A committee set up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to review admission into the nation’s higher institutions of learning has recommended a new framework to globalise operations at the universities.
Chairman of the committee on internationalisation of admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, Professor Attahiru Jega, disclosed this to journalists Thursday.
While presenting the report to the registrar of JAMB, Professor Is’haq Oloyede, Jega recommended that the federal government put in more efforts to ensure the safety and security of citizens and foreigners in the country is guaranteed.
He added that the government must also make conscious efforts to promote the country’s culture abroad through the National Council for Arts and Culture.
He also recommended that tertiary institutions should open offshore campuses for the export of Nigerian education under a robust regulatory framework.
“In a survey of August 2019 by this committee on tertiary institutions in Nigeria, of the 194 institutions that responded, there were 1,856 foreign students out of the total 1,132,795 students.
“There was 437 foreign academic staff from a total of 5,604 academic staff in these institutions. Foreign students make up 0.18 per cent in universities; 0.29 per cent in polytechnics and 0.04 percent in colleges of education.
“The percentage of all foreign students in Nigeria’s tertiary education system as at 2018/2019 session is 0.16 per cent.
“With regard to academic staff, the percentage of foreign academics in Nigerian universities is 0.008 per cent’ 1.64 per cent in polytechnics and 0.18 per cent in colleges of education.
“This is an indication that the teaching staff in tertiary education system is largely dominated by Nigerian academics.’’
Jega also called on higher institutions to take specific actions to promote internationalisation of their institutions and programmes.
Oloyede, in his response, promised to push for the implementation of the document, saying that the policy on internationalisation of admission would be given necessary consideration.
“One of the aspects of the mandates of JAMB is the internationalisation of admissions. For the past three years, we have been battling with other issues that we are almost forgetting the issue of internationalisation.
“Active steps will be taken to ensure that the report will immediately go to Ministry of Education for further action.’’
