ThreeBlackBird:
Morning HigherEd. While I agree that there are a lot public owned universities with infrastructural deficit, with the exception of a few, the 79 private universities scattered across the nation are a breeding ground for ill-baked graduates, confined within the four walls of mushroom universities that cannot be investigated due to standing orders that bars outsiders. There's just no basis for comparison, I'm sorry to break your heart.

I'm indeed glad that you have once again raised an issue that tilts the balance of our education system and keeps the confused ones speculating. While it's indeed a great development for Babcock University and its entire alumni body to have resurrected from a sex scandal that took over the scene last week to produce the best grad at law school, I think you should take a chill pill with the comparison. It still doesn't favour the privates.

According to your own stat, 37 public universities offer law and have 28 are represented on the list making 78% while and 18 privates have 5 on the list making 27%. It goes to show there are poor public universities but they still attract more intelligent students. It also shows that that more private universities that offer law do so to make the numbers.

I'm surprised that whenever a private university makes a progress, one that has lost its significance in a fairly good public university as Unilag, OAU or UI, it become a major news to chew for the rest of the year while waiting anxiously if another miracle would spring up the coming year. University of Lagos, today, is the only university in Nigeria with full accreditation to run the law programme according to NUC the last time. That's a stat you wouldn't like to agree with. It has consistently produced the highest number first class in law school for about 6 years until this year when UI took the baton producing higher number of first class graduands than all the private universites that made the list put together and still leaving enough change for some mediocre public universities.

Although, Unilag, with the best faculty of law in Nigeria, performed below par this time, it may tells us about the school but it as well speaks volume of the calibre of students for that set. The same UI that has produced 26 of 147 graduands this year could only produce 12 of 161 last year while Unilag and UNN produced 20 each. No one has denied the existence of a few intelligent and exceptional students in private universities as you'll find anywhere else in the world, we're just saying their degrees wouldn't come as a smooth ride and not anything close if it were a public university.

I wish to congratulate University of Maiduguri and Usman Dan Fodio university for this giant stride. If you haven't produced a first class at all, no one would blame you for it.

HigherEd:


First of all I never made any reference to the number of first class produced by private universities at the law school. But since you veered to that let me indulge you. Babcock alone produced 10 first class at the law school out of a maximum class of 100. Unilag produced 9 out of a maximum of 270(Again, Unilag is the university with full accreditation for offering law)

So Unilag sent 270 graduates to law school and only 3% graduated with a First class at law school.

Babcock sent 100 to Law school and graduated 10% with a First class and to top it all a 2.1 student trumped all the first-class grads from ABU, UI and Unilag.

Even Bowen did better than Unilag, they had 4% of their students graduate with a first class.



Babcock sex scandal?
What are you on about? There was no sex scandal at Babcock university. Two adult students were having sex like students all over the world do. They were only foolish to have recorded their sexual escapades. I'm sure right now as we speak students from Harvard, Stanford, Unilag etc are having pre marital sex. So does a Stanford student having sex erode the value of Stanford. I don't get your point.

ThreeBlackBird:


Again, this year, University of Lagos has performed a bit below expectation. It has consistently produced the highest number of first class graduands from the law school for about 6 years and that's verifiable. The same Babcock University that has produced 10 this year produced only 4 last year when Unilag produced 20. Even ABUAD that made 12 last year now has half of it this year. Consistency, as unilag has been until now, is what sets the institution apart. Let's see how consistent Babcock would be.

I'm surprised that suddenly, ranking doesn't mean much to you, HigherEd, whose entire online presence has been about digging deep, searching which recent ranking puts CU as the best in the world. NUC, our own most reputable commission insisted that UNILAG is the only university in the country with the full accreditation of law, and by virtue of that, best in the Nigeria for law. This same university, UNILAG, is said to be among the top 1000 universities in the world, ranked by one of your best ranking outlets, THE. Are you insinuating now that a Babcock somewhere is so spectacular and beats other universities to it?

I'm particularly concerned about the misinformation fed to the public by generalizing the fortune of the entire private university community by the success of a few. Because Babcock has produced its highest ever first class in law school does mean all private universities are now exceptional at law. Many of them have no business offer advanced university course. The would serve better as event tutorial or event centres.

Talking about scandal, i still yet to understand why the university chose to expel the lady if it didn't rock the university boat as a scandal. We don't have to deny that Babcock, as well as CU, is well far away from what could be considered a liberal school as Stanford,Harvard and Unilag. It allegedly built its foundation on the solid rock of moral decency and appear to itself as the moral compass other schools should point at. If for such school, the news isn't a scandal, then scandal has no business in the dictionary.

ThreeBlackBird:


Again, this year, University of Lagos has performed a bit below expectation. It has consistently produced the highest number of first class graduands from the law school for about 6 years and that's verifiable. The same Babcock University that has produced 10 this year produced only 4 last year when Unilag produced 20. Even ABUAD that made 12 last year now has half of it this year. Consistency, as unilag has been until now, is what sets the institution apart. Let's see how consistent Babcock would be.

