Does More Mean BetterThe Dilemma of Higher Education

 Peter Okebukola, OFR

Presented at the Symposium to mark the 80th Birthday of Professor Oladipo 

Akinkugbe, held at the University of Ibadan, September 3, 2013

Round the Paper in about 30 minutes• Quantity-Quality Debate• Global trends in quantitative

expansion in higher education and the quality consequence

• The Nigerian situation• Which size is optimal?• Quality Challenges in Nigerian

universities• Quantity Vs Quality: The Balancing Act

Quantity-Quality Debate

Quality…… beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Global trends in quantitative expansion in higher education

The Nigerian situation

•129 universities (40 federal, 38 state and 51 private) enrolling about 1.45 million students.

Higher Education Participation Rate

Higher education participation rate (HEPR) is the proportion of eligible population who have access to higher education.

Types of Higher Education

System HEPRElite Less than 15%Mass 15-50%Universal More than 50%

Country Populationin millions

Number of Universities

Higher Education

Participation Rate

United States 313.9 4,495 40

Spain 46.2 76 46

Mexico 112.3 187 20

Japan 127.6 778 43

France 63.6 109 36 7

China 1,350.4 2,236 22

South Africa 51.1 41 19

Nigeria 170.1 129 8.1

Which size is optimal?

Formula (Okebukola, 2013)

Variables in the equation• Current Higher Education Participation Rate • Expected Higher Education Participation Rate • Population Growth Rate• Proportion of Available Teachers Relative to 

Expected  • Estimate of adequacy of sustainable funding  • Rate of growth in application to universities   • Current estimate of adequacy of other resources  

 

(EHEPR + PGR) X (PATRE+CEAOR+EASF)---------------------------------------------------

CHEPR + RGAU 

Optimal number for Nigeria• CHEPR=8%• EHEPR=20%• PGR-2.5%• PATRE=60%• EASF=20%• RGAU=10%• CEAOR= 30%

ONU= 139

Quality Challenges in Nigerian universities

• Physical facilities for teaching and learning in the public universities are inadequate, dilapidated, over-stretched and improvised

• Laboratories & Workshops equipment as well as consumables are either absent, inadequate or outdated Kerosene stoves are being used as Bunsen burners in some Universities

• Some engineering workshops operate under zinc sheds and trees

• 74% of lecturers in the Plateau State University Bokkos, are visiting

• Many science-based faculties are running what is referred to as “Dry Lab,” due to lack of reagents and tools to conduct real experiments• 163 of the 701 physical uncompleted projects it found had been abandoned

• Only seven (7) Universities (IMSU, UNICAL, OSUST, NOUN, UNIPORT, UNILORIN & UNIUYO) have up to 60 % of their teaching staff with PhD qualification

• Kano State University which is 11 years old, has one Professor and 25 lecturers with PhDs, Kebbi State University has two professors and five lecturers who have PhDs.

Quantity Vs Quality: The Balancing Act

• The merger model • Survival of the fittest model• Evolution of Centres of Excellence• Categorisation of universities• Raising standards for accreditation

Some Concluding Remarks