Public Universities In Nigeria Research Articles

School Administrators Strategies for Combating Corruption in Universities in Nigeria

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine corruption in universities with the aim of finding out the types/forms, causes, effects and measures for combating the menace. Four research questions guided the investigation. The study is a survey research, ex-post facto in nature. A sample of 780 comprising of students, academic staff and administrative staff was selected through random sampling technique from six public universities in Nigeria. Data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that the types of corruption prevalent in universities are examination related, admission related, finance related, accreditation related and sexual related. Each of these types of corruption has different forms of manifestations. The causes of corruption in universities included greed, lack of fear of God, and the desire to get rich quick. The effects of corruption and measures for combating it were identified. The study concluded by recommending among others that all stake holders in university education should have a moral reorientation and begin to reverence God by fearing him to help sanitize the universities and create a corruption free learning environment in the university system.</p>

Awareness and practice of emergency contraception at a private university in Nigeria.

BackgroundThe pursuit of formal education now causes many people in developing countries to marry later in life, thereby leading to increased premarital sex and unintended pregnancies. Efforts have been made to characterize awareness and use of emergency contraception (EC) among undergraduate students in public universities in Nigeria; however, it is not known if students in private tertiary institutions adopt different practices or if having an affluent family background plays a role. This pilot study therefore aimed to assess the awareness and use of EC among students at a private Nigerian university toward assisting education planners in developing strategies in improving students’ reproductive well-being.ResultsOut of 94 female students, 42 (44.7%) had sexual experience, but only 32 (34.0%) were currently sexually active. Six students (6.4%) had had unwanted pregnancies, of which all but one were terminated. Fifty-seven respondents (60.6%) were aware of EC, though only 10 (10.6%) ever practiced it. The greatest source of EC information was from health workers and peers; the lowest source was family or relatives. Most respondents desired orientation and availability of EC on campus. EC awareness among the students was predicted by upper social class background (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–7.45) and upbringing in the Federal Capital Territory (adjusted OR, 4.45; 95% CI, 1.56–14.22).ConclusionsThough awareness of EC was higher among the private university students in this study than at most public universities, there was no difference in EC usage. A high pregnancy termination rate was observed; dilatation and curettage were mainly adopted. In Nigeria, youth-friendly reproductive health information and access should not be limited to government-owned tertiary institutions but also extended to private ones.

Investigating experts’ opinion on outsourcing decision in facilities management practice in public Universities in Nigeria

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically investigate the factors and the level of influence on facilities management practice and analyze the relationship among the factors. It also examines the level of effectiveness of outsourcing decision. Recent research effort on outsourcing identified some factors that influence outsourcing decision-making. Design/methodology/approach – Copies of instrument titled “Questionnaire on Outsourcing Decision” designed through a review of outsourcing literature, pilot-tested on the professionals, with valid reliability test results, were used to collect data. Collected data were analyzed using percentage, t-test, Pearson correlation and chi-square. Findings – Majority of the respondents reported that outsourcing is an effective decision. Except for functional characteristics, all other factors (strategic, management, technical, economical and quality) are significantly different from the group mean values. While there is a positive and significant relationship among the influencing factors, there is no significant relationship between the years of experience and the perception on the effectiveness of outsourcing decision. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to five selected tertiary institutions. The justification for their selection is attributed to their relative adequate infrastructural facilities, the existing practice of outsourcing and the size of the institutions. The further frontier of knowledge can be extended from here. Practical implications – The findings exposed the policymakers and stakeholders in the public universities to the major factors that affect the effectiveness of outsourcing and the direction for future practical research in the area of facilities management within the tertiary institutions of learning. Originality/value – The thrust of this paper provides check and balance in the adoption of outsourcing approach with tested instrument that ranks the influencing factors in facilities management practice in a developing economy within educational institutions.

