DEREGULATION POLICY: Impact on Nigerian Universities (original) (raw)

Deregulation policy: A review of Nigerian universities

This paper is intended to study the effects of the deregulation policy on university education in Nigeria with a view to understanding how the policy has been introduced and applied. The introduction of the deregulation policy to Nigerian universities has been aimed at improving the system. Although the policy has been introduced successfully in other sectors such as telecommunications, it has damaged other institutions such as the university system, because it is difficult to treat the university system like other institutions where deregulation policies have worked perfectly. The difficulty of treating a university like any other institution in terms of it multifaceted units has widened the gap in replicating any borrowed policy whether or not it has worked in any other sector to the university. The extent to which this gap has widened and its effect on service quality in the Nigerian university context have not been studied and these gaps remain unfilled. This research intends to fill this vacuum by exploring past literature using a standard literature review to discuss relevant works in the area of deregulation. The findings reveal that the introduction of a policy of deregulation on university education in Nigeria was not carefully considered and was not fit for purpose. Instead, the policy was suggested to try and solve the financial problems the country was facing at the time. As the policy was not considered properly before it was adopted, some confusion and misconception arose as to how the service was expected to run during the process. Likewise, other beneficiaries (such as funding bodies, accreditation team, employers of graduates, parents and students) of university education’s involvement were not well spelled out in the process of implementing deregulation policy.

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION DEREGULATION IN NIGERIA: PROS AND CONS

2005

The issues of deregulation are mostly the offshoot of extraneous factors and internal administrative needs of Nigerian University Education System. As public policies, deregulation implies expanded private sector activity with complimentary contraction in public sector size in the interest of productive efficiency. It is evident that deregulation allows corporation to benefit but at the possible expense of people in that nation and region if that deregulation means relaxation of environmental rules, health and educational services including control of resources and energy. However, over the short term, certain problems could emerge. Increasingly sever competition could force schools to adjust with weaker ones failing. Schools where productivity is poor could see painful layoffs and disequilibrium in the employment situation. Stronger employment-promotion measures are needed to overcome these problems. If the adverse effects of deregulation are minimised in an appropriate fashion, the overall positive economic effects will outweigh the negative ones.

Deregulation Policies in Theory, Privatization in Practice: A Case of Nigerian Universities

International Research Journal of Management, IT & Social Sciences, 2016

This paper is designed to study deregulation policy as it has been applied to the university sector in Nigeria. Previous study suggests that the Nigerian government introduced deregulation to universities, among others policies. The government aims to use the policy to change the situation or address problems Nigerian university are confronting, but it is very difficult to conclude whether the assumption of deregulation is correct. Therefore, this study maps deregulation policy from past literature to give a clear picture of how the policy has been perceived within the system. This study is desk research and is done to verify the existing knowledge of the policy within the sector. The findings reveal that the sector only witnesses deregulation as a general policy not as expected in practice, because the government still jealously guide and take responsibility for the universities they establish, without giving room to private investors to participate in the business.

Deregulation and Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Implications for National Development

The study investigated the perceived impact of government policy of deregulation on tertiary educational system in Nigeria. Edo state was taken as the case study. A total of 881 respondents provided responses that were used for analysis. Data analysis was accomplished using frequency tables, mean and Friedman test.The respondents felt the enactment of the policy was borne out of government inability to fund tertiary education development (mean = 3.45) and called for stricter issuance of licensing (mean = 3.37). In the opinion of the respondents, deregulation of the tertiary educational system has had important positive and negative impacts on the educational sector. Notable positive impacts included increased students enrolment or admission into tertiary institutions in the country (mean = 4.58), and improved infrastructural development (mean = 4.00). The major negative impacts of the deregulation bordered on increased unemployment among university graduates (mean = 3.99) and compromised admission process/procedures employed by private tertiary institutions (mean = 3.91). Friedman test showed that significant differences exist in the perceived impact of the deregulation of the tertiary education sector.Based on the findings the author recommends among others that; government should exercise closer monitoring of institutions with license to operate private universities; government should also expand the industrial development to encourage employment and,the officers of the quality control agencies should be encouraged to maintain professionalism in the conduct of their exercise.

DEREGULATION POLICIES IN THEORY, PRIVATISATION IN PRACTICE: A CASE OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

This paper is designed to study deregulation policy as it has been applied to the university sector in Nigeria. Previous study suggests that the Nigerian government introduced deregulation to universities, among others policies. The government aims to use the policy to change the situation or address problems Nigerian university are confronting, but it is very difficult to conclude whether the assumption of deregulation is correct. Therefore, this study maps deregulation policy from past literature to give a clear picture of how the policy has been perceived within the system. This study is desk research and is done to verify the existing knowledge of the policy within the sector. The findings reveal that the sector only witnesses deregulation as a general policy not as expected in practice, because the government still jealously guide and take responsibility for the universities they establish, without giving room to private investors to participate in the business.

