@ Loma, God bless u for being honest with urself.

@ poster, the only way ur question wuld make sense, would be if Nigeria had a single university. what we have are KG, really. Even high school students in China culd manufacture phones. We have computer,mechanical and the rest of em bullshit engineering taught in these KG's, ppl are graduating with 1-1's and 2-1's daily, nothing to show, it's a shame, if u ask me.

Personally, i've always had a dream to study certain advanced courses (aeronautic engineering,nuclear,etc), right from my primary school, but when i finished secondary, i could not find one University offering them courses. I said, ok, lemme manage computer science, i went to Uniben (which was about the best at the time), and for the thousands of students in CE then, we didn't have up to 500 systems in the lab. I tried a private Poly in Abuja, no way.So in 2003 when i heard of NIIT and how they were up to the standard, internationally, i decided there and then i wasn't going to step foot in any of them KG's, ever. Today i'm a Software Engineer, tested, trusted and not found wanting. My name is included in Oracle Technology Network, Sun Developer Network,Association Of Computing Machinery (worldwide).I am really disappointed in Nigeria's educational system, and I pray God will not allow my children to be retarded by this mediocre system. Word of advice to all so-called graduates, whatever field u find urself, make sure u are up to date, dont think that because the system is backward, u should remain backward, because one day, u might find urself in an advanced environment, and that, my friends, wuld be ur day of reckoning. Just my thoughts, people.

I can only speak for myself. am a Nigerian graduate and really a graduate. i was plunged into the deep end of the labor market immediately after school (dint waste a day looking for job and no i dont work in my father's company or any relative's company) to sink or swim. And i have been swimming for 2 years now without drowning.

Advice to stufents reading this. face your studies dilligently. once you are brilliant you will be discovered. A gold fish has no hiding place for real. the bible also says show me a man dilligent in his ways and he will stand before kings and not mere men.

Constantly challenge yourself and be the best you can be at every given time

Uchetobi,

i feel you jare

Same thing with me, its just been two months

but i am GAINFULLY Employed

Gamine:

Uchetobi,

i feel you jare

Same thing with me, its just been two months

but i am GAINFULLY Employed

uchetobi:

I can only speak for myself. am a Nigerian graduate and really a graduate. i was plunged into the deep end of the labor market immediately after school (dint waste a day looking for job and no i don't work in my father's company or any relative's company) to sink or swim. And i have been swimming for 2 years now without drowning.

Advice to stufents reading this. face your studies dilligently. once you are brilliant you will be discovered. A gold fish has no hiding place for real. the bible also says show me a man dilligent in his ways and he will stand before kings and not mere men.

Constantly challenge yourself and be the best you can be at every given time

Totally besides the point. what the poster tried to achieve with this thread, was to point out the dysfunctional nature of the educational system. Sure any body could be GAINFULLY employed, whether he/she is a petroleum engineer working as a cashier @ a bank, or a lawyer doing the job of a public admin, they're GAINFULLY employed right? The question is, as a graduate of the Nigerian "university", could u, in ur own endeavor , stand alongside ur counterparts, that graduated from, Ghana? The content of the system needs to be updated, thats what needs to be done, so as to meet up with educational standards in other parts.Just my thoughts, though,

I appreciate all of u that have said the truth about the Nigerian University system.My post-secondary school years was spent first in a professional school where i became CHARTERED,to fufill all righteousness i decided to get a Bsc,but was shocked to my marrows about the backwardness of our undergraduates n graduates.I only got more social exposure but without additional skills.While in my foundation stages,I lectured 300 level and Final year students of accounting,Banking and finance students.CIA

I think that depends on individuals as against wot we were taught in school or which university we went to. alot of us are educated illiterates who went to school just to get the degree forgettion that the world out there goes beyond that. Everyday knowledge increases and u cannot continue to live in the glory of what you learnt as an economist or business admiistration graduate two years ago. we need to read and search for knowledge beyond what we think we know cao wot u know may just not count. Those undergraduate students talked about, am sure are open to alot of ideas and information beyond class room and lectures. Ideas rule the world dont be limited.

jlag:

I think that depends on individuals as against wot we were taught in school or which university we went to. alot of us are educated illiterates who went to school just to get the degree forgettion that the world out there goes beyond that. Everyday knowledge increases and u cannot continue to live in the glory of what you learnt as an economist or business admiistration graduate two years ago. we need to read and search for knowledge beyond what we think we know cao wot u know may just not count. Those undergraduate students talked about, am sure are open to alot of ideas and information beyond class room and lectures. Ideas rule the world don't be limited.

Nice one luv!

I agree with the guy above, Nice one! Degrees or Universities don't matter. It's all about personal knowledge and how you use it.