Facilities management practices in the Nigerian public universities

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the diffusion of facilities management (FM) as a sustainable tool to facility performance within the perspective of public universities in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approach– A review of the literature reveals the practices of FM in both the educational and institutional buildings. Factors influencing the practices and strategies for sustaining facilities condition were evaluated. Data were collected through a well-structured questionnaire administered on both the technical and managerial officers in charge of FM in Nigeria public universities. Data collected were subjected to both the descriptive and inferential statistical tools.Findings– The FM practice in the Nigeria public universities is found to be lagging behind private sector experience, despite the significant benefits of FM to learning process. In particular, passive actions are being taken to manage facilities, even when most are obsolete and deteriorated. Critical challenges to FM practice are low level of technology, poor funding and poor policy implementation. Outsourcing of technical personnel is essential to ameliorate the conditions of public universities’ facilities in Nigeria.Practical implications– This paper helps policymakers and administrators to know the condition of facilities and understand the FM practice in the Nigerian public universities.Originality/value– Reactive/passive practice is the norm in FM of public universities in Nigeria. However, outsourcing of technical personnel in FM has a great potential for functional facilities in public universities.

Workplace Perception and Attitude Towards People Living with HIV/AIDS of Persons in Senior Administrative Positions in Public Universities in Nigeria

Persons in senior administrative positions (SAP) in public universities are an important segment of the workforce, which could play an important role in the control of HIV/AIDS through their impact on the attitude to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) both within and outside the university community. However, there is a gross dearth of information on their perception of HIV/AIDS and the corresponding attitude to PLWHA. This is unlike the profusion of data on the perception of students in tertiary institutions of higher learning. The objective of this study was thus to determine the level of awareness and perception of HIV/AIDS, and the workplace attitude to PLWHA, of persons in SAP in public universities and the association with the demographic factors of age, gender and religion. A self-administered questionnaire, ‘Awareness and Attitude towards PLWHA scale’ was used to elicit responses from 250 persons, representing 91.6% of those eligible, in a cross-sectional survey of Deans of Faculties, Directors and Heads of Departments in two public universities in Edo State, Nigeria. Mean scores and mean percentage responses were compared between groups using Student’s t-test and one-way ANOVA. The level of significance was set at P <0.05. The mean (standard deviation, SD) of Respondents with correct answers to the questions on perception was 72.7 (12.8)% on perception of the nature of HIV/AIDS, 45.1 (38.6)% on transmission, 90.9 (7.4)% on diagnosis and 85.8 (10.8)% on perception of its prevention (P = 0.034). The mean (SD) of the responses on general attitude was 96.8 (2.9)% and that on workplace attitude 85.2 (7.5)% (P = 0.036). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean overall scores on perception and attitude in relation to age, gender and religion. We conclude that the perception of HIV/AIDS and workplace attitude to PLWHA among persons in SAP in public universities in Nigeria are quite favourable, except in relation to the transmission of infection. We also conclude that the perception is unrelated to the demographic factors of age, gender and religion. These findings are relevant to the development of HIV/AIDS control messages, particularly those targeted at the reduction of stigmatization and discrimination, important attitudinal problems fueling the transmission of HIV/AIDS in resource-poor countries.

Relationship between Head of Department Leadership Styles and Lecturers Job Satisfactions in Nigerian Public Universities

The Study, relationship between leadership styles and job satisfaction among the head of department and lecturers of Nigerian public universities is definitely a problem of an accelerating importance towards the higher learning institution within their preparation to complete their mission to become a first class university.A highly effective leadership style, along with a reliable labor force appeared to become a decisive importance for any university to have the ability to compete in quality and also to accompany the changes. At the moment, the empirical linkages between the head of department leadership styles and job satisfaction among lecturers in Nigerian public universities aren't fully established by past researchers.Therefore, it is the aim of this study to investigate the relationship between the selected independent variables; leadership styles (transformational, transactional, lasseir-faire) and job satisfaction as the dependent variables, determines the common leadership style that is commonly used by the head of the department, and determines the level of job satisfaction among the lecturers. The research design was descriptive correlational study and data were collected employing questionnaires. The study utilized simple random sampling methods to select 217 lecturers with the response rate of 91.7% from the population of Nigerian lecturers studying at three research universities in Malaysia.The findings showed that lecturers job satisfaction is high and also the descriptive statistics revealed that the most commonly used leadership styles among the head of department of Nigeria public university is transformational leadership styles, with the highest mean of 3.9032. The result obtained from the correlational analyses revealed that there is a significant relationship between leadership styles of the head of department and lecturers job satisfaction in public universities in Nigeria. The present study contributes useful information for educational leaders and researchers in the field of human resource development.

