University Education in Nigeria: History, Successes, Failures and the Way Forward

Abstract

Various societies of the world have evolved various forms of education over time. Formal education has been accepted over time as being capable of enhancing unprecedented growth in societies. Considering the importance of education to the integral development of various nations, huge resources have always been channeled to boost the educational sector by various nations. In Nigeria, for instance, the educational sector is considered as one of the most essential sectors of the yearly budgetary schedule. Looking at the various levels of education, it is true to state that the university education is most suited towards providing the socio-economic development that Nigeria yearns for. This is because it has been discovered that it is the development of the human person that invariably trickles to the development of other sectors of the socio-economic system. An efficient university educational system could be considered as one of the best assets a nation can have. And against this backdrop, one could rightly assert that a dysfunctional university system would surely make for a malfunctional country. This is why this paper has as its thrust to xray the university education in Nigeria, bringing to bare its history, evolution, successes and weaknesses. The paper challenges that even though the nation’s university education has achieved quite much, it is equally laden with weaknesses. If the future of university education in Nigeria is to be revamped, then the author has made functional suggestions herein to make for the amelioration of the university education system in Nigeria.