World Education News and Reviews

September/October 2004

Practical Information

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Education in Nigeria

By Nick Clark, Assistant Editor WENR and Robert Sedgwick, Editor, WENR

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria is a federation of 36 states with the capital situated in Abuja. The total population of Nigeria is 137 million making it the largest nation on the African continent. There are 394 different languages spoken in Nigeria. Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo are spoken by over 50 percent of the population and have been declared the major national languages. English is the official language and is widely spoken.

Language has created something of a problem with respect to education in Nigeria. Because the smaller languages are not written, devising instructional material in those languages is difficult. Generally, the medium of instruction is the local language for the first three years of primary education. Thereafter, English is used.

Education is free but not compulsory at any level. The formal education system is as follows: 6 years of primary school; 3 years of junior secondary school; 3 years of senior secondary school, and 4 years of university education leading to a bachelor’s level degree in most fields.

Education is administered by three branches of government. Primary education is under the control of local governments. Secondary schools fall under the jurisdiction of the state governments except for the so-called “Unity Schools” which are administered by the federal government. Higher education is administered by both the federal and state governments.

The school year extends over ten months, divided into three terms of ten to twelve weeks each at the pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary levels.

Evolution of the Higher Education System

The origins of Nigeria’s higher education system date back to 1934 when the colonial government established Yaba Higher College. However, the college suffered from high dropout rates and in 1943 the government set up a commission for advice on the higher education needs of the region. In 1948 the University College in Ibadan was founded and began offering degrees jointly with the University of London. University College was Nigeria’s only university until 1960 when the country gained independence.

In 1962, the federal government established a new university in Lagos (the capital at the time) while the Northern Region government also established a new university. The Western Region government, which already had two federal universities in its territory, went ahead and established its own university at Ile-Ife in that year. At the same time the University College at Ibadan detached itself from the University of London, becoming an autonomous, full-fledged university.

In 1970, one of the country’s four traditional regions (which were then in the process of being organized into 12 states) opted to have a university of its own, which is now known as the University of Benin.

Between 1975 and 1977, the federal government established seven new universities and took over four regional universities. In addition, at least 16 state-owned and federal polytechnics were set up. In 1977 the government abolished tuition fees at all federal universities for full-time students. By the mid-70s all regional universities had been taken over by the federal government, and states began to establish new universities of their own, a trend which is continuing today.

Federal vs. State Universities

There is disparity between schools owned and controlled by the federal government and those owned and controlled by the states and private bodies. From 1970 to 1979 twelve states were carved out of the country’s four traditional regions; there are now 36 such states. Each time a new state was created the central government would set up a federal university in that state. However, if the federal government neglected to do this, the states would establish their own institutions of higher education. In the last two years of civilian rule at least five states have established their own universities. Most of the federal universities were established during military regimes. In general the federal universities are better funded and more autonomous than the state institutions. The latter are grossly under-funded and run from either the Ministry of Education or the governor’s office.

Reforms

In the 1980s and 1990s the government implemented a series of far-reaching education reforms. These reforms have significantly altered the structure of secondary education. Before the changes went into effect, secondary school education closely resembled the British system consisting of GCE ‘O’ levels followed by two years of GCE ‘A’ level courses. This structure has been replaced by three years of junior secondary and three years of senior-secondary schooling. As a result, the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels have largely been phased out, and replaced by the Junior School Certificate and Senior School Certificate.

In addition, the secondary school curriculum has also been changed. Junior secondary schools now offer both academic and prevocational streams. Graduates of junior secondary schools may proceed into one of the following: 1) senior secondary school; 2) technical/vocational college; 3) teacher training college.

Curricula at all levels of education have also been reformed to put more of an emphasis on science and technology. Universities have also introduced a general studies requirement to give students broad-based knowledge in addition to specialization. At the primary and secondary levels, new courses, such as environmental studies and population studies, have been introduced for the first time.