The Business Model: Implications for University Management in Nigeria in an Era of Underfunding

The chief executives of public universities in Nigeria are not finding it interesting managing their institutions. There is an increase in enrolment, even greater increase in the cost of providing necessary soft and hard facilities and infrastructure to support basic teaching and learning and research. While so much funds are required, these universities are under tremendous pressure from students, parents and government not to increase tuition fees or increase charges for other student related activities. Yet, there have been a great reduction in State funding. The proprietors of these institutions even expect them to, and infact charge them to do more for themselves by way of ingeniously looking for alternative sources of funding other than charging fees and expecting government support.The chief executives are in a dilemma. In the face of financial strangulations what should these Vice-Chancellors do? This paper posits that it will be necessary for the ViceChancellors of public Universities in Nigeria to adopt an appropriate reformed business model in the management of their institutions. This paper therefore explains the concept and outlines a number of business models, highlights the strengths and limitations and discusses the implications, and applications of business model in the management of universities in order to achieve their triple missions of teaching and learning, research and extension services. Key Terms: Business models, efficiency, mixed technologies, online learning, private for-profit, public

Contextualizing Project Human Resources Management within Nigeria’s Public University System: a case study of Federal University of Technology, Minna

Universities are incubators of skills, knowledge and ideas that trigger economic growth and stability. But this is dependent on the attitude of university staff (especially academic staff) towards their duties, a factor believed to be influenced by prevailing environmental factors. A range of factors that influence behaviour/performance of lecturers in federal universities in Nigeria were examined using survey questionnaire as an instrument. The analyses of respondents' views reveal, contrary to a generally held notion, that the nature of technology available and lack of recognition considerably affect performance, perhaps, more than poor remuneration, while comfort and nature of relationships (vertical and lateral) are key factors that enhance staff performance at work. The study recommends activities aimed at strengthening management-staff relationship as well as periodic performance evaluation of staff. The outcome of this study would serve as a guide for enhancing the performance of public universities in Nigeria by creating a work environment that enhances performance.

An Analysis of the Cost of Educational Wastages in Nigerian Public Universities: Efficiency in View

The study examined the trend and social costs of educational wastage in public universities in Nigeria between 2008 and 2012. One major challenge confronting university education in Nigeria is that the total number of students enrolled for the academic session does not graduate at the specified period which has humongous social and private costs implication. Wastages across universities and areas of specialization have constituted a management problem and a drain at the limited resources in the Nigeria universities. As a survey method of descriptive research design and ex-post facto, it makes use of some indicators for measuring the wastage rate and the cost in Nigeria universities. Data were collected through the use of a validated self-designed questionnaire titled, Record and Financial Inputs and Output Questionnaire (SRFIOQ) with a reliability coefficient of r = 0.89. The study covered six universities (3 Federal and 3 States) among the eleven public universities in South West Nigeria selected through a purposive simple random sampling method. The participants cut across students in eight faculties of the sampled universities. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, simple percentage score and bar graphs and inferential statistics tools to test the research hypotheses for the study. The study revealed that there were variations in the wastage rate indicating a high percentage wastage rate which exists among faculties in various institutions under study. On the average, social cost on wastage was higher on male undergraduates with N 451,951,012.60 than that of females N 302,807,178.40. There was a significant difference in the social cost of wastages between male and female undergraduates (t-cal= .512< t-val= .413; P

Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

It is presumed that Nigerian students and teachers have been unable to find effective ways to use technology in the classroom and other aspects of their teaching and learning. Yet, considerable debate remains over the most efficient techniques and procedures to measure students and faculties information technology and information systems (IT/IS) use. In most developing countries, the challenges associated with carrying out IT/IS measurements are different from those in developed countries, as are the methods for selecting appropriate IT/IS content. This study gathered data using a five item demographic variable and a fifty item questionnaire to measure student and faculty academic IT/IS use in one private and one public university in Nigeria. This study is based on the 191 responses received to the questionnaire. The results reveal significant differences between the academic use of IT/IS by students and faculty. This groundbreaking study recommends that universities become valuable and proactive actors in the provision of technology based learning, teaching and research for students and academic staff to foster an effective academic environment aimed at meeting millennium development goals (MDG) for education. This scholarly discourse has implication for researchers, education practitioners, planners, policy makers and government.