Deregulation: The Effect of Market-led Approach to Nigerian Universities Management

International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2017

This paper examines the effects of market-led approach Nigeria universities management concept deregulation from a market-led point of view to evaluate its effect on the management of university education in Nigeria. From many debates and argument put forward on the discussion of deregulation, it is very clear that deregulation policy was introduced for the purpose of enhancing productivities of public sectors or government owned establishment. The establishment of deregulation policy has created opportunities for different individuals and groups to participate or take ownership of some public sectors in the quest for providing better services and making profits. However widens the gap in knowledge to whether or not taking ownership of public sector business has generated profit or not. This paper is desk research and intends to review issues unturned in the past literature on how deregulation has now suddenly become a market-led approach to the Nigerian Universities Management. The paper revealed that Nigerians are keen about getting the best quality education irrespective of how the education systems are put up to be achieved. Likewise government have not been able to deregulate any of the public universities they owned rather university provisions have been commercialized and extended to private individuals.

University Staff’s Perception of Deregulation on Higher Education in Nigeria

The study investigated the university staff's perception on deregulation of higher education in Nigeria. Descriptive research of the survey type was used for the study. The population comprised all the university staff of universities in Ekiti and Ondo states, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 700 academic and non-academic staff from the Federal and State universities in Ekiti and Ondo states. Research instrument designated University Staff Perception of Deregulation on Higher Education (USPDHE) was used in collecting data. The questionnaire was subjected to face and content validity. The reliability co-efficient of the instrument was 0.75. The results showed that deregulation improved academic standard of the universities except in the areas of curriculum innovation and collaborative research and does not guarantee job security nor improve staff development and equity in salary structure but it contributed to managerial effectiveness, efficiency and accountability, It also showed that students were affected in the area of access to higher education, class structure, admission choice and exploitation by the institutions. It equally showed that deregulation is not improving the funding of higher institutions in Nigeria instead it throws the institution into dilemma of sourcing for fund. Some of the recommendations are: using management strategies at the institutional level, autonomy should use management strategies that emphasize improved standards in terms of improved curricula, and academic excellence by all and sundry within the system. Also, to have the full gains of deregulation, climate of academic integrity should be enshrined in the operation of the university system.

Deregulation of Higher Education in Nigeria: a Call for Restraint

Deregulation is a process by which governments remove selected regulations on business in order to encourage operation of the market forces of demand and supply (Wokocha, 2005). It aims at providing a level playing field for businesses, which promotes competitiveness, productivity, efficiency, consumer choice and utility at the most affordable prices. The assumption underlying deregulation is that the simpler the regulation in an industry, the greater the level of participation in the industry.

Principles and Policies Guiding Current Reforms in Nigerian Universities

This paper is an attempt to put forward and analyze the principles and politics guiding the reforms currently taking place within the higher education sub-sector in Nigeria. The paper is in three main sections. The first section presents an overview of the Nigeria university system highlighting its problems and challenges. The second examines the policies and reforms that have been introduced to address the challenges and problems facing the Nigerian university system within a global context, including the principles guiding these policies and reforms. The third section is a preliminary attempt to briefly assess the success and sustainability of these reforms. Keeping in mind that it is still early days, and that such far-reaching reforms will take time to achieve their objectives, I argue that the reforms are already showing evidence of the desired results. Thanks to the reform programme, the Nigerian university system is on the road to recovery after many years of neglect. 02.OKEBUKOLA.pmd 27/12/2006, 12:40 25

2 - Principles and Policies Guiding Current Reforms in Nigerian Universities

Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 2006

This paper is an attempt to put forward and analyze the principles and politics guiding the reforms currently taking place within the higher education sub-sector in Nigeria. The paper is in three main sections. The first section presents an overview of the Nigeria university system highlighting its problems and challenges. The second examines the policies and reforms that have been introduced to address the challenges and problems facing the Nigerian university system within a global context, including the principles guiding these policies and reforms. The third section is a preliminary attempt to briefly assess the success and sustainability of these reforms. Keeping in mind that it is still early days, and that such far-reaching reforms will take time to achieve their objectives, I argue that the reforms are already showing evidence of the desired results. Thanks to the reform programme, the Nigerian university system is on the road to recovery after many years of neglect.