Punch's Solution to joint admission crisis

After my Sunday 25 July 2010 posting on enhancing access to tertiary institutions in Nigeria, one of the countries respected newspaper 'The Punch' in its editorial Wednesday 28 July 2010 commented on the matter, please read through:

ENHANCING ACCESS TO TERTIARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

ENHANCING ACCESS TO TERTIARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: EXPLORING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NIGERIAN CAMPUSES OF FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES

Mr. President,

Congratulations on your elevation to the position of President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to respectfully implore you, sir to take more than a cursory look to the issue of access to tertiary education in Nigeria especially university education.

On the 14^th July, 2010 almost all media (print media) and Radio and Television (electronic media) reported Prof. Dibu ojerinde Executive Secretary. Joint admission and matriculation board ( JAMB) as saying “admission into tertiary institutions as “survival of the fittest”.

He was further quoted as positing that of the 867,000 candidates who scored above 180, 366,000 would not be admitted this year (2010) because the combined capacity of Universities, Polytechnics, Monotechnics and colleges of Education for the current admission is only 527,000 adding that others who may be qualified would have to reapply next year.

This figure of those who may not gain admission would certainly be more that what is painted above as some institutions are requesting for candidates with 200 and not 180 for admission as directed by Jamb and the Federal Ministry of Education.

The situation has been going on like this for over a decade and would get worse by 2012 when the deluge of students from the UBE programme began by President Obasanjo are ready for higher education.

Prof. Diba Ojerinde said except access to tertiary institutions is enhanced, the country will continue to have this lot of people waiting endlessly for admission (into tertiary institutions).

Mr President, as a result of changes propelled by the knowledge industry, the quest for higher education is being intensified as can be seen with the numbers that yearly seek access to higher education Regretably, Nigeria and the African continent do not belong to the communion of knowledge because our contribution to the development of science and technology is negligible because the number of tertiary institution in the continent is inadequate to generate the size and quality of human capital needed to transform the socioeconomic environment of the continent.

The above picture is well painted by the former executive secretary of National Universities Commission , professor peter okebukola in an interview in the guardian in 2004 , citing the “2000 and 2002 world science reports,” the professor described Nigeria as belonging to the “ignoble” group” of scientifically backward nations, Africa he observed. has only 0.4% of the worlds scientists and engineers.

This problem of low capacity has to be rectified by expanding opportunities for university education and research.

The imperative of expanding access to higher education is also highlighted by the United Nations Development programmes in its 2005, publication, Investing in development: a practical plan to achieve millennium development goals where it observed that “enchanting science and technology education has been one of the most critical sources of economic transformation.

To develop science, technology and innovation capabilities developing countries need to expand access to higher education”, especially Nigeria that intends to join the 20 must developed nations by the year 2020. Today there are only 104 universities in Nigeria owned by federal, state and private individuals organization.

Certainly this number is inadequate for Nigeria with over 150 million people, for example south Korea with 45 million people had about 152 universities has at 2002. In 2005, the united kingdom had about 350 universities for it 55 million people, Nigeria with its 150 million population deserves to have more universities, and flying schools (pilot training institution).

please your Excellency take a look at Nigerias rating in this global picture from the table of selected countries from Africa , Asia, Europe and the Americas .

NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES IN SOME COUNTRIES

S/N	COUNTRY	POPULATION	NO. OF UNIVERSITIES
1.	Nigeria	150 million	104
2.	India	1 Billion	8,407
3.	U .S .A	290 Million	5,758
4.	Argentina	38.7 Million	1,705
5.	Spain	40.2 Million	145
6.	Mexico	10.9 Million	1,341
7.	Bangladesh	138,Million	1,238
8.	Indonesia	238 Million	1,236
9.	Japan	127 Million	1223

In the face of this bleak picture what we see in foreign universities daily hunting for students from Nigeria to go and acquire higher education at exorbitant rates far away from home where they are usually discriminated against because of their co lour.

Sir, let Nigeria through your government explore the option of inviting these foreign universities to come and establish Nigerian campuses of their institutions all over the six geo – political ones of Nigeria, after all in several other countries of the world including Africa we see campuses of foreign universities established for example in Malaysia the northingham university in the united kingdom has a campus in that Asian country. Also in Mauritus an island in Africa and Dubai there are campuses of foreign universities taking care of asses to higher education, just to mention a few examples.

Your government, sir, should cash on the goodwill you have successfully garnered since you came to power especially during your official visit to the united states, Canada and France by directly issuing a presidential request to the universities , flying school, maritime institution etc in the USA , UK, Canada, France, south Africa, Germany, china, Russia, Egypt, Japan, south Korea Hong Kong , Singapore , Australia , New Zealand ,

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc to come and establish Nigerian campuses of their home universities in Nigeria.

With the resolution of the Niger delta problem and the successes of the post amnesty programme, your call will be heeded. You may wish to setup a committee made up of the Presidency, ministry of education, the national universities commission working under your direct supervision to be saddled with the responsibility of taking your presidential message /request to the various institution and countries.

The president may need to send a bill expeditiously to the National Assembly allowing for a law for the establishment of Nigerian campuses of foreign universities in Nigeria as was gone in India earlier in the year to achieve expansion in access to universities. The Nigerian investment promotion commission act of 1995 which restrained the federal government from Nationalizing foreign companies should be widely published to give confidence to the foreign universities that nothing will happen to their institutions in whatever circumstances.

They, the foreign universities through their government should be informed that the act allows foreigners to own companies 100 percent in Nigeria without looking for any Nigerian to buy shares in them.

All prospective investors i.e foreign universities should also be made to understand that the foreign exchange miscellaneous provision act of 1995, which allows foreigners easy access to import capital into the country is part of the legislation that have been put in place to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country.

The success of the above proposal will engender economic boom through employment and contracts during construction and at the commencement of operation of the institutions, as some Nigerians in Diaspora would return to teach in the institutions apart from those at home who will secure jobs /opportunities.

I humbly submit to serve my fatherland in any committee or capacity to fast track the attainment of the goals intended if the president so wishes.

The successes of the plan will go a long way to enhance your election as president in 2011 when you finally decide to run, time is of essence sir, a group can be quickly assembled in conjunction with our embassies and made to travel to various capitals and institution to officially present your invitation with assurances of free land and government support by way of other waivers.

The success of this plan will propel Nigeria to the group of nations with high capacity to churn out international standard human capital whose qualifications will be world acclaim and universally accepted.

Your name and that of your tenure would be written in gold among the youths, who will gain easy access to higher education in their country,

Finally your Excellency, let this be your birthday gift or offering to Nigeria at 50.

Thank you,

Sir,

Yours faithfully,

Adetunji Oni,

adeoni2004@yahoo.com