Nigerian Higher Education: Agenda for Reform
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Date
2013-02-05
Authors
Jibril, M.
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Abstract
The occasion of the celebration of half a century since the establishment of the first Federal University in Nigeria, the University of First Choice and the University of Laureates, the University of Lagos, is an appropriate forum in which to evaluate the .current state of affairs of the Nigerian higher education landscape and reflect on how it may be over-hauled to meet the challenges of the present and the future, hence the title of this lecture.
It is an indication of the high quality of teaching and learning in the University of Lagos that ithas produced, from the ranks of its lecturers and former students, more laureates in both Science and Literature in the Nigeria LNG Prize than any other University. Nigerian higher education includes all post-secondary education leading to a Diploma or degree. The higher education institutions
include all universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and even professional health training institutions. It will be argued in this lecture that urgent policy reforms are required to reposition Nigeria for the challenges of the twenty-first century knowledge economy.
The 2006 population census revealed that only about 8.7% of the population aged 6 above had received higher education by 2006. By comparison, 17.78% had received secondary education. Sadly, up to 37.63 had received no education at all. Over 2.5 million students are enrolled in over 500 such institutions and prograrnrnes in Nigerian higher education. In 2012, there were 106 colleges of education, 74 polytechnics, and 125 universities, with a total estimated enrolment of 2.5 million students. In addition, there were 113 mono technics (i.e. technical colleges specializing in one area of study such as agriculture or health technology) and about 100 schools of nursing and midwifery and other professional training institutions, with an estimated enrolment of over 120,000 students.
Given Nigeria'S estimated population of 158.423 million in 2010, the total estimated enrolment in higher education of2,500,000 represents GOLDEN JUBILEE CONVOCATION LECTURE UNILAG 1 a gross enrolment ratio of only 11.29% f~r ~8-t? 25-year-olds (whose population was estimated to be 22.137 million m 2.010). In the ease of universities, although some 40% of them are pnvately owned, the share of enrolment of the private universities is less than 10% of the total.
In terms of graduate education, less than 10% of all Nigerian stu?ents are engaged in postgraduate study, and.most oft?ese tend to be m the humanities and especially the SOCIalSCIences,WIthvery ~e:, gra~ua~e students enrolled in the sciences, engineering, or medicine (Jibril, 2003). Indeed, in some universities more than 50% of the graduate students are enrolled in business administration and related courses, responding to the needs of the labour market. Overall, :,hile Ni~eria's higher education sector is among the largest on the Afncan contme~t, reforms are urgently needed-as thi~ lecture ~dl demonstrate-particularly in terms of curnculum, funding, governance, and access.
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Nigerian Higher Education: Agenda for Reform. University of Lagos Golden Jubilee Convocation Lecture by Professor Munzali Jibril
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Citation
Jibril, M. (2013). Nigerian Higher Education: Agenda for Reform. University of Lagos Golden Jubilee Convocation Lecture, 46p.