COUNTRY REPORT ON NIGERIAN

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION – 2019

by

Reuben Lungu Lembani

http://ideaspartnership.org/ @ESRC_IDEAS

#ESRCIDEAS

i

FOREWORD

This country report on the International Distance Education and African Students (IDEAS)

provides an overview of the university education system of Nigeria. It also elaborates on the

historical background and the current state of the education system, and the extent to which it

provides equitable and quality education. This report draws on secondary data analysis, which is

informed by questionnaire interviews with 18 Nigerians who are international distance education

students with University of South Africa, and interviews with key personnel in the Nigeria

education system.

The country‟s university education system is characterised by the growing number of universities

- from only one university in 1948 to a total of 162 universities in 2019. These increases reveal

the country‟s policy on how it has been managing the demand and supply aspect of university

education. During the 71 year period since the establishment of the first university, funding of

public universities has averaged between 1.1% and 8.8% of the total government expenditure.

Even though some still advocate the establishment of more universities, it is clear from the

proportion of funding that the economy of Nigeria cannot sufficiently fund the proposed

expansion. This has a domino effect on issues such as transnational student migration, brain

drain, research output and quality of education. In order to commensurately meet the ever-

increasing demand for university education and ameliorate the challenges of funding, the IDEAS

project proposes the embracement of Open Distance Learning (ODL) as an alternative pathway

for achieving inclusive, equitable and quality university education.

This report, advances a better understanding of the university education system of Nigeria, and

explains why ODL is necessary.

……………………………………..………...… ……..……………….…………...…………

Prof. Parvati Raghuram (Principal Investigator) Prof. Ashley Gunter (Principal Investigator)

The Open University (OU), UK University of South Africa, RSA

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD .........................................................................................................................i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. iii

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... iv ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................... v

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The National University Commission ............................................................................................ 2

2. Spatial distribution of universities .................................................................................. 3 2.1 Federal universities ...................................................................................................................... 3

2.2 State universities ........................................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Challenges of federal and state universities................................................................................... 7

2.3 Private universities ....................................................................................................................... 9

3. Demand and supply of university education ................................................................. 12 3.1 Quality of university education ...................................................................................... 14

3.2 Transnational student mobility ....................................................................................... 16

4. ODL: A strategy for increasing greater access to education ........................................ 17 4.1 Challenges of ODL ....................................................................................................... 19

5. Lessons learnt ................................................................................................................ 20 References .......................................................................................................................... 21

iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The map of Nigeria, and it geographical location .........................................................1

Figure 2: Spatial distribution of federal universities ....................................................................4

Figure 3: Spatial distribution of state universities .......................................................................6

Figure 4: Spatial distribution of private universities .................................................................. 12

Figure 5: The proportion of enrolment at the three types of universities (FME, 2016). .............. 13

Figure 6: The total number of university admission against the number of total applicants. ...... 14

Figure 7: Transnational student mobility: Top six inbound countries for Nigerians seeking

university education for 2017. Source: https://wenr.wes.org. ..................................................... 17

iv

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: List of federal universities ............................................................................................4

Table 2: List of state universities ................................................................................................8

Table 3: List of accredited private universities .......................................................................... 10

Table 4: Assessement of quality university education based Shanghai Academic Rankings of

World Universities (2017) ......................................................................................................... 15

Table 5: Academic ranking of Nigerian best university relative to the top 10 best African

universities-2017 ....................................................................................................................... 16

v

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

GDP Gross Domestic Product

FCT Federal Capital Territory

FME Federal Ministry of Education

HE Higher Education

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IDE International Distance Education

IDEAS International Distance Education and African Students

NOUN National Open University of Nigeria

NUC National University Commission

ODL Open Distance Education/ Learning

UTME Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations

OU The Open University

SDG Sustainable Development Goal/s

SSCE Senior Secondary Certificate Examination

UNISA University of South Africa

1

1. Introduction

Nigeria is a west African country covering a geographical area of approximately 923,768

km2. To the North, the country is bordered by Niger Republic, Republic of Chad and