I'm surprised that suddenly, ranking doesn't mean much to you, HigherEd, whose entire online presence has been about digging deep, searching which recent ranking puts CU as the best in the world. NUC, our own most reputable commission insisted that UNILAG is the only university in the country with the full accreditation of law, and by virtue of that, best in the Nigeria for law. This same university, UNILAG, is said to be among the top 1000 universities in the world, ranked by one of your best ranking outlets, THE. Are you insinuating now that a Babcock somewhere is so spectacular and beats other universities to it?

I'm particularly concerned about the misinformation fed to the public by generalizing the fortune of the entire private university community by the success of a few. Because Babcock has produced its highest ever first class in law school does mean all private universities are now exceptional at law. Many of them have no business offer advanced university course. The would serve better as event tutorial or event centres.

Talking about scandal, i still yet to understand why the university chose to expel the lady if it didn't rock the university boat as a scandal. We don't have to deny that Babcock, as well as CU, is well far away from what could be considered a liberal school as Stanford,Harvard and Unilag. It allegedly built its foundation on the solid rock of moral decency and appear to itself as the moral compass other schools should point at. If for such school, the news isn't a scandal, then scandal has no business in the dictionary.

Ejusni:
Mr poster I don't understand what you're trying to say, so because one student who got a 2:1 in Babcock made s first class in law school and the overall best you just assume private universities are better than public ones? where was private universities in the last law school exams where public universities beat them to the shit.....

HigherEd:

Another semi educated graduate throwing unfounded theories up and about. At least get your facts right. Last year Naomi Ekpo a graduate of ABUAD(Private) demolished her counterparts from the public varsity sphere.

HigherEd:

Another semi educated graduate throwing unfounded theories up and about. At least get your facts right. Last year Naomi Ekpo a graduate of ABUAD(Private) demolished her counterparts from the public varsity sphere.

Ejusni:



Guy I don't have energy to throw insults and argue, just do and graduate and enter the Nigerian labour market with your private certificate and come and tell me how far.

HigherEd:
I graduated many years ago boy. I have never entered the 'labour' market and I don't intend to do so. I have always preferred owning the market.

Ejusni:


That's what they all say.

Degis:


1. If you agree that private schools would have a few intelligent students that would blaze the trail of academic excellence, isn’t it proper to agree that before those students could have done well the infrastructure in place in those schools aided them especially when they also replicated their excellent performance in a school where both private and public school graduates competed with each other in a level playing ground?

Degis:

2. You may wish to recall the fact that you can’t hold a linear view when comparing and contrasting. If you choose to compare and contrast year on year performances, credible metrics should also include number of first class to the number of students produced per school thus that Unilag produced 20 first class graduates last year, how many students attended from Unilag vis-a-vis the number from Babcock this year and last year. I am sure if you consider these metrics you will agree with Highered that all doubts have been cleared that our Private Universities have obliterated all doubts that people of your ilk have.

Degis:

3. You seem to be fixated on the fact that Unilag have full accreditation for law forgetting that accreditation and rankings are 2 different issues. NUC’s ratings has consistently included Private Universities that even justify the fact Highered has been making. For your information, even with Unilag’s law accreditation, Covenant University, a Private University (emphasis mine) has for the past 5 years done better than Unilag.

Degis:

4. You claim that Highered has inadvertently elevated a few exceptional performances of students from Private Universities to the point of grandeur. However, if you agree with me, if people like you did not engage in your campaign of my farm is bigger than yours, the dichotomy wouldn’t have existed in the first place. You can’t continue to denigrate Graduates and Students of Private Universities and not expect them to spread their successes in your faces.

Degis:

5. What happened to you, is not as important as how you react to it and Babcock reacted in a way and manner that any world class institution would be proud of. The brand suffered a reputational risk and it arose like the Phoenix from the ashes of it to demonstrate zero tolerance for absurdity and also daze perennial naysayers with the excellent performances of her students

Degis:


Highered,

Thank you for what you do by providing us with useful information about private universities.

My son just graduated from a Public University and I wish I could turn back the hands of the clock and make him go to a Private University but by the grace of God, my daughter will attend Covenant University

Ejusni:



Guy I don't have energy to throw insults and argue, just do and graduate and enter the Nigerian labour market with your private certificate and come and tell me how far.

HigherEd:

Your very self just made reference to Unilag's inconsistent track record by saying they did well last year and did poorly this year.
If anything, the result from law school indicates there is nothing special about the Law college at Unilag. If they want to prove they are indeed a special status school for law, they should consistently produce the highest number of first class degrees(by proportion not number) for the next seven years and should in fact produce the best graduating students at least 50% of those times.

