Higher Education in Nigeria: A Status Report
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Higher Education in Nigeria: A Status Report William Sainta, Teresa A. Hartnettb and Erich Strassnerc a
The World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433, USA. E-mail: [email protected] b Division of Business & Finance, The University of Memphis, 371 Administration Bldg., Memphis, TN 38152, USA. E-mail: [email protected] c Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce, 1441 L Street NW (BE-51), Washington, DC 20230, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
The government of Nigeria recently initiated higher education policy reforms intended to bring its university system more in line with international good practices. The reforms promote increased institutional autonomy, greater system differentiation, strengthened governance, and mechanisms for quality assurance. They seek to create a more flexible and responsive system of university teaching and research that, over time, will contribute increasingly to national innovation capacities, productivity gains, and economic growth. This paper reports on the current status of higher education in Nigeria and reviews the country’s new policy initiatives in this context. The discussion gives particular attention to issues of access, teaching/learning, finance, and governance/management. Higher Education Policy (2003) 16, 259–281. doi:10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300021 Keywords: educational policy; development; Nigeria
Introduction From a global perspective, economic and social development are increasingly driven by the advancement and application of knowledge.1 Education in general, and higher education in particular, are fundamental to the construction of a knowledge economy and society in all nations (World Bank, 1999). Yet the potential of higher education systems in developing countries to fulfill this responsibility is frequently thwarted by long-standing problems of finance, efficiency, equity, quality, and governance. Today, these old challenges have been augmented by new challenges linked to the growing role of knowledge in economic development, rapid changes in telecommunications technology, and the globalization of trade and labor markets (Salmi, 2001). Knowledge has become the most important factor for economic development in the 21st century. Through its capacity to augment productivity, it increasingly constitutes the foundation of a country’s competitive advantage (Porter, 1990). This change is most evident in OECD countries, where
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investments in the intangibles that make up the knowledge base of a country (e.g., research and development, higher education, computer software, patents) are equaling or even exceeding investments in physical equipment (OECD, 2001). Developing economies, while affected by these transformations, are not yet reaping their benefits. This is because the capacity to generate and harness knowledge in the pursuit of sustainable development and improved living standards is not spread equally among nations. In 1996, OECD countries accounted for 85% of total R&D investment; China,
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