Cameroon to the East, Republic of Benin to the West and the Atlantic Ocean to the South

(Figure 1). Before gaining independence from UK in 1960, Nigeria was a Federal State made

up of three regions - Northern, Eastern and Western. In 1963, the regions were dissolved to

create 12 states, which were further divided into 36 states bound together by a Federal Capital

Territory (FCT). With an estimated population of about 198,000,000 people (NPCN, 2018),

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and its population is largely constituted by

youths (over 54%). Even though the country has over 500 languages, and a variety of

traditions and customs, English is the official language while English Pidgin is used widely

as an unofficial medium of communication. In spite of being the fifth largest producer of

crude oil in the world, over 70% of Nigerians are poor (Ehiametalor, 2004).

Figure 1: The map of Nigeria, and it geographical location

2

The 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.3 emphasise the necessity of

quality education, including at the university level (UNESCO, 2002). Higher education is

seen as an important human endeavour for humans to live and work with dignity and to

participate fully in development (Wolfensohn, 1999). Nigeria acknowledges university

education as a vehicle for achieving equity and for contributing to social, economic, cultural

and intellectual transformation (Nwabueze, 1995). This is tightly synchronised with the

country‟s earlier inclusion of “equal and equitable education for all” in the 1981 Constitution

of the Federation. This is further highlighted in the country‟s regulation of its university

education.

1.1 The National University Commission

The National University Commission (NUC) is an autonomous agency under the Federal

Ministry of Education (FME) charged with the care of regulating Higher Education (HE) in

the country. The rationale behind its establishment was to ensure orderly development and

regulation of HE in Nigeria, which includes increasing education access, maintenance of

quality standards and ensuring adequate funding (Uvah, 2005). It was created in 1962 and

reconstituted as a statutory body in 1974, with the mandate of offering suggestions to the

government or advisory board on policy issues, defining norms for quality assurance and

channelling block grants from the government to institutions of HE (Saint et al., 2003). The

NUC is also actively involved in the selection of university management and members of

governing councils, accrediting university course offerings and planning infrastructural

developments in public institutions.

3

This report draws on secondary data analysis, which is informed by questionnaire interviews

with 18 Nigerians who are international distance education students with UNISA, and

interviews with key personnel in the Nigeria education system.

2. Spatial distribution of universities

The Nigerian states enjoy some level of sovereignty that take place within the three distinct

branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. The purpose of geographically

dividing the country into 36 states was motivated by the desire to ensure better administration

of resources, and to bring the environmental, social and economic benefits much closer to the

people. The function of the State Governments is to complement the efforts of Federal

Government in providing basic amenities and creation of friendly business environment to

their respective jurisdiction, which includes establishment and funding of universities.

As of December 2018, Nigeria has a total of 162 universities that are licensed and approved

by the Federal Government through the NUC (http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-univerisities). This

comprise of 40 federal universities (Figure 2; Table 1), 47 state universities (Figure 3; Table

2) and 75 private universities (Figure 4; Table 3).

2.1 Federal universities

The federal universities are the oldest institutions of HE in Nigeria. Since the establishment

of the first university in 1948 (University of Ibadan in Oyo State), the number of institutions

has been doubling every five years (Adesola, 1991). By the year 1962, Nigeria had four

universities, which increased to 12 by 1977 and 20 by 1983 (Table 1). The most recent (2013)

federal universities include the Federal University, Gashua; the Federal University, Birnin

Kebbi; and the Federal University, Gusau. The 40 federal universities are located in the FCT

and across the 34 states, with the exceptions of Edo State and Taraba State (Figure 2), and are

4

popular for offering free face-face education (supposedly no tuition fee charge). States with

more than one federal university are Lagos (2), Ondo (2), Delta (2), Kaduna (2) and Kano (2).

Figure 2: Spatial distribution of federal universities. Data source: http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-

univerisities/federal-univeristies/).