Accreditation has been introduced at the tertiary level to ensure certain standards. Higher education has also come under increased centralized control through three national commissions.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Duration: Ages 6 to 12 (Grades 1-6).

Curriculum: Subject areas include integrated science, social science, mathematics, social studies, cultural arts, health and physical education, religious instruction, agriculture and home economics.

Leaving Certificate: Primary School Leaving Certificate.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

The secondary education cycle lasts six years and is organized into junior and senior stages, both lasting three years. At the end of the junior cycle students take the Junior Secondary School Examination (JSS3 exam), which it is necessary to pass in order to progress to the senior secondary school level. Students are streamed at the end of grade nine, according to their abilities, into senior secondary schools, technical and teaching colleges or out of school vocational training centers or apprenticeships offering a range of terminal trade and craft awards.

The Senior School Certificate (issued by the West African Examination Council and the National Examination Council) replaced the West African General Certificate of Education Ordinary and Advanced Levels (GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels) in 1989. Students may still sit ‘O’ and ‘A’ level examinations as private candidates and, if successful, are guaranteed direct entry to university without being required to take the University Matriculation Examination (see below).

Secondary Education (Lower Secondary)

Duration: Ages 12 to 15 (Grades 7-9).

Curriculum: Compulsory subjects include: English, mathematics, integrated science, social studies, introductory technology, business studies, home economics, art, French or Arabic, agricultural science, music, physical education, health education. Students are also required to select a Nigerian language.

Entrance Requirement: Primary School Leaving Certificate.

Leaving Certificate: The Junior Secondary School Certificate (JSSC) is based on continuous assessment and government examinations. There is also a three-year post-primary terminal vocational qualification called the Primary School Leaving Certificate.

Upper Secondary Education

Duration: Ages 15 to 18 (Grades 10-12)

Curriculum: There is a common core curriculum that consists of: English language, one Nigerian language, mathematics, one science subject, one social science subject, and agricultural science or a vocational subject. In addition students must take three elective subjects, one of which may be dropped in the third year.

Entrance Requirement: JSSC

Leaving Certificate: Senior School Certificate (SSC). To obtain the SSC candidates must successfully take a minimum of seven and a maximum of nine subjects (most commonly, six core plus two elective). The SSC examination (SSCE) is conducted in May/June, and a second examination, the General Certificate of Education, is conducted in October/November as a supplement for students who did not get the required credits from their SSCE results. The examinations are conducted by either the West African Examination Council (WAEC) or the National Examination Council (NECO). The certificate lists all subjects in which the student is successful.

Secondary School Grading Scale

Technical and Vocational Secondary Education

Technical secondary education is offered through a variety of programs at secondary schools to students from either primary or junior school, including academic, vocational and technical specialization subjects. At the end of the course, students may take the examinations for the Senior School Certificate. Vocational and technical education is designed to train low-level manpower and is offered in technical colleges or business and engineering skills training centers.

A two-tier system of nationally certified courses is also offered, leading to the award of National Technical/Business Certificates and Advanced National Technical/Business Certificates. The lower level program lasts three years after Junior Secondary School and is the equivalent of Senior Secondary School. The Advanced program entails two years pre-entry industrial work experience and ranks on the level of lower tertiary programs. All certificates are awarded by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).

HIGHER EDUCATION

The system of higher education is binary and provided by universities, polytechnics, institutions of technology, colleges of education (which may form part of the universities and polytechnic colleges or are affiliated to these) and professional institutions. The university and non-university higher education tracks are quite distinct and there is very little opportunity for lateral movement between the two.

In 1998, Nigerian colleges of education enrolled 105,817 students; polytechnics enrolled 216,782 students; and the public universities enrolled 411,347 students (NUC, Abuja 1998). In addition, schools of nursing and midwifery, and other professional training institutions had an estimated combined enrollment if 120,000 students.

