High fees cause low student enrollment in private varsities-UI VC
- By solomon2day
- On 27/11/2024
- In News
A former vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, has attributed the low student enrollment in private universities to the prohibitive fees they charge.
Prof. Olayinka made this assertion on Wednesday at the 17th convocation lecture with the theme at the Lead City University in Ibadan.
''Since 1999, the private sector has been involved in the provision of university education in Nigeria, with the players comprising religious institutions and entrepreneurs. The private universities are set up to provide education to the yearning youths, and since these institutions do not receive any subsidy from the government, they have to charge fees that are much higher than those of public servants. The reality of higher costs of the private universities has had the effect of reducing student enrollment in such higher educational institutions such that while the public universities are oversubscribed with overcrowding of the facilities, the private universities are, in general, undersubscribed,'' Prof. Olayinka stated.
He lamented that several challenges were holding down the public primary and secondary school systems in the country, adding, ''As a result, many Nigerians turn to private secondary schools as an alternative, although they are generally more expensive than their public counterparts.''
Lead City University Ibadan Nigeria Prof Idowu Olayinka