Table 1: List of federal universities

N0. Name and year of establishment State N0. Name and year of establishment State

1

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi-

1980 Bauchi State 21

Modibbo Adama University of

Technology, Yola – 1981

Adamawa

State

2 Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria- 1962

Kaduna

State 22

National Open University of

Nigeria, Lagos – 2002

Lagos

State

3 Bayero University, Kano-1977 Kano State 23

Nigerian Defence Academy,

Kaduna – 1964

Kaduna

State

4 Federal University, Gashua- 2013 Yobe State 24

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

– 1991

Anambra

State

5

Federal University of Petroleum Resources,

Effurun – 2007 Delta State 25

Obafemi Awolowo University,

Ille-lfe – 1961 Osun State

6

Federal University of Technology, Akure –

1981 Ondo State 26 Police Academy Wudil -2012 Kano State

7

Federal University of Technology, Mina –

1983 Niger State 27

University of Abuja, Gwagwalada

– 1988 FCT

8

Federal University of Technology, Owerri –

1980 Imo State 28

University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

– 1988 Ogun State

9

Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State –

2011 Jigawa State 29

University of Agriculture, Markurdi

– 1988 Benue State

5

Table 1 Continued

10

Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Kastina –

2011 Katstina State 30 University of Benin – 1970 Delta State

11

Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State –

2011 Gombe State 31 University of Calabar – 1975

Cross

River State

12 Federal University, Lafia – 2010

Nasarawa

State 32 University of Ibadan – 1948 Oyo State

13 Federal University, Lokoja – 2011 Kogi State 33 University of Iiorin – 1975

Kwara

State

14 Federal University, Ndufu-Alike – 2011 Ebonyi State 34 University of Jos – 1975

Plateau

State

15 Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa – 2011 Bayesa State 35 University of Lagos, Akoka - 1962

Lagos

State

16

Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State -

2011 Ekiti State 36 University of Maiduguri – 1975

Borno

State

17 Federal University, Wukari – 2011 Taraba State 37

University of Nigeria, Nsukka –

1955

Enugu

State

18 Federal University, Birnin Kebbi -2013 Kebbi State 38 University of Port-Harcourt – 1975

Rivers

State

19 Federal University, Gusau -2013 Zamfara State 39 University of Uyo – 1991

Akwa Ibom

State

20

Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture,

Umudike – 1992 Ambia State 40

Usumanu Danfodiyo University –

1975

Sokoto

State

Bolded text indicates universities that are accredited to offer ODL. Source:

http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-univerisities/federal-univeristies/).

Out of the 40 federal universities, nine are accredited for offering ODL (Table 1), with the

National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) being the only single mode institution that

delivers education and training via distance learning mode and through its 104 study centres

across the country (http://nouedu.net/study-centres). On the other hand, (1) Ahmadu Bello

University; (2) Modibbo Adama University of Technology; (3) Obafemi Awolowo

University, (4) University of Abuja; (5) University of Ibadan; (6) University of Lagos; (7)

University of Maiduguri; and (8) University of Nigeria are still evolving, currently

integrating distance and/or blended learning into to their contact delivery mode.

6

2.2 State universities

The national policy on “equal and equitable education for all” brought the need for a more

uniform spatial establishment of universities throughout the 36 states. Within each

jurisdiction, funding of these universities is primarily a budgetary obligation of a State

Government. Figure 3 depicts the spatial distribution of the 47 state universities, with each

state having at least one university named after its „state‟. Ladoke Akintola University of

Technology in Oyo State and Lagos State University in Lagos State are the two state

universities approved to offer ODL to knowledge seekers who are unable to gain admission

into the regular programmes (Table 2). Because state universities are more uniformly

distributed (Figures 2, 3), a snapshot suggest that the 47 state universities have to some extent

minimised the education exclusion which may be attributed to the geographical dispersion

and remoteness of a state, ethnic group or tribe.

Figure 3: Spatial distribution of state universities. Data source: http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-

universities/state-university/.

7

2.3 Challenges for federal and state universities

There is evidence to show that public universities (federal and state) have increased more

quickly than the government‟s capacity to finance these institutions. Figure 4 clearly

demonstrates that funding education in general has been a major and persistent problem

(Ekpo, 2002; Okebukola, 2003). Although government funding allocation increased from

1,194.40 Naira in 1991 to 78,066.80 Naira in 2006, the statistical bulletin from the Central

Bank of Nigeria reveals that government budget to the education sector has consistently been

below 8.8% of the total Federal Government expenditure. This implies that the government

funding of universities is lower than the average (14.3% of government expenditure) for 19

other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (Hinchiffe, 2002).