Universities can be established either by federal or state governments. Institutions of higher education owned by the federal government tend to have bigger enrollments than those owned by state governments. However, from the point of view of management structure and governance procedures, there is little or no difference between the two types of proprietors. Each university is administered by a council and a senate. Within the universities, the institutes and colleges are more or less autonomous.

In 1993, the Federal government passed legislation (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions Amendment Decree) to allow for the establishment of private institutions of higher education.

The Federal Ministry of Education is charged with the responsibility of harmonizing educational policies and procedures of all the states of the Federation through the National Council of Education (NCE). The NCE is the highest policy-making body in educational matters in the country. The National Universties Commission (NUC) is a parastatal entity under the Federal Ministry of Education; the Commission is responsible for the development of universities in the country. The National Council of Education recently established the National Examinations Council (NECO) to conduct examinations for some junior secondary schools, and for senior secondary schools jointly with the West African Examination Council. There has, however, been an element of controversy surrounding the NECO examinations as some higher education institutions have refused to recognize credentials awarded by them as adequate for admission. The National Business and Technical Examinations Board administers technical and business examinations. The National Commission for Colleges of Education provides advise to the Federal Ministry and co-ordinates all aspects of non-degree teacher education in the country.

The National Board for Technical Education is responsible for quality assessment and program accreditations at polytechnics, professional institutions, technical colleges and training centers. It also sets guidelines and standards for admissions to the different programs in each institution. The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board is the central body responsible for administering applications to tertiary-level institutions and conducting the University Matriculation Examination.

UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION

There are currently 25 federal universities, 15 state universities and 8 private universities in Nigeria, as well as five university centers (NUC 2004).

A full online listing is available HERE.

The government categorizes its federal universities into groups based on their dates of establishment, as follows: First generation (Benin, Ibadan, Ile-Ife, Lagos, Nsukka, Zaria); second generation (Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto); third generation (Abeokuta, Abuja, Akure, Akwa, Bauchi, Makurdi, Minna, Owerri, Umudike, Uyo, Yola).

First generation universities were established between 1948 and 1965 primarily to meet the manpower needs of Nigeria and set basic standards for university education in the country. These universities have played and continue to play an important role in guiding the subsequent establishment of other universities in Nigeria. Between 1970 and 1985 second generation universities were established to meet he growing needs for scientific and technological developments. Between 1985 and 1999 third generation universities were established to address special areas of technological and agricultural demand.

Entrance Requirements

Admission to universities is highly competitive and based on results from the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, in which the students must gain at least a pass in English and four other courses relevant to the department to which they are seeking admission. Students who have the necessary SSCE results are eligible to sit for the University Matriculation Examination (UME) (introduced in 1978) conducted by the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB). Students sitting the UME must register for English language and any three subjects based on their desired major. A fifty percent score is considered a pass; however, different universities have different minimum requirements based on different majors. Students may also gain ‘direct entry’ to a degree program with a minimum of Merit Pass in the National Certificate of Education, National Diploma and other advanced level certificates such as the International Baccalaureate or ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels, which represent two years of postsecondary study, in addition to the requisite number of SSCE credits.

Programs and Degrees

Stage I: Bachelor of Arts/Science degrees are a minimum of four years in length. Degree programs in professional fields such as architecture, engineering and technology last five years. Degree programs in medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences last six years. Students may take either a single-subject honors degree or combined honors. In the former, students study three subjects in the first year, two in the second year and one in the third. In the combined honors program students take three subjects in the first year and two subjects in both the second and third years. In the fourth year, single subject honors students take one subject and combined-honors students take at least two subjects.

Stage II: Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees are open to holders of a first or second class bachelor’s degree in a related field. Degree programs are usually one year in length but, increasingly, where the qualification depends on research, it becomes a two-year program. A Postgraduate Diploma is awarded after the completion of one year of graduate study beyond the bachelor degree. PGD programs are generally offered in education and public administration.

Stage III: Doctoral degrees are open to holders of a master’s degree in a related field. It is usually conferred after two to three years of study. Some first generation universities require students to complete a Master of Philosophy degree before being admitted to the PhD program.

