider the university as a destination for quality education.

He said the university’s proprietors placed emphasis on service delivery and encouraged prospective students to study the available programmes carefully, confirm the applicable admission requirements and follow the institution’s official admission procedures.

“Candidates and parents are also advised to obtain accurate information directly from the University through its authorised communication channels and admissions office.

“We are committed to providing clear information about our programmes, admission processes and institutional requirements so that prospective students can make informed decisions,” he said.