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2002) reports

that the education expenditure for 19 sub-Saharan countries average about 5.1% of the GDP

and 14.3% of the total expenditure. This has a domino effect on issues such as transnational

student migration, brain drain, research output and quality of education (Ekpo, 2002). In turn,

this has also prompted the growth of private universities, henceforth, enabling the

governments to partially transfer their financial commitments and obligations to students and

their families (World Bank, 1994).

8

Figure 4: Federal governments budgetary allocation to the education sector as a function of

the total expenditure (Currency Exchange Rate on 11/08/2018: 1 USD = 360.484 Naira).

Source: Okebukola (2003); Central bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin (2010).

Table 2: List of state universities

N0. Name and year of establishment State N0. Name State

1 Abia State University Uturu – 1981 Abia State 25 Ladoke Akintola University of Technology,

Ogbomoso – 1990 Oyo State

2 Adamawa State University, Mubi – 2002 Adamawa

State 26

Ondo State University of Science and Technology,

Okitipupa – 2008 Ondo State

3 Adehunle Ajasin University, Akungba – 1999 Ondo State 27 River State University of Science and Technology –

1979 River State

4 Akwa Ibom State University of Technology, Ikot

Akpaden – 2010

Akwa Ibom

State 28 Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye – 1982 Ogun State

5 Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma – 1980 Edo State 29 Lagos State University – 1983 Lagos

State

6 Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli –

2000

Anambra

State 30 Niger Delta University, Yenagoa – 2000

Bayelsa

State

7 Bauchi State University, Gadau – 2011 Bauchi

State 31 Nasarawa State University, Keffi – 2002

Nasarawa

State

8 Benue State University, Makurdi – 1992 Benue State 32 Plateau State University, Bokkos - 2005 Plateau

State

9 Yobe State University, Damaturu – 2006 Yobe State 33 Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode –

2005 Ogun State

10 Cross River State University of Science and

Technology, Calabar – 2004

Cross River

State 34 Umar Musa Yar' Adua Univserity, Katsina - 2006

Katsina

State

11 Delta State University, Abraka – 1992 Delta State 35 Osun State University, Osogbo - 2006 Osun State

12 Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki – 2000 Ebonyi

State 36 Taraba State University, Jalingo - 2008

Taraba

State

13 Ekiti State University – 1982 Ekiti State 37 Sokoto State University – 2009 Sokoto

State

9

Table 2 Continued

14 Enugu State University of Science and Technology,

Enugu – 1982 Enugu State 38 Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano - 2012 Kano State

15 Gombe State University, Gombe - 2004 Gombe

State 39 Oyo State Technical University, Ibadan – 2012 Oyo State

16 Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai –

2005 Niger State 40 Ondo State Ubiversity of Medical Sciences – 2015 Ondo State

17 Ignatius Ajuru University of Education,

Rumuolumeni -2010 Rivers State 41 Edo University Iyamo – 2016 Edo State

18 Imo State University, Owerri – 1992 Imo State 42 Eastern Palm University Ogboko, Imo State – 2016 Imo State

19 Sule Lamido University Kafin Hausa, Jigawa – 2013 Jigawa

State 43 University of Africa Toru Orua, Bayelsa State – 2016

Bayelsa

State

20 Kaduna State University, Kaduna -2004 Kaduna

State 44 Bornu State University, Maiduguri – 2016

Bornu

State

21 Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil

– 2000 Kano State 45

Moshood Abiola University of Science and

Technology Abeokuta – 2017 Ogun State

22 Kebbi State University of Science and Technology,

Aliero – 2006 Kebbi State 46

Gombe State University of Science and Technology

–

Gombe

State

23 Kogi State University, Anyigba – 1999 Kogi State 47 Zamfara State University – 2018 Zamfara

State

24 Kwara State University, Ilorin, 2009 Kwara State

Bolded text indicate universities that are accredited to offer ODL. Source:

http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-universities/state-university/.

