Education is the foundation for present and future development of a nation, because it is the base from which man power is generated. It increases productivity of the population and promotes good governance through increased understanding of democracy and the intricacies of nation building. Education also reduces trans-generational poverty and increases opportunities for healthy living. This ideology is shared by many leaders who understand that the strength and prosperity of their nation lies in the education of its people, which empowers them to take on the challenges of the new world. Japan for example has very few natural resources, but the commitment to a first-class educational system enabled them to produce rapid economic growth after the second world war that caused the destruction of their industrial bases. Many other countries have built strong economies through the education of its population, few have depended on its natural resources such as oil for development (Buchanan, 2012).
Notable Statistics
- Nigeria’s population was estimated at 174.5 million, and 63% of these were under the age of 24 as of July 2013
- There are 128 universities in Nigeria, (51 of these are private, 38 state universities). In addition, there are 78 polytechnics, 27 monotechnics, 40 teacher colleges, and 281 colleges for various individual courses.
- Only 1 in 3 university applicant gets admitted to a university in Nigeria each year.
- Only about 43% of university lecturers in Nigeria have doctorate degrees (not honoree doctorate)
- Nigeria has one of the worst student to lecturer ratio in the world
- In Africa, Nigeria is second only to Morocco when it comes to sending students abroad for education
- Graduate unemployment rate is estimated at about 60% (Nick Clark & Caroline Ausukuya 2013).
Challenges
The challenges within the Nigerian educational system are multifaceted, and includes lack of funding and infrastructure, high student to teacher ratios especially in institutions of higher learning, as well as inadequate training of educators due to limited opportunities for continued education and professional development. Although Nigeria is one of the richest nation in the continent of Africa and the most populous, Nigeria however has one of the lowest spending on education compared to other African countries. This low spending directly correlates with the poor quality of education, particularly tertiary education in the country. The table below compares Nigeria’s spending on education with several other countries in Africa in the early 2000s (Victor Dike, 2002), and not much has changed since then.
| Country | Educational Spending in % of GNP |
| South Africa | 7.9 |
| Kenya | 6.5 |
| Malawi | 5.4 |
| Cote d’ Ivore | 5 |
| Angola | 4.9 |
| Ghana | 4.4 |
| Mozambique | 4.1 |
| Tanzania | 3.4 |
| Uganda | 2.6 |
| Nigeria | 0.76 |
The correlation between government spending on education and the quality of a nation’s educational system couldn’t be more evident than that which is seen in South Africa. The nation spends approximately 8% of its budgetary allocation on education, and the result speaks for itself. On a recent report listing the 30 best universities in Africa, almost half of the institutions listed were located in South Africa, with Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana taking a few spots on the list as well (https://www.timeshighereducation.com). Nigeria once boasted of a few world class universities including Ibadan, Nsuka, and Ile-ife, but poor maintenance and inadequate funding through successive governments has resulted in deterioration, and diminished the overall standard of education at these once great universities.
Basic Infrastructures such as textbooks, libraries, laboratories, and modern technology are either missing or outdated in most of our public and some private schools. These factors have contributed to low morale among students and teachers because of poor learning and work environment. Inadequate funding has led to multiple strikes staged by students or teachers, resulting in destabilization of the schools and delays in expected graduation time. Educators are often trained without upgrades in the training process to account for changes in the current society, and the curriculum in general needs to be updated to reflect global changes and new research findings (http://www.afibs.com/analysis/education10204234737.htm).
Revisiting Nigeria’s educational system and addressing these challenges is a must, because there is a growing population of primary and secondary school students who will face stiffer competition and experience more challenges in their journey to obtain higher education in Nigeria. Above all, the rest of the world is changing and increasing limitations on what can be studied by international students in their countries. There will be more decisions like that coming in the current global climate. Therefore, it is time for Nigeria’s leaders to take a closer look at their commitment to education, and begin to treat it like a national priority.
Written by Dr. Idongesit Udoh
References
Buchanan, N. H. (2012). An educated population is essential to a nation’s prosperity, yet some politicians are demonizing our educational system for political advantage. Information obtained from https://verdict.justia.com.
Clark, N. & Ausukuya, C. (2013). Education in Nigeria. Information obtained from wenr.wes.org>Africa.
Dike, V. (2002). The state of education in Nigeria and the health of the nation. information obtained from http://www.afbis.com/analysis/education10204234737.htm.