I think that the nigerian student is able to apply himself or herself. After the bad conditions we have to endure in the name of higher education coming over here seems a breeze. It is true that the quality of our eductaion is bad. Is there anyone contesting that? No text books, just some very shoddily put together handouts.   
No hands on training of any sort. As an accounting student, i never touched or smelt an accounting software. I swear, we used rulers to draw ledgers, I kid you not!  . Many computer students never got to have a computer to themselves. One computer, ten students sorrounding it and fighting for the mouse. Its a huge joke. When we come over here we excel. Why? i chalk it down to resilience, the ability to apply ourselves and to actually burn the midnight oil. Also you cant afford to fail. How can? After all the villagers have sold their chickens and pigs to send you to obodo oyibo you want to fail? 

This is an interesting thread.
I would say we have done the best we could in Nigeria as individuals, given the lack of a condusive environment, such as we have here. Most of the time, we benchmark the educational standard in Nigeria against the UK and US. I think most developing nations, especially those in Africa, will also fall very short if they measure their educational standard against what obtains in these two countries. So, I'll not be so quick to rubbish totally our educational system. Its products are all over the world representing very well, and making sizeable impact.
That is not to say that I don't acknowledge that our educational standard has fallen drastically, as a result of many years of political instability. I think we started well, when these schools were being founded, but the long years of military rule and lack of general development has taken its toll, and we have fallen way way behind even the likes of Ghana and Cameroun.
I share the pain of most posters, especially the engineers, since I'm one of you, and I received both my degrees from Nigerian universities. The truth is that as long as we are down there, even our economy, social consciousness, and polity will remain in the doldrums. Even in the corporate world, I see the stark reality of our collective incompetence and profligiacy every day, and it's saddening. But I think there's a lot of hope. I've seen the way the new breed of students (at least the serious ones) embrace the Internet as a learning tool. I'll encourage us all to equip ourselves as best as possible, and get the best of education we can get from all over the world. At the end of the day, if we take this attitude, the impact will be felt at home.
Cheers.

Interestingly, has anyone seen the Zain African Challenge?
Nigerian Universities are giving a pretty good account of themselves in Africa at the Zain Africa Challenge.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200904170774.html

Seems the glass is half full after all.

compared to nigerian standard they are really graduates but compared to world standard they are not, its an underdeveloped country and as far as using what is on ground nigerian students are the best, graduates from developed countries are a lot more advanced than graduates from nigeria simply because of the environment, the environment helps the students to study and some of this students graduate to become teachers,lecturers to teach the undergraduates the same quality of education they got, so as u can see its a cycle and this will continue until we become as developed as them,

theres a room for improvement but to get to world standard then i guess thats asking for too much, guess the right question for this thread is "HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM"

are there any universities in Nigeria?

rayray2828:

compared to nigerian standard they are really graduates but compared to world standard they are not, its an underdeveloped country and as far as using what is on ground nigerian students are the best, graduates from developed countries are a lot more advanced than graduates from nigeria simply because of the environment, the environment helps the students to study and some of this students graduate to become teachers,lecturers to teach the undergraduates the same quality of education they got, so as u can see its a cycle and this will continue until we become as developed as them,

theres a room for improvement but to get to world standard then i guess thats asking for too much, guess the right question for this thread is "HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM"

In terms of access to training facilities, yes Nigerian graduates have ground to make up after school.
But listen to me, from business to engineering, Nigerian graduates out perform theircounter-parts from other parts of the world not to mention Aerica.
You also have to realise the amount of rot that's in the system(Nigeria as a whole).
I've had people who've gone to school abroad(post gradute for that matter) and have returned not just top of the flock but amazed at how easy things are outside.
All these Nigerians that can't pass JAMB are the ones who go out and come back yarning all sorts of rubbish.
If the foreign degrees are that good why don't they get taken by the big corporations over there ? Instead they come back with toronto degrees trying to pull a smoke screen.
Nigeria has a problem of institutionalised corruption, and until it is solved we will continue to have wheat and chaff coming together.

@edoyad
cannot believe u,re saying this, nigerian graduates only graduate on nigerian standard but not for world standard, our materials are obsolate,lecturers not up to standard,infrastructures not there and so on, whether in terms of engineering,medicine,law and so on we are not up to date, it is obvious in our environment, do not try to take it personal it is not ur fault, nigeria is an underdeveloped country where most people are just trying to survive, going to school in nigeria is just for getting a job so how can the quality be there, the amount of pressure,stress,hardwork etc you go through in school does not necessarilly mean "best education",

El:

@ Loma, God bless u for being honest with urself.