2.3 Private universities

The first two private universities, Babcock University, Ilishan - Remo and Igbinedion

University – Okada, were established in 1999. Despite entering the education landscape some

51 years after the first federal university, the total number of privately owned universities has

virtually increased to 75 (46% of the total number universities), more than the number of

federal universities (25%) and state universities (29%) (Table 3). Since 2013, Joseph Ayo

Babalola University in Osun State is the only private university licenced by the NUC to run

ODL alongside the face-to-face mode (Table 3).

10

Table 3: List of accredited private universities

N0. Name and year of establishment State N0. Name and year of establishment State

1 Achievers University, Owo – 2007 Ondo State 39 Mountain Top University – 2015

Ogun

State

2 Adeleke University, Ede – 2011 Osun State 40 Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja – 2009 FCT

3

Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti - Ekiti

State – 2009 Ekiti State 41 Novena University, Ogume – 2005

Delta

State

4

African University of Science & Technology,

Abuja – 2007 FCT 42 Obong University, Obong Ntak – 2007

Akwa

Ibom

State

5 Ajayi Crowther University, Ibadan – 2005 Oyo State 43

Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu - Osun State –

2009

Osun

State

6 Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin – 2005 Kwara State 44 Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos – 2002

Lagos

State

7 Al-Qalam University, Katsina – 2005

Katsina

State 45 Paul University, Awka - Anambra State – 2009

Anambara

State

8 American University of Nigeria, Yola – 2003

Adamawa

state 46 Redeemer's University, Mowe – 2005

Osun

State

9 Augustine University -2015 Lagos State 47 Renaissance University, Enugu – 2005

Enugu

state

10 Babcock University,Ilishan-Remo – 1999 Ogun State 48 Rhema University, Obeama-Asa – 2009

Rivers

State

11 Baze University – 2011 FCT 49

Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom –

2015

Akwa

Ibom

State

12 Bells University of Technology, Otta – 2005 Ogun State 50 Salem University, Lokoja – 2007

Kogi

State

13 Benson Idahosa University, Benin City – 2002 Edo 51 Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa -2011 Edo State

14 Bingham University, New Karu – 2005

Nasarawa

State 52 Southwestern University, Oku Owa – 2012

Ogun

State

15 Bowen University, Iwo – 2001 Osun Stat 53 Summit University -2015

Kwara

State

16 Caleb University, Lagos – 2007 Lagos State 54 Tansian University, Umunya – 2007

Anambra

State

17 Caritas University, Enugu – 2005 Enugu State 55 University of Mkar, Mkar – 2005

Benue

State

18 Chrisland University – 2015 Ogun State 56 Veritas University, Abuja – 2007 FCT

19 Covenant University Ota – 2002 Ogun State 57

Wellspring University, Evbuobanosa - Edo

State – 2009 Edo State

20 Crawford University Igbesa – 2005 Ogun state 58

Wesley University. of Science & Technology,

Ondo – 2007

Ondo

State

21 Crescent University – 2005 Ogun State 59

Western Delta University, Oghara Delta State –

2007

Delta

State

22 Edwin Clark University, Kaigbodo – 2015 Delta State 60 Christopher University Mowe – 2015

Ogun

State

23 Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin – 2012 Ondo State 61 Kola Daisi University Ibadan, Oyo State – 2016

