Not less than 709 international students were admitted to Nigerian universities, polytechnics and other higher institutions between 2017 and 2023 academic session amidst incessant industrial actions, poor infrastructure and terrible learning conditions, data obtained from the Federal Ministry of Education on Sunday in Abuja has revealed.
This is as more Nigerian students troop abroad for higher education.
According to the data, a total of 127 foreigners were admitted in the 2017/2018 academic session; 110 in the 2018/2019 academic session; 161 during the 2019/2020 academic session; 197 during the 2020/2021 academic session; 78 during the 2021/2022 academic session and 36 during the 2022/2023 academic session.
A source within the ministry noted that the significant drop in the number of foreigners admitted during the 2021/2022 academic session was as a result of the industrial strike action embarked upon by tertiary institution-based unions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities; the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, among others.
According to the data, 616 of the foreigners, during the period under review, were admitted into universities, 64 to polytechnics and 29 to Colleges of Education.
Further analysis of the data revealed that 40 of the foreigners were admitted to study Network and Security Systems; 35 for computer science; 35 for Medicine and Surgery; 25 for Business Administration; 20 for Accounting; 20 for Pharmacy; 18 for Political Science; 17 for Mass Communications; 16 for Economics; 15 for International Studies; 14 for Computer Engineering; 14 for Physiology; 12 for Civil Engineering; 12 for English Education; 12 for Electronics Engineering; 12 for History and International Studies; 11 for Electrical Engineering; 11 for Philosophy; 10 for Health Education; 9 for French; 9 for Microbiology; 8 for Architecture; 8 for Biochemistry; 8 for Business Education; 8 for Psychology and 7 for Anatomy.
Speaking with our correspondent on the desire of foreign students for education in Nigeria, the Director of Programmes, Reform Education Nigeria, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, said, “The University of Ibadan used to have a huge influx of foreigners in those days. Not just students, we had foreign professors who would even come as visiting professors.
The same way Nigerians go to other countries to get an education is the same way the government can also attract foreigners to our own institutions.
“The government needs to build our higher institutions. The higher education sector in Nigeria has a negative image in the global space. The word ASUU has now become a nightmare. You go to foreign news outlets like BBC, CNN, Aljazeera and the only news you hear about Nigerian higher institutions are strikes, sex for grades, among others. The higher education sector needs to be revitalsed. We also need to retain our own citizens. When we retain them, then more foreigners can troop in, which automatically translates to more forex for us as a country.”
By Deborah Tolu-Kolawole