@ poster, the only way ur question wuld make sense, would be if Nigeria had a single university. what we have are KG, really. Even high school students in China culd manufacture phones. We have computer,mechanical and the rest of em bullshit engineering taught in these KG's, ppl are graduating with 1-1's and 2-1's daily, nothing to show, it's a shame, if u ask me.

Personally, i've always had a dream to study certain advanced courses (aeronautic engineering,nuclear,etc), right from my primary school, but when i finished secondary, i could not find one University offering them courses. I said, ok, lemme manage computer science, i went to Uniben (which was about the best at the time), and for the thousands of students in CE then, we didn't have up to 500 systems in the lab. I tried a private Poly in Abuja, no way.So in 2003 when i heard of NIIT and how they were up to the standard, internationally, i decided there and then i wasn't going to step foot in any of them KG's, ever. Today i'm a Software Engineer, tested, trusted and not found wanting. My name is included in Oracle Technology Network, Sun Developer Network,Association Of Computing Machinery (worldwide).I am really disappointed in Nigeria's educational system, and I pray God will not allow my children to be retarded by this mediocre system. Word of advice to all so-called graduates, whatever field u find urself, make sure u are up to date, dont think that because the system is backward, u should remain backward, because one day, u might find urself in an advanced environment, and that, my friends, wuld be ur day of reckoning. Just my thoughts, people.

Do you know, I didn't really read this post before.
@poster, are you saying you walked away from Uniben to go to NIIT? Can you elaborate?

It's like i'm saying Nigerian graduates are not disadvantaged. I'm saying if they can't do it's not because they don't have the aptitude but because the system just wont let them.
Look at our school of aviation for example, do you know you have to have atleast a B sc before you can apply for admission while in other countries you moight need only an A level, why ?

edoyad:

Look at our school of aviation for example, do you know you have to have atleast a B sc before you can apply for admission while in other countries you moight need only an A level, why ?

Bros, not entirely correct o.
I assume you're talking about NCAT Zaria. You don't need a degree to get into NCAT.
In fact school cert is the entry requirement into the 3 year program for flying and aircraft engineering.
What a degree gives you is the opportunity to enrol for the 1 year abridged course.
Even private scholarships to SA, UK and the US, such as Bristow's program, only require a school certificate. For flying, age is a consideration, and it's not likely they would admit someone to flying school if he was the average age of Nigerian grads.

Most of them are not really graduates, only few of them know what they are doing in school.
Let me Use Unizik (NAU),as a case study.

Here's how the semester goes
At the beginning of the semester, most of these students will just pay their school fees and travel out of town. The next time you can see them them in school is during the exam period. Before the exams, they organise themselves and contribute huge amount of money used to bribe the lecturers. Honestly speaking, most of these lecturers collect the money and give the participants good grades, even if you take the exam or not. Just this year, a female lecturer and her son was shot dead in their home. WHY? Just because she doesnt play ball with these students. Acccording to reliable sources, she doesnt collect bribe; hence, most of these students have taken her course multiple times.

I know a lawyer, and i really doubt her credentials and if she truly went through law school. Enlish: zero, legal terms : zero, am a social worker and i know more of law than she does especially family lwa, when am discusing cases with her she seems lost and confused.

IGWE_USA:

Most of them are not really graduates, only few of them know what they are doing in school.
Let me Use Unizik (NAU),as a case study.

Here's how the semester goes
At the beginning of the semester, most of these students will just pay their school fees and travel out of town. The next time you can see them them in school is during the exam period. Before the exams, they organise themselves and contribute huge amount of money used to bribe the lecturers. Honestly speaking, most of these lecturers collect the money and give the participants good grades, even if you take the exam or not. Just this year, a female lecturer and her son was shot dead in their home. WHY? Just because she doesnt play ball with these students. Acccording to reliable sources, she doesnt collect bribe; hence, most of these students have taken her course multiple times.

It's the system of paper qualifications.
Thank God for aptitude tests even though Nigerians are beginning to find away around those too.

Nigerian graduates are graduates of economic ruin, internal turmoil, unplanned environment and insecurity. They always come out very hardened and ready to adapt to the toughest challenges in life. I salute their courage.

hehe good quez, well some and we also have the knuckleheads

I met an abia state university graduate(banking and finance) who cldnt read? like wtf?

80% of the newly graduates are more or less half baked. I have cousin that recently finished her service year, she studied computer science and i find it very hard to believe that she does not even know how to open her yahoo email box.

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

But right now, i really dont see what is enviable. Cos here in the UK (and i bet it's the same in the US),i dont see anyone else apart from Africans and Asians doing postgraduate studies or even studying science/Engineering courses at the undergraduate level.

