Enhancing the Quality of University Education: The Role of Private Universities

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.