24 Evangel University, Akaeze – 2012

Ebonyi

State 62 Anchor University Ayobo Lagos State – 2016

Lagos

State

11

Table 3 Continued

25 Fountain Unveristy, Oshogbo – 2007 Osun State 63 Dominican University Ibadan Oyo State – 2016 Oyo State

26

Godfrey Okoye University, Ugwuomu-Nike -

Enugu State – 2009 Enugu State 64 Legacy University, Okija Anambra State – 2016

Anambra

State

27 Gregory University, Uturu – 2012 Abia State 65

Arthur Javis University Akpoyubo Cross river

State – 2016

Cross

River

State

28 Hallmark University, Ijebi Itele, Ogun – 2015 Ogun State 66

Crown Hill University Eiyenkorin, Kwara State

– 2016

Kwara

State

29 Hezekiah University, Umudi – 2015 Imo State 67 Coal City University Enugu State – 2016

Enugu

State

30 Igbinedion University Okada – 1999 Edo State 68

Clifford University Owerrinta Abia State –

2016

Abia

State

31

Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-

Arakeji – 2006 Osun State 69 Admiralty University, Ibusa Delta State – 2017

Delta

State

32 Kings University, Ode Omu – 2015 Osun State 70 Spiritan University, Nneochi Abia State – 2017

Abia

State

33 Kwararafa University, Wukari – 2005

Taraba

State 71 Precious Cornerstone University, Oyo – 2017 Oyo State

34 Landmark University, Omu-Aran – 2011

Omu-Aran

Kwara State 72

PAMO University of Medical Sciences,

Portharcourt – 2017

Rivers

State

35 Lead City University, Ibadan – 2005 Oyo State 73 Atiba University Oyo – 2017 Oyo State

36 Madonna University, Okija – 1999 Rivers State 74

Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences

Ijanikin, Lagos – 2017

Lagos

State

37

Mcpherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ajebo –

2012 Ogun State 75 Skyline University, Kano – 2018

Kano

State

38 Micheal & Cecilia Ibru University – 2015 Delta State

Bolded text indicates the university that is accredited to offer ODL. Source: Funmilola, 2018;

http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-univerisities/private-univeristies/.

Figure 4 illustrates that the establishment of private universities is skewed towards the south-

western part of Nigeria, which is the thriving zone for political and economic activities. In

order to meet the quality standards and stay afloat, most of these privately owned universities

charge exorbitant tuition fees (Ajadi et al., 2008; Bjarnason et al., 2008). Unlike public

universities that are fully dependent on government subsidies, private universities have the

flexibility to embrace change and have a better business model to cope with the ever-

increasing demand for HE education.

12

Figure 4: Spatial distribution of private universities. Data source: http://nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-

univerisities/private-univeristies/.

3. Demand and supply of university education

The increase in the number of universities reflect the soaring demand for university

education. Based on the candidates‟ university of choice, and its carrying capacity and the

cut-off admission criteria, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is

responsible for administering and managing the demand and supply of university education in

the country. Its main responsibility is to place the suitably qualified candidates in different

universities:

- Through the direct entry based on the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination

(SSCE) or;

- Through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME). The minimum

criteria for the UTME candidate is the SSCE with a minimum of five credits

(including English and Mathematics) acquired at a maximum of two sittings or its

equivalent such as Advanced Level Certificates (Iruonagbe et al., 2015).

13

The total enrolments in federal universities represent approximately 62% of the country‟s

university students, while 33% study at state universities and 5% at private universities

(Figure 5; FME, 2016). NOUN with an average of 100,000 first year admissions per year and

a total of 450,000 students across all academic levels is the largest university in Nigeria. To

put this into perspective, the number of students admitted by NOUN is more than the total

number of students enrolled in 75 private universities. The most obvious reason is the

flexibility of ODL at NOUN, which allows students to study at their preferred location and

pace.

Figure 5: The proportion of enrolment at the three types of universities (FME, 2016).

Overall, the report by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education (FME) for the period 1999

- 2016 indicates that the rate of admission into universities ranges between 5% and 32%

(Figure 6). In detail, a total of 417,773 candidates applied for admission in 1999/2000, but

only 78,550 candidates were admitted, which represents an admission rate of 19%. Due to the

increased enrolment which coincides with establishment of the NOUN (2002), and ODL in

particular, recent years have seen an increase in the admission rate from 5% in 2002/03 to 9%

in 2009/10, and to 32% in 2014/15.

14

Figure 6: The total number of university admission against the number of total applicants.

