PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AND ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
Date
2012-10-08
Authors
OTOBO, AVESS
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Abstract
The importance of higher education to the overall development can never be overemphasized as studies have shown the growing impact of higher education on economic development through human and social development. Worldwide, developments in higher education have shown the participation of both the public and private sectors in a bid to provide higher education to the citizenry. In Africa, an unprecedented increase in the demand for higher education led to a massive expansion of higher education systems with a notable presence of the private sector in an attempt to increase access for students of which Nigeria is no exception.
This study was undertaken to assess the level of contribution of the private sector in increasing access to students in Nigeria. The findings show that although there is an increase in access opportunities for students in Nigeria brought about by the private sector involvement in providing higher education, the contribution is still significantly low when compared to their public counterparts. This could be attributed to the exorbitant fees charged by these private universities or even a low carrying capacity of these private universities. Furthermore, policy developments to increase access in Nigeria include a steady increase in the budgetary allocation for university education and additional establishments of private universities through an enabling environment.
Description
MM thesis - P&DM
Keywords
Private education, Nigeria, Universities, Nigeria