The Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, has provided reasons why Nigerian universities owned by religious organizations charge higher tuition more than those of public institutions in Nigeria.
The cleric spoke during the second matriculation ceremony of the Augustine University in Ilara, Lagos State. While defending the decision of the religious organizations that own the schools, Okogie explained that the current economic situation in the country created more challenges for private varsities.
He said the charges are in order because the desire of faith-based universities to provide quality education requires a lot of funds.
He said, “Education is not too costly in faith-based institutions. Tell me what is cheap in the country now? Education is not cheap anywhere in the world.”
The guest speaker at the event, Prof. Joseph Omoregbe, noted that partial education was harmful to the individual and the society.
The retired professor of philosophy at the University of Lagos spoke on the topic, “Educating the human person –A conceptual analysis.” He said,
“Education is the development of the three faculties of an individual. They include the intellect, the memory and the will. A holistic education process must aim at developing these three faculties in order to make an individual an educated, morally upright person.” he added.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Steve Afolami, urged the Federal Government to extend scholarship from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to private and faith-based varsities. This, he said, would be helpful, even if the private institutions would have to compete for it.
