October 31, (THEWILL) – The last decade in Nigeria has witnessed increased migration of her citizens, especially youths in search of the proverbial greener pastures and possibilities.
Although several factors have contributed to this situation, the educational system and its inadequacies, which have left tertiary education in shambles, is to blame.
Many Nigerian students, especially those seeking tertiary education, now migrate, temporarily and permanently, to countries they believe have better educational systems. One may argue that there is no discernible difference in the quality of education in Nigeria and some of the preferred destinations. However, the conditions, ranging from security and stability, constant power and water supply, a congenial environment and fixed academic duration, among others, in these countries are relatively better.
It is an irony that the citizens of a country with 43 federal, 48 state and 99 private universities, fully accredited by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), would prefer to study in other countries. Some images that have made their way to the social media space recently are pointers to this reality. The images, showing graduating students from the University of Uyo, University of Port Harcourt, and University of Calabar with sarcastic but highly paradoxical captions written on their shirts, have been given a hilarious bent.
The captions are not random, but they are spurred by the experiences of the students in their respective institutions. Some of the captions read, ‘I pity those wey just dey write JAMB’, ‘Even signpost, I no go read again, ‘If I do Masters, make I bend’, ‘If you enter school, graduate, make you thank God’ amongst others.
Insecurity, incessant strikes, cultism, lecturer irregularity, sex for grades and the other issues are predominant in public tertiary institutions. In addition, following the country’s economic situation and its impact on low- and middle-income families, many families and wards cannot afford the cost of tuition in private institutions.
Then there are the incessant strikes by both academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions, which disrupt the academic calendar.
The Academic Staff of Universities Union (ASUU) and the Federal Government have always conflicted over funding for Nigerian universities and better working conditions. This conflict has, since 1999, led to multiple strike actions that disrupt academic calendars.
In 1999, the ASUU strike lasted five months, three months in 2001; two weeks in 2002 and six months in 2003 (ended in 2004). In 2005, there was a three-day strike, a one-week strike in 2006 and a three-month strike in 2007. In 2008, it was a one-week warning strike that was followed by a four-month strike in 2009. In 2010, it was a five-month strike, followed by a three-month strike in 2011 that spilled over into 2012.
The longest strike was the 2015 strike that lasted five months and two weeks, followed by a one-week warning strike in 2016 and a one month, six days strike in 2017.
Meanwhile, the 2018 ASUU strike was officially declared indefinite. In some cases, the ASUU strike is compounded by strike actions embarked on by the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).
Approximately 37 months—three years—have been spent on strikes between 1999 and 2018. Sadly, the average Nigerian university student, particularly those in federal institutions, is the victim in all of this.
While ASUU strikes can be challenging for already-admitted students, the Joint Admission Matriculation Board Examination (JAMB) is the bane of parents and their wards, who are seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Several parents who spoke with THEWILL complained about having to pay to register their wards for every year they are unable to gain admission into a university, irrespective of how good their score is. According to them, the JAMB results should be valid for a minimum of two years.
Meanwhile, some undergraduates complained of not being granted their choice courses or something close to it. Many of them have had to accept this for fear of staying at home for a few more years.
In a chat with Omoyele Blessing, a 300L student of the Univeristy of Ibadan, she discussed how she stayed at home for five years post-secondary school without gaining admission, despite surpassing all cut-off points for admission. She said she ended up settling for a course she did not want just so she could leave home.
Similarly, Chibuike Okerafor said he almost got depressed as it took nearly six years before he finally settled for a polytechnic where he is currently studying Mass communication.
Speaking on lecturer irregularity, particularly in tertiary institutions owned by the Federal Government, Simisola Ayodeji, discussed how students saw some lecturers only once in a semester. Therefore, sitting for and passing exams were wholly dependent on personal study.
Mrs Chidinma Ononuju shared her pain of having to raise money for the schooling of her three children as a widow and the pain of seeing them return home due to incessant strikes.
A transporter and father of two, Akinwunmi Anifowoshe, told THEWILL that sending his wards to Cotonou, Benin Republic to study was the best decision he could have made for them. According to him, his wards are not subject to threats from lecturers and cultists, not at risk of kidnap nor at the mercy of ASUU and its incessant strikes. He added that he would always advise parents to send their kids out of the country to study if they have the means.
Like Blessing, Chibuike, Simi, Mrs Ononuju and Mr Akin, there are countless other persons with the same tales and even worse.
The cost of living and the time-saving feature of these schools abroad, especially in Ghana, the Republic of Benin and South Africa, appears affordable for many families.
For instance, in Ghana, one should expect to pay between GHS 20,000 and GHS 70,000 per session for an undergraduate degree programme and between GHS 20,000 and GHS 60,000 per session for a postgraduate degree programme, depending on the institution. More so, some universities offer scholarships for international students.
It is common for universities in Ghana to offer halls of residence for the duration of one’s study. This means that the living costs are less, if one had to find private accommodation, than expected. On the average, an intending student or parent should budget between GHS 2,500 and GHS 7,500 per semester for halls of residence or a university hostel.
Nonetheless, one existential problem has always been the exchange rate. While the prices of things in these countries have not changed considerably in recent times, changing the naira to other currencies has not been favourable. For example, in the Benin Republic, it is currently N1,000 to 950 CFA, from 1,600 CFA two years ago and 3,500 CFA five years ago.
However, this has not stopped the outflow of students as they seek safe havens to receive tertiary education, with a significant number of this having no desire to return to the country.=
