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COUNTRY REPORT ON NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION – 2019

by Reuben Lungu Lembani

http://ideaspartnership.org/ @ESRC_IDEAS #ESRCIDEAS

FOREWORD

This country report on the International Distance Education and African Students (IDEAS) provides an overview of the university education system of . 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

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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

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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

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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

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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

GDP Gross Domestic Product FCT Federal Capital Territory FME Federal Ministry of Education HE ICT Information and Communication Technology IDE International Distance Education IDEAS International Distance Education and African Students NOUN National Open 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

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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

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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.

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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 in ), 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 and Taraba State (Figure 2), and are

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

more than one federal university are (2), Ondo (2), Delta (2), (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 Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, - Modibbo Adama University of Adamawa 21 1 1980 Technology, Yola – 1981 State Kaduna National Open , Zaria- 1962 22 2 State Nigeria, Lagos – 2002 State Nigerian Defence , Kaduna Bayero University, Kano-1977 Kano State 23 3 Kaduna – 1964 State University, Awka Anambra Federal University, Gashua- 2013 Yobe State 24 4 – 1991 State Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Obafemi Awolowo University, Delta State 25 5 Effurun – 2007 Ille-lfe – 1961 Federal University of Technology, Akure – 26 Police Academy Wudil -2012 Kano State 6 1981 Federal University of Technology, Mina – University of , Gwagwalada Niger State 27 FCT 7 1983 – 1988 Federal University of Technology, – University of Agriculture, 28 8 1980 – 1988 Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State – University of Agriculture, Markurdi Jigawa State 29 9 2011 – 1988

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Table 1 Continued

Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Kastina – Katstina State 30 University of Benin – 1970 Delta State 10 2011 Federal University, Kashere, – Cross Gombe State 31 – 1975 11 2011 River State Nasarawa Federal University, Lafia – 2010 32 – 1948 Oyo State 12 State Kwara Federal University, Lokoja – 2011 Kogi State 33 University of Iiorin – 1975 13 State Plateau Federal University, Ndufu-Alike – 2011 Ebonyi State 34 – 1975 14 State Lagos Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa – 2011 Bayesa State 35 University of Lagos, - 1962 15 State Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, - Borno Ekiti State 36 – 1975 16 2011 State University of Nigeria, Nsukka – Federal University, Wukari – 2011 Taraba State 37 17 1955 State Rivers Federal University, Birnin Kebbi -2013 Kebbi State 38 University of Port-Harcourt – 1975 18 State Akwa Ibom Federal University, Gusau -2013 Zamfara State 39 – 1991 19 State Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Usumanu Danfodiyo University – Sokoto Ambia State 40 20 Umudike – 1992 1975 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) ; (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.

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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 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/.

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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).

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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); Statistical Bulletin (2010).

Table 2: List of state universities

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

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, 1 University Uturu – 1981 Abia State 25 Oyo State Ogbomoso – 1990 Adamawa Ondo State University of Science and Technology, 2 , Mubi – 2002 26 Ondo State State Okitipupa – 2008 River State University of Science and Technology – 3 Adehunle Ajasin University, Akungba – 1999 Ondo State 27 River State 1979 Akwa Ibom State University of Technology, Ikot Akwa Ibom 4 28 Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye – 1982 Ogun State Akpaden – 2010 State Lagos 5 , Ekpoma – 1980 Edo State 29 – 1983 State Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli – Anambra Bayelsa 6 30 , Yenagoa – 2000 2000 State State Bauchi Nasarawa 7 , Gadau – 2011 31 Nasarawa State University, Keffi – 2002 State State Plateau 8 , Makurdi – 1992 Benue State 32 University, Bokkos - 2005 State Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode – 9 , Damaturu – 2006 Yobe State 33 Ogun State 2005 Cross River State University of Science and Cross River Katsina 10 34 Umar Musa Yar' Adua Univserity, Katsina - 2006 Technology, Calabar – 2004 State State

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

Ebonyi Taraba 12 , Abakaliki – 2000 36 , Jalingo - 2008 State State Sokoto 13 – 1982 Ekiti State 37 – 2009 State

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Table 2 Continued

Enugu State University of Science and Technology, 14 38 Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano - 2012 Kano State Enugu – 1982 Gombe 15 , Gombe - 2004 39 Oyo State Technical University, Ibadan – 2012 Oyo State State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai – 16 Niger State 40 Ondo State Ubiversity of Medical Sciences – 2015 Ondo State 2005 Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, 17 Rivers State 41 Edo University Iyamo – 2016 Edo State Rumuolumeni -2010

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

Jigawa Bayelsa 19 Kafin Hausa, Jigawa – 2013 43 University of Africa Toru Orua, Bayelsa State – 2016 State State Kaduna Bornu 20 University, Kaduna -2004 44 Bornu State University, Maiduguri – 2016 State State Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil University of Science and 21 Kano State 45 Ogun State – 2000 Technology Abeokuta – 2017 Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Gombe State University of Science and Technology Gombe 22 Kebbi State 46 Aliero – 2006 – State Zamfara 23 , Anyigba – 1999 Kogi State 47 Zamfara State University – 2018 State

24 University, , 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, , 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).

