Title: SUSTAINABLE FUNDING STRATEGIES BY TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS FOR IMPROVING EDUCATION AND SKILL TRAINING IN BENUE STATE

Authors:
Shimave, Aondohemba G., Kesiki, W. B. & 3Azuaga, C. I.

Abstract: Abstract Sustainable funding is a contemporary issue gaining importance, especially in higher institutions in the face of dwindling government funding. In spite of its importance, many tertiary institutions have not creatively keyed into the funding mix to enhance their mandate of education and skill training. The study investigated sustainable funding strategies utilised by tertiary institutions for improving education and skill training in Benue State. 3 research questions guided the study. The population for the study was 182 vocational and technical education lecturers consisting of 47 lecturers from the two public universities and 135 lecturers from the two state colleges of education. A 45 item, 4-point scaled instrument was used for data collection. 109 of the 182 copies of the questionnaire distributed were retrieved and analysed using the mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions. It was found that tertiary institutions in the state do not fully utilise available sustainable funding strategies from government, the community, and from internally generated revenue. It was therefore recommended tertiary institutions should: adopt the identified strategies to boost their financial viability for improving skill training; and that government agencies exercising should use the sustainable funding strategies as a template for tertiary institutions to implement on a yearly basis to enhance their capacity to produce graduates with employable skills to stem the nation‟s unemployment.

Publication Date: 2018-06-09