That said,, Sometime in 2003 during my I.T in P/Harcourt, i met this certain secondary school leaver who was excited about starting up at a University. Sadly, all i recall him talking about was the 'confra' that he was going to join and the kind of grooving he was going to involve himself in. I just found myself wondering,

Nigerian Universities are good and they have had their days of glory. But even then and now it will and would be
gabbage in = gabbage out.

I know a school that reduced it's 'Admission by remedial' exam score to as low as 25% just so they could meet up with the quota (60% of admissions usually go to people within the catchment area of the university or something like that).
Now tell me how someone who scored only 25% in O-level kind of exams can learn anything in a University.

Like i said, gabbage in = gabbage out.

I will blame the culture that placed too much emphasis on paper qualification or schooling as the only way out in life. Over here i dont see Brits being crazy about university. I am guessing it's because they live in a society that doesnt put too much pressure on them to do so.

guys,i think cimmonjorr understood the system better than most u despite his absence.nigeria needs a total over oiling of the system right from career facilator to jamp and schools.courses are enforced on most nigerian students,most nigerian students read with hunger,fear,inadegute primary needs,lack of acces to ict.theoricaly nigerians are one the best in the world but practically we are backward because we are not a producing country so don,t be surprise that nigerian engineers know nothing.

guys,i think cimmonjorr understood the system better than most u despite his absence.nigeria needs a total over oiling of the system right from career facilator to jamp and schools.courses are enforced on most nigerian students,most nigerian students read with hunger,fear,inadegute primary needs,lack of acces  to ict.theoricaly nigerians are one the best in the world but practically we are backward because we are not a producing country so don,t be surprise that nigerian engineers know nothing.

Nigerian graduates are all self taught and hardworking. Even with all the problems of Naija Universities they excel because they work hard. When these same graduates come to the west for further training they outshine local graduates (UK and USA).

Look at the UK and USA where almost 99% of the African Trained Doctors and Dentists are NIGERIAN TRAINED!!!!!!

Most Nigerians who can not get through Undergraduate schooling in Nigeria end up coming to the west where they get addmission easily due to far less competition (compared to NIGERIA).

SO who says Naija GRADS are not good enough??

Nijasingh:

Nigerian graduates are all self taught and hardworking. Even with all the problems of Naija Universities they excel because they work hard. When these same graduates come to the west for further training they outshine local graduates (UK and USA).

Look at the UK and USA where almost 99% of the African Trained Doctors and Dentists are NIGERIAN TRAINED!!!!!!

Most Nigerians who can not get through Undergraduate schooling in Nigeria end up coming to the west where they get addmission easily due to far less competition (compared to NIGERIA).

SO who says Naija GRADS are not good enough??

true

Are people still debating this?
Just like anything in Nigeria, our institutions suck, but our people are top drawer.
That's why Nigerians can leave Unilag or Absu and head straight to Stanford and Yale on scholarship. I doubt you see too many Africans doing that.
So long as the people have what it takes, it's only a matter of time before we have the right people in the right places.

when i was in Nigeria ,i used to think that Nigerian educational system is not good , but now i can tell you with what i have seen in one of the best schools in the world that Nigerian students are the best . Nigerian students are good. you need to travel and see.Anyway people don"t appreciate what they have .

@loma and codec, i really appreciated you guys contributions, infact i found my years in the nigerian university as a complete waste of time but as it were now,we all should try to improve the system in any way we can, not just acquiring the knowledge but also teaching others what we ve learnt so far, nice one,thanks for your contributions


@oblong,omon, and lily, sorry guys , your contributions to me,, is useless as you are not factual and not helping the situations at hand,, big up,talk for the majorities and not minorities,

inconclusion,, we all need to help our country and most especially the education sector, in whatever way,, when on hoilday in uk or wherever,go home and organise tutorial for students in your field, thanks

This is a very interesting, informative and educative thread, thumbs up for the OP. Even though our education is in dire state, one thing you cannot deny is the tenacity, hardwork, and intelligence of Nigerian students. I have met many Nigerians who are doing well professionally and academically. However, there is also no denying the fact that the state of University education in Nigeria is laughable to say the least. I studied Mechanical/Production engineering in Nigeria but when I moved to the UK I discovered that what I did at Uni was a joke. It will be safe to say I studied Maths instead of engineering - there was no way I was going to get a job with no knowledge of basic engineering experience. The degree was not worth the paper it was written on seriously. I quickly tried my hands on IT which I was fairly good at when I was in Nija and in the process gained some qualifications. Last year I enrolled on a teacher training Post grad course (PGCE) and completed in June of this year. Now I have a job as an ICT teacher with a decent wage and I am loving it.