3.1 Quality of university education

Measuring the quality of education is both subjective and an abstract concept. Ayo-Sobowale

& Akinyemi (2011) defines quality as the educational input and output in its entirety, and

mentions the extent to which the teaching and learning facilities are accessible and effective

in ensuring that the educational programmes meet the national objectives. Nwanna (2000)

adds “adequate funding” and “human capital” to the scale of input needed to derive

acceptable, desirable, beneficial, efficient and effective university education from the

government, society, private agencies and stakeholder perspectives. When measured against

these concepts, earlier studies acknowledged the fact that university education in Nigeria is in

a state of decay (Ayo-Sobowale & Akinyemi, 2011). In the face of enrolment explosion, Aina

(2002), Babalola (2002) and Samuel (2003) also affirmed this assessment by indicating that

the public universities lack the financial resources needed to maintain the acceptable level of

quality university education.

15

Based on the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) for 2017, it is

evident that the quality of universities in Nigeria is not up to scratch (Tables 4, 5). The

Shanghai ARWU is an annual authentic ranking that grades universities based on the quality

of education, quality of faculty, research output and per capita performance (See Table 4). As

seen from the latest ranking of universities (Table 5), none of the 162 Nigerian universities is

placed in the top 2000 of the world‟s best universities. Table 5 also shows that the oldest and

best ranked university in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan, is not classified among the best

universities in Africa.

Table 4: Assessement of quality university education based Shanghai Academic Rankings of

World Universities (2017)

Quality of

Education Alumni of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals Alumni 10%

Quality of Faculty Staff of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals Award 20%

Highly cited researchers in 21 broad subject categories HiCi 20%

Research Output

Papers published in Nature and Science N&S 20%

Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-expanded and Social Science

Citation Index PUB 20%

Per Capita

Performance Per capita academic performance of an institution PCP 10%

Total 100%

16

Table 5: Academic ranking of Nigerian best university relative to the top 10 best African

universities-2017

World Ranking University Country

201-300 University of the Witwatersrand South Africa

301-400 University of Cape Town South Africa

401-500 Stellenbosch University South Africa

401-500 University of Johannesburg South Africa

401-500 University of KwaZulu Natal South Africa

501-600 University of Pretoria South Africa

601-700 North West University South Africa

701-800 University of South Africa South Africa

701-800 Ain Shams University Egypt

701-800 Alexandra University Egypt

N/A University of Ibadan Nigeria

Note: Only the top 2000 universities are reported in the shanghai ARWU. Source:

http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2017.html

3.2 Transnational student mobility

Given the challenges of low admission rate and quality, seeking HE abroad has been a

frequent option for Nigerians. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2017),

Nigeria has the most transnational students in Africa, with approximately 71,351 students

pursuing studies in more than 70 countries. The top six destinations for Nigerian students

include the United Kingdom (17,973), Ghana (13,919), United States (9,786), Malaysia

(4,943), Ukraine (3,328) and Canada (3,257) (Figure 7; https://wenr.wes.org), and more

recently South Africa.

17

Figure 7: Transnational student mobility: Top six inbound countries for Nigerians seeking

university education for 2017. Source: https://wenr.wes.org.

Insights from some Nigerian learners studying with the University of South Africa (UNISA)

through International Distance Education (IDE), highlights quality issues and a lack of broad-

spectrum of study programmes in the local universities as additional “push factors”

influencing transnational student mobility. A 3rd

year Electrical Clinical Engineering said:

UNISA gave me the opportunity to study the course i am taking at present which is lacking

in almost all tertiary institution here in Nigeria except for a few private universities.

However, quality is still a doubt.

This is echoed by a first year Nigerian student pursuing BTech Mechanical Engineering with

UNISA:

I decided to study at UNISA to advance academically in my field. Also UNISA allows me

to do Distance Learning which schools in my country do not allow me to do. The flexibility

of combining work and studying makes me choose to study with UNISA

4. ODL: A strategy for increasing greater access to education

The dilemma facing the Nigerian university education system is twofold. On one hand, the

government and the universities are faced with an ever-increasing demand for university

18

education while on the other hand the government is unable to adequately fund the existing

universities in the country. Even though some advocate the establishment of more

universities, it is clear that the current policy of establishing more institutions of HE is not

working. Quoting Albert Einstein, this approach is like “…doing the same thing over and

over again, but expecting different results.” Indeed, policy makers, particularly the Federal

Ministry of Education and the National University Commission, need to evolve their strategy

on delivering university education.

