The National Universities Commission (NUC) has disclosed that Nigeria’s higher education system is grappling with a significant capacity issue, as the country’s universities can only accommodate 700,000 students out of the two million applicants seeking admission annually.
Dr. Chris Maiyaki, Acting Executive Secretary of the NUC revealed this at the Annual General Meeting of the International Studies Alumni Association at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
Maiyaki highlighted the widening gap between the demand for higher education and the available slots across the nation’s 274 universities.
He explained that the disparity between the number of applicants and the limited capacity of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions leaves a huge chunk of the applicants unaccounted for each year, creating a growing challenge for the education sector.
NUC’s transnational education initiative
In an effort to address this issue, Maiyaki noted that the NUC has introduced a transnational education initiative. This initiative is designed to attract foreign investors who would establish branch campuses and other educational institutions in Nigeria, expanding the number of available university placements.
“As a matter of policy, the NUC consummated a transnational-education initiative where foreign investors would come into the country and open branch campuses and undertake training arrangements, open teaching institutions among other several arrangements.” He said.
According to him, this plan will be implemented under strict regulatory oversight by the NUC to ensure that any new institutions maintain the academic standards required by the commission.
He praised the association for organizing the AGM and for its ongoing efforts to support academic growth at ABU, including donations of books and other materials to the Department of Political Science and International Studies.
