By Jeremiah Aminu
The Nigerian educational system is one that is in a dire state. This is traceable to plaguing issues that cut across inadequate funding, staff misconduct, poor infrastructural facilities, outdated curricula, and many other pressing problems. These challenges exist across the different educational levels within the country—the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The Nigerian tertiary educational system, in particular, is riddled with similar burning issues that hamper its development. Some of them encompass strike actions, administrative corruption, brain drain, and inadequate funding, all of which continue to prey on the Nigerian tertiary educational system.
One may now want to ask, “To what extent do these leech-like problems drain the life force of the Nigerian tertiary educational system?”
Beginning with inadequate funding, the underfunding of Nigerian universities stands as a prime issue crippling the growth of many Nigerian universities.
READ ALSO: Tacha, Phyna slam Nigerians over Regina Daniels’ rape allegations
According to UNESCO, it recommends that countries around the world should, at least, allot a minimum of twenty-six (26) per cent of their national budgets to the sustenance and growth of education. For developing countries, they are advised to allocate a minimum of 15-20 per cent of their national budgets towards this initiative. However, such is not the case in Nigeria. Instead, the country’s yearly allocations keep falling below the designated percentage.
An instance of this is the 2022 national budget allocation for education by the Nigerian Federal Government which was around 5.39 per cent, as reported by Invictus Africa. Even in 2025, the financial allocation from the national budget to education failed to experience a meteoric rise. Instead, there was only a slight increase whereby seven (7) per cent of the country’s national budget was allotted to education. How, then, can the tertiary educational system in Nigeria effectively survive and operate under such situations of underfunding? Thus, the inability of the government to meet the recommended standard negatively impacts the sustainability and functionality of Nigerian tertiary institutions. This, therefore, triggers subsequent issues such as operational inefficiency and strike actions which pose problems to the operational efficiency of these institutions. If this neglect towards the funding of education continues, the quality of education offered in tertiary institutions will continue to descend into a steep slope without any hope of recovery or ascension.
Proceeding further, administrative corruption is another cancerous issue that has eaten and is still eating deep into the administrative operations of Nigerian universities. And how does this vice unfold within Nigerian institutions? The first is reallocation of funds that are provided for the construction of educational infrastructural facilities, payment of members of staff, and implementation of academic programmes into private accounts. Others encompass the deliberate misgrading of students’ results, certificate forgery and scandal, sexual assault and harassment, the imposition of extortionate fees on students, and many other misdeeds.
Okolo Monday and Gregory Mallo affirmed this claim in their 2021 study whereby they commented on the different paths through which administrative corruption surfaces in Nigerian universities, most especially in Nigerian federal universities:
“In 2018, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project claimed that there were allegations of corruption in several federal universities relating to the unfair allocation of grades; contract inflation; truncation of staff’s salary on the payroll; employment of unqualified staff; certificate scandal; examination malpractice; sexual harassment; and issuance of results for expelled students to graduate”, they said.
Another weakness of the Nigerian tertiary educational system, which is often under-discussed, is the prioritisation of theoretical knowledge over practical application. In Nigerian universities, priority tends to be given to the theoretical knowledge of a topic with less emphasis on the practical aspect—which plays an integral role in increased comprehension and innovation. Because what use is having a good grasp of English grammar if you are unable to implement it in the art of speech and writing for effective communication? Of what use is having a vast knowledge of human anatomy, pathology, biochemistry, and pharmacology if you cannot diagnose and administer the proper treatment that your patient needs? This demonstrates the problem that the minimal focus towards practical knowledge poses to students, in that it allows Nigerian tertiary institutions to produce half-baked graduates who lack practical skills to excel within the competitive market (which deems practical skills as a key necessity).
In light of all the issues that have been spotlighted, what, then, are the measures that can be put in place to resolve these burning problems confronting the progression of the Nigerian tertiary educational system?
The government should, first of all, work towards reaching the 15-20 per cent standard set by UNESCO to ensure the sustainability and progression of the Nigerian educational system. As regards the tertiary level, focus should be targeted at investing in the construction of educational infrastructural facilities, the soliciting of research grants (nationally and internationally), and remuneration for members of staff. More importantly, Nigerian tertiary institutions can also create diversified funding systems through partnerships with private industries and the provision of services to help them generate internal revenue that can be used in the maintenance and effective administration of the institutions.
To proceed, Nigerian tertiary institutions should enforce strict legislation and establish disciplinary bodies to curb practices relating to administrative corruption. Any member of staff who is caught involving in acts of certificate forgery and scandal, sexual harassment, deliberate downgrading of students’ results, as well as many other misdoings should experience the penalties and sanctions attached to such actions.
READ ALSO: ‘It’s time Nigerians feel essence of this ministry,’ says Humanitarian Minister Doro
Lastly, Nigerian universities should make efforts to create a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application. In this regard, students should be provided with the opportunity to participate and engage in workshops, internship roles, class projects, and entrepreneurial programmes that pertain to their chosen area of study. By implementing this, it will equip them with the required skills that they need to navigate the outside world following their graduation.
On a conclusive note, the Nigerian educational system (most especially at the tertiary level) is one that still has many mountains to climb before it can reach its peak. With each labouring step that it takes to the top, issues such as administrative corruption, inadequate funding, and inattention to the practical application of theoretical knowledge, amongst many other pressing problems, tend to act as heavy burdens that cause it to keep slipping which further hinders its ascension to the peak where it belongs. This is, thus, a clarion call to the Nigerian government and educational stakeholders to give utmost priority to these problems, so that the Nigerian educational system does not become like stagnant water in which these breeding problems, like mosquitoes, keep swarming on its surface without any redress.
