How Practical Visioning Can Solve the University Admission Crises in Nigeria
By
Senator Prof. David Iornem
New Idea Management Consultants, Kaduna
Email: openlearning3000@yahoo.com, Tel: 08033036047

Official figures indicate that over 1.7 million school leavers are jostling for places at institutions of higher learning. Only slightly over 500,000 will find places, leaving a massive majority of over 1.2 million stranded. This keeps happening year in, year out. Yet administrators of our education system do not seem to have a vision for our children who get stranded. There is urgent need for a practical vision from the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission.

The United Kingdom, at a point, were faced with a similar problem. The pressure on their institutions from overseas students who came to compete for admission slots with UK citizens was so much that it became a serious concern. To solve the problem, opportunities were created for the establishment of small university colleges offering degree programmes in affiliation with established universities. A system of accreditation was put in place to ensure quality. In a dramatic manner, more spaces were created and the problem is now history.

In our backyard here in West Africa, Ghana had a similar problem. What did they do? Ghana went to the UK and studied their system of small university colleges set up by independent entrepreneurs under the supervision of universities to which they are affiliated. Using the UK model, Ghana has introduced the idea of small university colleges. It has had a dramatic effect on spaces for admission to the extent where Ghana is helping to absorb Nigerian students who cannot find admission in Nigerian Universities. As I speak, close to 200,000 Nigerian students are in Ghana, studying at these university colleges.

We do not need to re-invent the wheel in our efforts to confront what is clearly a national crisis in our higher education sector. All we need to do is to copy and adapt what Ghana is doing. We do not even need to go to the UK. The Ghana model has dramatically expanded the carrying capacity in universities and it is working.

University colleges affiliating to mother universities is not a new concept in Nigeria. University college Ibadan was part of University of London. University of Jos started as a college of University of Ibadan. University of Calabar started as a college of the University of Nigeria. We cannot ignore this potent instrument that has capacity to solve the problem of our youths staying aimlessly, helplessly and endlessly out of school. Let us copy the UK and the Ghana models as part of our visioning process to solve a pressing and potentially dangerous situation posed by not creating opportunities for our youths to develop themselves to the maximum that God desires them to do. The application of practical visioning has potential to bring the needed solution to the serious university admission crisis.

Obstacles to this Vision

Unfortunately, the major obstacle to this practical solution will be the National Universities Commission who have always opposed progressive changes in the higher education sector. They take advantage of the ignorance of the majority of Nigerians by hoodwinking them with arguments about quality.

NUC opposed President Shehu Shagari’s introduction of the Open University. They were the ones who got Military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, to cancel the National Open University introduced by President Shagari.

The National Universities Commission also opposed President Olusegun Obasanjo’s plan for establishing the National Open University. Till today, they insist that some courses cannot be accredited to be run at the National Open University. Yet the Open University as a system has worked for countries like the UK, China, India and the USA.

Why NUC will Oppose the Setting Up of Smaller University Colleges

1. They will be trying to protect and enlarge their budget which will increase if mega universities are established instead of allowing entrepreneurs to set up smaller colleges using their own money.


2. Budget money gets stolen easily when NUC officials and government owned universities collude to share money provided for accreditation purposes.


3. NUC has not shown that it understands the place of ICT in education in the 21st century. Under the aegis of the NUC, Nigeria graduates students today who have no idea about ICT. Under aegis of NUC there are many Nigerian lecturers and Professors who are analogue and who cannot use the computer. As part of the education vision, the Federal Government must put in place a compulsory ICT education programme for all University teachers. No Nigeria University can make the list of top 2000 universities in the world without ICT application being at the centre of our education.