However, there are strategies for ameliorating some of these challenges, especially that of

unmet demand for education. NOUN, a university with the largest number of student

enrolment, provides a synopsis on the promise of ODL to deliver greater access to university

education in Nigeria. Teaching and learning at NOUN is dependent on the use of information

and communication technology such as access to a computer and internet, and use of open-

source learning management system, e-mail and social media platforms (Yusuf, 2006). The

university‟s most common form of instruction is the delivery of printed study material

(60.5%), radio (13%), email (10.2%), text messaging (8.4%), television (6.5%), online

learning (4.7%) and teleconferencing (3.7%). Because ODL is not restricted by classroom

carrying capacity, a properly regulated ODL in Nigeria can enable increased access to

education.

There is a need for increased efforts to harness ODL and e-learning in universities (Jegede,

2003; Sadeq, 2003; Abdulkadir, 2016). Emphasis on ODL is important for several cogent

reasons. Firstly, the vast majority of the population lives below poverty level and are unable

to attend the conversional face-to-face university education despite their academic excellence

and potential. Secondly, ODL is important for promoting lifelong learning opportunities,

19

particularly for people in full time work and with family commitments. Thirdly, ODL

provides university access to individuals with physical disabilities or individuals who

excluded because of the remoteness of localities.

4.1 Challenges of ODL

The transition and deviation from the common practice of the traditional face-face teaching

and learning is a challenge for Africa, a continent which lags behind the rest of the world

with regard to ICT. Because ODL is strange to most people, effective institutionalisation face

challenges relating to quality and acceptability:

- Poor societal perception: ODL is perceived by African societies as being an inferior

mode of learning than the classroom teaching and learning mode. In Nigeria, ODL is

seen as a cheap strategy for containing educational demand without meeting the

required quality assurance (Ojo & Olakulehin, 2006). The leading ODL universities

have done little to better improve the societal perception of ODL. For instance, the

lower entry requirements by UNISA, and enrolling individuals with no qualifications

by the OU have led to a notion that a qualification acquired via ODL is substandard

(Gaskell & Mills, 2014).

- Inequality of access to digital technology: Due to a large proportion of economically

disadvantaged people in Nigeria, the cost of a computer or laptop is still very high for

an average worker. Only a small number of individuals have access to a personal

computer and internet connection. These inequalities have continued to undermine the

effective use of ICT, and the acceptance of technology-enhanced learning in ODL.

20

- Persistent load shedding: The unstable supply of electricity has been a long-standing

setback for technological development in Nigeria. This interrupted supply is due to

the high demand for electricity, which is worsened by mismanagement, vandalism

and obsolesce of power stations. Therefore, having access to a computer and internet

is not enough for effective use of ICT in ODL.

5. Lessons learnt

From 1948 - 2002, a typical response to an upsurge in the demand for university education

was to increase the infrastructural capacity of classroom sizes and/or the number of

universities (Ajadi, 2010). This has led to the current predicament, where the Federal

Government is unable to adequately fund the increased number of universities. This scenario

has continued to compromise the delivery of quality university education in Nigeria. In the

current information society, advancements in ICT has triggered the need for a paradigm shift,

with NOUN embracing ODL as an innovative, cost effective and alternative approach for

delivering university education.

A snapshot from NOUN, the only institution that delivers university education through

distance learning mode, suggests that ODL is a cost-effective approach on the part of the

government, policy makers and universities to increase access to university education. This

means that policy-makers should change their strategy for delivering education, with focus on

ODL and investment in ICT facilities. The observed poor societal perception about

technology-enhanced learning indicates that little is known about ODL. Societal acceptance

of ODL is dependent on quality promotion and implementation of quality assurance

mechanisms such as a harmonised curricula and exams for all the leaners, regardless of the

teaching and learning mode, traditional classroom settings, ODL or blended learning.

21

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