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Table 3: List of accredited private universities

N0. Name and year of establishment State N0. Name and year of establishment State Ogun 1 , Owo – 2007 Ondo State 39 – 2015 State 2 Adeleke University, Ede – 2011 Osun State 40 Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja – 2009 FCT Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti - Ekiti Delta 3 State – 2009 Ekiti State 41 , Ogume – 2005 State Akwa African University of Science & Technology, Ibom 4 Abuja – 2007 FCT 42 , Obong Ntak – 2007 State , Ipetumodu - Osun State – Osun 5 Ajayi Crowther University, Ibadan – 2005 Oyo State 43 2009 State Lagos 6 Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin – 2005 Kwara State 44 Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos – 2002 State Katsina Anambara 7 Al-Qalam University, Katsina – 2005 State 45 , Awka - – 2009 State Adamawa Osun 8 American University of Nigeria, Yola – 2003 state 46 Redeemer's University, Mowe – 2005 State Enugu 9 Augustine University -2015 Lagos State 47 , Enugu – 2005 state Rivers 10 Babcock University,Ilishan-Remo – 1999 Ogun State 48 , Obeama-Asa – 2009 State Akwa , Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom – Ibom 11 – 2011 FCT 49 2015 State Kogi 12 Bells University of Technology, Otta – 2005 Ogun State 50 Salem University, Lokoja – 2007 State 13 Benson Idahosa University, – 2002 Edo 51 Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa -2011 Edo State Nasarawa Ogun 14 Bingham University, New Karu – 2005 State 52 Southwestern University, Oku Owa – 2012 State Kwara 15 , Iwo – 2001 Osun Stat 53 Summit University -2015 State Anambra 16 , Lagos – 2007 Lagos State 54 , Umunya – 2007 State Benue 17 , Enugu – 2005 Enugu State 55 , Mkar – 2005 State 18 – 2015 Ogun State 56 Veritas University, Abuja – 2007 FCT , Evbuobanosa - Edo 19 Ota – 2002 Ogun State 57 State – 2009 Edo State Wesley University. of Science & Technology, Ondo 20 Igbesa – 2005 Ogun state 58 Ondo – 2007 State , Oghara Delta State – Delta 21 – 2005 Ogun State 59 2007 State Ogun 22 Edwin Clark University, Kaigbodo – 2015 Delta State 60 Mowe – 2015 State 23 , Ilara-Mokin – 2012 Ondo State 61 Kola Daisi University Ibadan, Oyo State – 2016 Ebonyi Lagos 24 Evangel University, Akaeze – 2012 State 62 Anchor University Ayobo Lagos State – 2016 State

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Table 3 Continued

25 Fountain Unveristy, Oshogbo – 2007 Osun State 63 Dominican University Ibadan Oyo State – 2016 Oyo State , Ugwuomu-Nike - Anambra 26 Enugu State – 2009 Enugu State 64 Legacy University, Okija Anambra State – 2016 State Cross Arthur Javis University Akpoyubo Cross river River 27 Gregory University, Uturu – 2012 Abia State 65 State – 2016 State Crown Hill University Eiyenkorin, Kwara State Kwara 28 Hallmark University, Ijebi Itele, Ogun – 2015 Ogun State 66 – 2016 State Enugu 29 , Umudi – 2015 Imo State 67 Enugu State – 2016 State Clifford University Owerrinta Abia State – Abia 30 Igbinedion University Okada – 1999 Edo State 68 2016 State Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji- Delta 31 Arakeji – 2006 Osun State 69 Admiralty University, Ibusa Delta State – 2017 State Abia 32 Kings University, Ode Omu – 2015 Osun State 70 Spiritan University, Nneochi Abia State – 2017 State Taraba 33 , Wukari – 2005 State 71 Precious Cornerstone University, Oyo – 2017 Oyo State Omu-Aran PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Rivers 34 , Omu-Aran – 2011 Kwara State 72 Portharcourt – 2017 State 35 Lead City University, Ibadan – 2005 Oyo State 73 Atiba University Oyo – 2017 Oyo State Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences Lagos 36 Madonna University, Okija – 1999 Rivers State 74 Ijanikin, Lagos – 2017 State Mcpherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ajebo – Kano 37 2012 Ogun State 75 Skyline University, Kano – 2018 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.

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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).

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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.

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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 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.

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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 Alumni of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals Alumni 10% Education Staff of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals Award 20% Quality of Faculty Highly cited researchers in 21 broad subject categories HiCi 20% Papers published in Nature and Science N&S 20% Research Output Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-expanded and Social Science PUB 20% Citation Index Per Capita Per capita academic performance of an institution PCP 10% Performance

Total 100%

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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 701-800 701-800 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 (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), (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.

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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

17 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,

18 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.

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- 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.

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