Funding Gaps and Career Progression of Lecturer-Financed Qualification Acquisition in Nigerian Federal Colleges of Agriculture

Abstract Federal Colleges of Agriculture in Nigeria play a crucial role in agricultural education and rural development. However, lecturers in these institutions face persistent challenges in acquiring the qualifications required for career advancement. Unlike lecturers in universities and polytechnics who benefit from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) supported staff development programs, academic staff in Federal Colleges of Agriculture are largely excluded from formal governmental funding mechanisms. Consequently, many lecturers are compelled to personally finance their postgraduate education, often under conditions of financial strain and professional uncertainty. Deploying Human Capital Theory and Institutional Theory, this study explored the lived experiences of lecturers who self finance their qualification acquisition, with particular attention to perceived funding gaps, institutional neglect, and implications for career progression. A qualitative phenomenological research design was adopted to capture the meanings lecturers attach to self sponsored professional development within the Nigerian agricultural tertiary education system. Data were generated through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with purposively selected lecturers from Federal Colleges of Agriculture who had personally financed, or were currently financing, postgraduate qualifications required for career advancement. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic phenomenological analysis, which involved identifying significant statements, coding recurring meanings, and clustering them into shared experiential themes. The data were analyzed using thematic phenomenological analysis, involving iterative coding and the identification of shared experiential themes. Findings revealed that lecturer financed qualification acquisition is experienced as both a survival strategy and a personal investment in career continuity amid systemic exclusion. Participants reported significant financial sacrifices, delayed promotions, emotional stress, and reduced institutional commitment, alongside intentions to migrate to better funded institutions. The study concluded that exclusion from government supported staff development schemes undermines lecturer morale, retention, and institutional sustainability. It recommended the formal inclusion of Federal Colleges of Agriculture in TETFund academic staff development interventions to promote equity and strengthen agricultural education in Nigeria. Keywords: Lived Experiences, Career Progression, Lecturer Self Financing, Phenomenological Study, Federal Colleges of Agriculture