HIGHER EDUCATION IN NIGERIA AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

Abstract

The mandate of higher institutions is to develop the whole man mentally, morally and physically and to confer degrees on their products who are found worthy in character and learning, to enable them assume leadership roles in their immediate and extended society. This paper recognizes the fact that in spite of this mandate, tertiary institutions in Africa find it difficult to provide the enabling environment for the actualization of their mission, largely because of absence of quality teaching and non-teaching staff. The lowering of recruitment conditions of staff, poor remuneration of higher education staff in Africa, dilapidated infrastructure, proliferation of tertiary institutions and academic periodicals. The paper further recognizes the the fact that certain factors impede student learning outcomes in tertiary institutions in Africa. These include the ever increasing rate of student enrolment without accompanying support facilities, lack of adequate counseling programmes, poor welfare programmes, poor time management and study habit skills, poorly planned orientation and character development programmes and poor health and sexuality programme. This paper evolves a robust programme, which is expected to be implemented by Students' Affairs in tertiary institutions in Africa. The programme shall encompass time-management and study habit skills, character development techniques, student health and sexuality enhancement skills, student welfare rights advocacy skills. Also to be included in the programme is a new selection process for admission that will include students mental health assessment. This programme, it is hoped will enhance students academic achievement that will ultimately improve students outcomes in higher education in Africa.