HIGHER EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION

Higher education was not within the reach of the missionaries, due to its cost intensive. The colonial government who had the resources was, also, not interested to venture into it. There were great agitations from within and outside the country for the establishment of this level of education. This, gradually yielded little fruit in 1932 with the establishment of Yaba Higher College. This unit examines the development of Higher education in Nigeria from 1932 to 1962.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

• List out the factors that lead to the establishment of Yaba Higher College; 
• Mention the contributions of Yaba Higher College; 
•  State some of the problems of Yaba Higher College; 
• State the recommendations of the Asquith Commission;
• Examine the importance of Elliot’s Commission on Higher education; 
• Discuss the establishment of the University College, Ibadan; 
•  State the major findings of the Ashby Commission and its impact in Nigeria. 

 YABA HIGHER COLLEGE

From 1842 when the missionary bodies first established the first primary school in Nigeria till 1859, there was no secondary grammar school established in Nigeria. The first secondary school was established in 1859 at Lagos by the C.M.S. unfortunately, it took the colonial government in Nigeria about 73 years, from the date the first secondary school was established in 1859, to establish a higher education institution in Nigeria. The first Higher Education institution established in Nigeria was the Yaba Higher College (Lagos). It was established in 1932 by the colonial government, but commenced studies in 1934. The college, though established in 1932, began intensive studies in 1934 in courses such as medicine, agriculture, engineering, survey, commence, forestry, veterinary medicine and teacher education.

Before the establishment of Yaba Higher College there were post- secondary education that offered sub-professional and vocational courses at Central Agricultural Research Station, Moor Plantation, Ibadan at Samaru near Zaria. Others were the Nigeria’s Railway in Lagos centre for engineering and Vom Centre for veterinary medicine. These did not satisfy the increasing demand for Higher education in Nigeria.

If would be recalled that the British colonial government had the intention of using education to raise, among the people, lower manpower who would help them to perpetuate colonialism. The introduction of Higher education was seen as a measure of creating great awareness among the people. This, it was believed could run contrary to the spirit of colonialism.

Factors that led to the Establishment of Higher Education

• The agitation from the nationalists for higher education in Nigeria and Africa as a whole; 
• The role of the mass media in extending the voice of the people for higher education across the continent of Africa; 
• The higher demand for indigenous middle level manpower by the colonial government and the then European companies; 
• The increased turn-out of secondary school leavers in Nigeria;
• The world war exposure and the high sense of equality of man developed by some of our soldiers after the war; 
• The educational experience and competence of Mr. E R.J. Hussey. 

Exercise 1:

What were the factors that led to the establishment of Yaba Higher College in 1932?

The Contributions of Yaba Higher College

1. The establishment of Yaba Higher College completed the circle of the three levels of education in Nigeria;
2.  It provided learning opportunity for some of our secondary school leavers; 
3.  It produced some Nigerians who occupied assistantship positions in the public or civil service or private sectors of the country. 

Exercise 2:

Examine the importance of Yaba Higher College in Nigeria.

 Problems of Yaba Higher College

• The curriculum was limited to the areas of need of the colonial government and not based on the general needs and aspirations of Nigerians; 
• The products of the College could not rise above the assistant position, to become medical, engineering, agriculture, etc assistants; 
• The students spent between four and seven years to qualify in their respective areas of study for the ordinary diploma, whereas their counterparts who studied abroad spent less than that number of years to obtain degree in similar disciplines; 
• The college diploma was criticized as being inferior and had no recognition outside Nigeria; 
•  Some brilliant students of the college were frustrated out of the schoolat the peak of their studies; this led some to commit suicide (Nduka, 1975); 
• The world economic depression and the world wars equally affected the college. Some of its members of staff were conscripted. Consequently, fund was reduced. 

Exercise 3:

• Discuss the problems of Yaba Higher College.