Macroeconomics and the Nigerian academic

 Nigerian academics are not immune from the effects of macroenomic policies of the country.  We live and work in this country, hence, there is the direct and indirect effect of any economic policy on us.  Considering the role of education in the economic development of any country, pertinent issues affecting the efficiency should not be overlooked.  Let me highlight the impact of three economic factors on academics.

GDP

How does the national GDP affect academics?  The perception of Nigerian researchers internationally is tied to the wealth of the country.  Foreigners see Nigerian academics as being rich based on our oil income.  However, this is not the reality on ground.  It is difficult to explain that we still embark on industrial actions to get the attention of the national government.   The size of our GDP, after the last rebasing, disqualified us from many international initiatives.  Currently, our GDP places us in Group B , according to the World Bank.  Thus, we are only eligible for 50% article processing charge waiver.  The remaining 50% is elusive to many researchers with many resorting to taking loans.  Some conferences and organizations such as TWAS also use this to award scholarships and funding.  

Inflation

Inflation does not discriminate.  Apart from the impact of rising inflation academics face in their daily lives, there is also the effect on our professional lives.  The cost of reagents, laboratory materials, and books are rising.  Considering that most of these are usually obtained from personal funds, it puts further strain on our finances.   The rising inflation constantly pitches us against funders.  How do you explain that the cost of reagents have increased from what you budgeted a few months ago? 

Exchange rate

Nigerian academics have international interactions regularly.  We travel for conferences, attend workshops, and even organize international conferences here in Nigeria.  International conferences are not expensive, it is our exchange rate that makes it prohibitive for us.  Registration fee of $250, which will be paid by most international institutions, is equivalent to the one month salary of an Assistant Lecturer in the University (at an exchange rate of $1=N500).  How many conferences can such a young researcher attend in three years? We buy books too.  The exchange rate makes buying academic books a luxury we cannot afford.   Even our libraries are affected too.  Academics are members of international organizations where membership fees are paid.  Our exchange rate is driving the cost of membership in these organizations are higher.

Way forward

The government at all stages should stop paying lip service to the education sector.  Macroeconomic policies have a ripple effect on the educational sector, as it does to other sectors of the economy.  Inflation is driving the cost of education at all levels beyond the reach of a largely poor population.  The rising exchange rate is not the only problem but getting it also a problem.  Government needs to stop the hide and seek game, and come to the table with the academic community.  

ASUU-FG Negotiation: Matters Arising

There is no gainsaying that the Academic Staff Union of Universities is actively fighting for the soul of Nigerian education. Over the years, ASUU's struggles have yielded much-needed funding for institutions and better welfare for academics. The battle might have been won but the war continues. The last industrial action by the union has resulted in the payment of backlogs of accrued earnings, funding for the Universities, the constitution of visitation panels, and many more wins.  

However, there are some pertinent issues that ASUU must bring to the negotiation table, as soon as the opportunity presents itself. In this brief article, I present a few of those issues.

(1) Article Processing Charges

Nigerian researchers operate in a global world. There are no separate rules for Nigerian academics when it comes to publishing. The publication process is described in this three-part series (here). Globally, there is increasing agitation for the Gold Access publishing model, where authors pay and everyone gets to read freely. Publishers expect institutions to pay for article processing charges. However, a lack of such facilities in Federal and State institutions has placed Nigerian researchers at a great disadvantage. The best we can get from publishers is a 50% waiver, which is still prohibitive. ASUU must as a matter of urgency bring this issue to the negotiation table. A framework where the Federal Government, either through TETFUND or ETF, pays for published articles with selected publishers without additional burden on researchers should be developed.

(2) Access to articles and books

Research thrives on the work of others. This makes access to already published articles and books very vital in the research cycle. One critical obstacle Nigerian researchers face is paywall when trying to access publications. For instance, in trying to download this article https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219477521500073, you are faced with a charge of £35. Even with an upgraded pay, this charge is outrageous considering there is the need for access to many articles per year. ASUU needs to negotiate with the FG about access to articles for students and researchers within the country. The cost should not be borne by academics.