| Abstract: | African universities, pre-independence, operated as affiliates of foreign
universities and offered quality education. The quality offered was
pronounced even post-independence but the military incursion in politics
brought about a decline in quality occasioned by poor funding and
inadequate infrastructural development. These led to the massive exodus of
the university dons to the developed world with better conditions of service,
a development that is fondly referred to as “brain drain”. Consequently,
most parents, particularly the rich send their children abroad in search of
quality education but at the expense of moral upbringing and character
development, the overall cost notwithstanding. Private universities came into
existence in Nigeria since 1999 and till date, there are about 50 of them
while the Public and State universities are 36 each. The Private universities
offer a good balance of quality and character modelling and have become
the preferred choice for most parents. Therefore, this paper presents the
Covenant University model being rated as the most preferred Private
University in Nigeria; and renowned for high academic standard and high
level of discipline. The innovations in curriculum design, unique and
customized programmes as well as the leadership and character
development imperatives are also discussed. The parameters for World ClassUniversities are also presented with the efforts of Covenant University
highlighted. |
