PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES ON THE INCREASE IN NIGERIA AMID DROP IN QUALITY OUTPUT

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Universities Commission (NUC), the regulatory body for universities in Nigeria, has continued to certify the establishment of more private universities in the country amid a noticeable drop in the quality of teaching and learning in many of the institutions.

Many stakeholders are worried that many of the existing private universities are not viable as they neither have required academic staff to deliver quality lectures to students nor do they have the desired curriculum for the all-round training of students

As at November 2023, the NUC said that there were 147 private universities spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

As the demand for quality university education rises, owing to industrial crises and issues of poor funding in the public tertiary education sector, there seems to be a growing demand for private universities in the country