The Committee of Pro-chancellors of State-Owned Universities of Nigeria (COPSUN) has observed that the brain drain syndrome has taken its huge toll on the university system in Nigeria with many lecturers seeking greener pastures abroad.
The Pro-chancellors therefore called on the federal government to declare the development as a matter of national concern deserving urgent solution.
This was contained in a communiqué signed by COPSUN secretary, Marcus Awobifa, and issued at the end of its 62nd Meeting of the Pro-chancellors in Abuja on Thursday.
COPSUN reiterated the importance of university autonomy and called on the state governments to uphold the principle of autonomy.
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The committee said they should emulate the federal government where the appointment of vice chancellors ends with the governing council of individual federal universities.
The pro-chancellors added that the state universities governing councils should be given free hands to determine the school fees of their various universities having regard to the modern economic realities in the country.
COPSUN, however, appealed to state governments in the country to improve the funding of state-owned universities.
The committee charged the vice chancellors of state universities to be more proactive and seek alternative sources of revenue to supplement government funding.
Meanwhile, COPSUN has elected the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Gombe State University, Senator Joshua Lidani, as its new chairman.
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