HigherEd:

The last year where Unilag produced 20 first class at Law school represented just 7% of the graduates they sent to Law school. While ABUAD a university founded in 2010 had 12 first graduates representing 6%. So a 1% difference is what the Almighty unilag with special status could shoulder up to a University that is not up to 10 years old.

HigherEd:

NUC awarding Unilag full accreditation while denying all other schools means absolutely nothing. NUC alongside other Nigerian regulators are not credible. Things are done at NUC for influence and not merits.

HigherEd:

Again ask NUC which Universities since establishment have never lost any accreditation and they would show you AUN and Covenant University. Not one single public university hasn't had her accreditation tussled around by NUC.

HigherEd:

Remember that the reason for my write up was to prove that first class graduates from private varsities are not in anyway inferior to those from the public university system and I believe I have done that successfully.

ThreeBlackBird:


I recently graduated from university of Lagos sir and if my father could turn back the hands of time, I'll rather remain at home than go to a private university. BTW, which unversity did he graduate from? My children would go abroad but if at all they'd study in Nigeria, it would be UI or UNILAG.

ThreeBlackBird:

I'm not sure you got me right. I made reference to unilag taking the lead with the highest number for the about 6 years until this year.

How did you come to the realization that UNILAG sent 270 students to law school? How long should it have taken ABUAD to produce a first class? It that was ever a factor, we should have waited a bit more till ABUAD is old enough to go to law school

Is that how Covenant University that has ever lost accreditation for a course gotten it? What about THE that put UNILAG as top 100? I know you like that one

The same NUC which is influenced and never on merit as you claimed?


If you say a few, I can put up a debate but putting it as "private universities" out-rightly? It's a fantasy and i'll always be here to remind you.

HigherEd:

You see the difference. I would really prefer my own kids to school in Covenant university even if we are residing in the west. One of Nigeria's finest writers Stephanie ..... left the UK to study in CU and then go back home during the holidays.

My father graduated from the University of Ibadan BTW and is still a champion of private education. He knows how many times they had to run to Ago Iwoye just because cultist where either attacking indigenes or oba was busy shooting students.

ThreeBlackBird:


According to THE, CU have 0% international students and UI has 1%. Although, I don't know them by their names, it still shows more international students prefer UI. I'm aware of this but would still choose international exposure for my kids above anything else. The exposure Unilag gave opened my eyes to see the possibility of what could be abroad.

ThreeBlackBird:


I recently graduated from university of Lagos sir and if my father could turn back the hands of time, I'll rather remain at home than go to a private university. BTW, which unversity did he graduate from? My children would go abroad but if at all they'd study in Nigeria, it would be UI or UNILAG.

HigherEd:

You are funny. Let me explain why UI has international students.
These international students are studying Yoruba Language, Igbo or Hausa. The very courses private universities wouldn't offer. No white person is going to come here to study medicine or engineering for now.

Exposure ko Implosion ni

CodeTemplar:
Good one. You can't rig statistics forever. The private uni aren't what their insecure public uni rivals have painted them as.

But in all seriousness, I hope it is time we put an end to the reckless derision and query on the value of degrees obtained at Private Universities

Ejusni:



Guy I don't have energy to throw insults and argue, just do and graduate and enter the Nigerian labour market with your private certificate and come and tell me how far.

Ejusni:


That's what they all say.

Marcelo290:
I think this argument has been over beaten.

HigherEd, I've followed your assertions for a long while and I try to see things from your view because I understand you attended a private university. In as much as I would like to sound objective, I can't help but entangle myself in the bias and emphasize what most public University graduates had been reiterating for so long. Perhaps, it could be because I attended one the first generation public universities myself and I know the fierce competition we faced right from the point of entry, to graduation. That competition is a requisite ingredient for survival in the real world because it brings out the best in people. The truth remains that apart from Covenant, Afe Babalota, Backcock and a few others, the rest of private universities in Nigeria are advanced and overated secondary schools. Their graduates are actually half baked as compared to their counterparts. That is a fact.

A university is for me, and in fact in the real sense, is where you are meant to garner a wide range of experience. I can't exhaust everything but that freedom is important. The choices you make sorely depends on you and you take full responsibility for whatever the outcome may be.

I'm not denying the fact that private universities have it's good sides. At least issues of missing results, cult clash and pressure on facilities are reduced.

[b]But the mere fact that most people who go to private universities were those who couldn't get into the public universities (especially the renowned ones) further trumps the argument. [/b]People in the private universities aren't allowed to live up to their full potentials. Many still engage in these vices, albeit, in secrecy.

In conclusion, to produce a full fledged graduate with wide range of experience about the intricate realities of life, I would recommend a public university. But on the other hand, I won't deride those who attended private schools. I've also met smart guys from there which is why I emphasize on individuality.

But again, sending my kids to either private or public or even outside the country depends on me having the means.