A Study of Sexual Harassment in Three Selected Private Faith-Based Universities, Ogun-State, South-West Nigeria

- Prior articles indicate the existence of sexual harassment in the public Universities in Nigeria, but knowledge about its prevalence in the private Faith-Based Universities is relatively lacking. Thus, this study is set to address this gap in knowledge, using three selected private Faith-Based Universities in Ogun-State, South-West Nigeria. Relying on primary and secondary sources of data collection, the study tries to find out if female students experience sexual harassment in these institutions. Moreover, it intends to discover if these students report cases of sexual harassment to the school management. Through 5 years data retrieved, the study equally intends to find out the number of staff caught for sexual harassment in each of these institutions and disciplinary actions taken against them. Employing opinions of female students and members of staff through questionnaire and in-depth interview, the study revealed that majority of female students experienced sexual harassment on campus, but most of them disinclined to report their cases to the school management. Drawing on the recorded data between 2008 and 2012, the study reported that 14 members of staff were caught for sexual harassment. The highest figure (50%) was recorded in the University B, following by University C with 28.6% while University A recorded the least figure with 21.4%. Finally, the study reported that 85% of members of staff caught for sexual harassment were relieved from work while the remaining 14.3% were suspended. Keywords - Sexual Harassment

Short Messaging Services and Educational Information sharing by Students in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria

Questionnaire was used to collect data from 1676 undergraduate and postgraduate students randomly selected from three large public universities in Nigeria to determine how the students use text messaging or short messaging services (SMS) to exchange educational information. Uses and gratification theory, which emphasises that individuals are usually goal-directed in information search and use, and would often prefer media that would give them control of content choices, guided the study. Sixty-five percent and 63% of the respondents reported using the technology for contacting peers and lecturers respectively for educational matters, while less than 40% used the technology to contact others. Generally, closeness to mothers and education of parents influence use of the technology for educational contact. The instrumental gratifications of SMS capability to enable students escape face to face communication as well as its convenience explain use of SMS to make educational contacts. However, SMS use is mainly constrained by the difficulty to decipher the intention of the messages and by the confusion that often arises due to unclear acronyms often used by texters.

Internet access and use

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and level of internet access and use by undergraduate students in three Nigerian universities as well as the electronic resources used by these students on the internet.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was the research method used for data collection. Questionnaires were distributed to undergraduate students in three public universities in Nigeria: University of Calabar, Calabar; University of Uyo, Uyo, and Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that the internet is extensively used by undergraduate students in the surveyed universities. There is inequitable access to the internet, as students mostly rely on private/commercial internet cybercafés – both on and off campuses – for their access and use. Access to the internet in the university libraries, departments/faculties and university computer/ICT centers is grossly poor; this is due to lack of poor internet infrastructure and connectivity and non‐sustainable internet services in these universities. In spite of the extensive use of the internet, there exists a poor level of use of electronic resources such as the electronic journals and online databases which are essential for learning and research. The findings of the study have also revealed the need for effective user education on internet access and use in university libraries in Nigeria for optimal utilization of electronic information sources.Originality/valueThe paper will be useful for those in decision‐making roles as it reveals the need for the provision of relevant internet infrastructural facilities in Nigerian universities to enhance equitable and sustainable access to the internet by the students to support their academic activities.

Gender Disparity in Administrative Effectiveness of Heads of Academic Departments in Nigerian Universities

The study was on the level of administrative effectiveness of Heads of Academic Departments in Nigerian universities and the significant difference (if any) in administrative effectiveness of male and female Heads of Academic Departments. One research question and one hypothesis were raised / formulated to direct the investigation. Out of 1520 Heads of Academic Departments in all 36 public universities in Nigeria, 1326 academic staff in nine universities were selected from 362 Departments in nine universities for the study. The results of investigation revealed that the administrative effectiveness of Heads of Departments in Nigerian universities was high. Since there was no significant difference in the area of sex, it was recommended among others that gender should not be a hindrance in the appointment of Heads of Departments.