NON-UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher technical education is provided at technical colleges, polytechnics and colleges of education. There are currently 17 federal polytechnics, 27 state polytechnics, 7 private polytechnics, 22 federal teacher training colleges, 38 state teacher training colleges, 4 private teacher training colleges, 36 colleges of agriculture, 12 specialized training institutes, and 4 parastatal supervisory agencies (World Bank 2002).

Entry to colleges and polytechnics is based on JAMB-administered entrance examinations combined with results from secondary and vocational schools.

Programs and Degrees

Stage I: The National Diploma is a two-year program and grants access to Higher National Diploma programs.

Stage II: The Higher National Diploma is a two-year program. Admission is based on the National Diploma and students are usually expected to have at least one year of relevant work experience after obtaining the National Diploma.

• Colleges and specialized training institutes offer various certificates and diplomas that may be obtained after one, two or three years. The Nursing Council of Nigeria awards the Diploma of Midwifery after one year of theoretic and clinical postsecondary studies and the Registered Nurse Certificate after three years of postsecondary study. The Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology awards the Associate Diploma of Medical Laboratory Technology and the Fellowship Diploma on a 4+1 basis of postsecondary education.

TEACHER EDUCATION

Elementary-school teachers have traditionally been trained at the post-primary or post junior-school level. Students entering teacher-training programs from primary school enrolled in four- to five-year programs; those entering after completion of junior school enrolled in two-year programs. In both cases students attended grade II teacher training colleges and those who successfully passed final examinations in their subject areas were awarded the Grade II Certificate/Higher Elementary Teacher’s Certificate. Experienced primary school teachers or holders of the SSC may train for the Associate Certificate in Education II, which is one-year program of post-secondary studies.

The National Policy on Education has prescribed that, as from 1998, the new minimum qualification required for teaching in the primary school will be the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE). As a result Grade II colleges and certification programs are now in the process of being phased out although it is difficult to establish the level of progress being made on these reform measures.

The NCE is also the qualification required for teaching in junior secondary schools and technical colleges, and grants access to university-level studies. Colleges of education award the NCE after three years of full-time postsecondary study. The Technical Teacher's Certificate requires one additional year of study. Several colleges also prepare students for Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degrees at universities with which they are affiliated. A B.Ed or single subject bachelor’s degree plus a one-year teaching certification diploma is required to teach at the senior secondary level. However, holders of specialized qualifications like the national diplomas awarded by polytechnics can be employed to teach in secondary schools and technical colleges. Instructors at teaching-training colleges are required to hold at least a master's degree, while university lecturers are required to hold a doctorate.

The requirements for the various teacher-training programs differ from one level to the other in terms of academic qualification. For admission to colleges of education, prospective candidates must have at least three credits in the Senior School Certificate––including the subjects they want to study––and two other passes. At the university level, the entry requirement is five credits, which must include the chosen major teaching subjects. In addition, prospective college of education students are required to sit and pass the polytechnic/college of education matriculation examination, while prospective university students must pass the university matriculation examination.

WES GRADING SCALE

SOURCES

• Federal Ministry of Education. Country report of Nigeria. International Conference on Education, 46th session, Geneva, 2001.

• Federal Republic of Nigeria. Education for All (EFA) in Nigeria. Country report on EFA since Dakar and National Plan of Action. August 2001.

• International Association of Universities (IAU) and Association of African Universities (AAU). Guide to Higher Education in Africa. New York: Palgrave, 2002

• International Bureau of Education – Unesco. World Data on Education, Nigeria. Last revised, August 2003

• International Encyclopedia of Education (second edition). Pergamon, 1994.

• Jibril, M. 2003. African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook. Bloomington: Indiana University Press (492-499).

• National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR). Nigeria, A Comparative Study. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1993

• Saint, W., Hartnett, T., and Strassner, E. September 2003. Higher Education in Nigeria: A status Report. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank

• National Universities Commission

• Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Website