₦airaland Forum

Besides the gaps that were revealed within Nigeria’s healthcare sector by COVID-19, another sector of the economy that was badly hit by the pandemic was education. With schools having to shut down completely pre- and post- the nationwide lockdown, most students were left with no choice than to suspend their education until further notice. However, the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector started long before the pandemic began.

Although the nation’s education system is subdivided into primary/basic, secondary and tertiary, this article focuses on the challenges associated with the tertiary educational system – with particular emphasis on low university admission rates, the poor university learning experience and possible solutions for resolving these age-long problems.

Good results are seemingly not enough

According to data from the Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (as reported by Quartz Africa in 2017), only 26% of the 10 million students who applied to Nigerian tertiary institutions between 2010 and 2015 gained admission. This leaves the remaining 7.6 million applicants with the choice of either going abroad to study (for the privileged few) or waiting another year, or more, to gain admission.

While limited university capacity has been blamed for this unfortunate situation, the above statistics does not account for applicants whose admission were denied due to delays in the release of their results or certain university policies which make their results invalid after some years. Unfortunately, even the applicants that get into the university immediately after their secondary education often have no guarantee that they will complete their courses in record time. This is partly because, ASUU strike has become a constant part of the academic calendar of Nigeria’s federal and state universities since 1999.

Would building more universities solve the problem?

Given the role that limited capacity plays in Nigeria’s low university admission rate, it’s only natural to assume that an adequate increase in the number of available universities should bring about improvements. However, with 19% of Nigeria’s over 200m population falling between 15 to 24 years, it would take much more than the 20 newly licensed universities to get the admission rates up. Besides, considering how much (a whooping N18 billion) is costing the federal government to build just four specialized universities, trillions of naira will be needed to build the required amount of universities. Assuming the federal government doesn’t have this huge amount of money to invest in building new universities, what other alternatives do we have?

How to make the most of what is available

According to the American business magnate and co-founder of Apple Inc, Steve Job, “Quality is more important than quantity”. Given the impracticality of investing trillions of naira towards new university build projects, a cost-efficient alternative that the nation should embrace is online education. Unlike traditional brick and mortar universities which are not only capital-intensive projects but unscalable, online education is scalable, flexible, and accessible. In fact, the flexibility offered by online education will also go a long way toward reducing incidences of university students kidnappings, particular for those in northwestern Nigeria. This is of course because online students can learn from home.

However, in order to maximize the benefits of online education, federal and private entities need to do the following:
1. Invest in internet infrastructure: Despite efforts made by the federal government of Nigeria to bridge the digital divide in the country, a recent report shows that only 85.49 million Nigerians have internet access. This leaves 58% of the nation’s total population without access. Given the importance of a strong and reliable internet connection in ensuring a good online learning experience for students, there’s a need to close this gap.

2. Provide incentives for online education: In addition to increasing internet access and ensuring the availability of a reliable internet connection, there’s a need to provide incentives such as free monthly data for students and tax reductions for private online universities. The implementation of such incentives will not only reduce the financial burden of purchasing data for students, but it will also encourage traditional universities to embrace the online learning model.

3. Emphasize skills acquisition, not memorization: Chief amongst the reasons why Nigerian university graduates have been marked as being unemployable is the quality of their university education. This can be put down to the large divide between what students learn in the university and the workplace requirements asked of their future employers. As such, online education shouldn’t be a replica of the traditional theory-based mode of learning. Instead, the focus should be on providing students with a competency-based education that promotes relevant skills acquisition and development.

Looking for an existing solution?

While the above recommendations will help to improve university admission rate and prepare graduates for the realities of the workplace, their implementation, if adopted, may take several years. Hence, if you are a secondary school leaver who wants to gain immediate university admission, learn from the comfort of your home and receive a competency-based education, then you should check out Nexford University’s undergraduate programs. Born online, Nexford University offers a 100% online, affordable and quality education designed to produce employable and business savvy graduates. By opting to study at Nexford University, you will be saying goodbye to ASUU strikes, admission delays and theory-based learning forever.

Fact, COVID-19 has increased the adoption of online learning. Although high growth and adoption in education technology has been recorded prior to the pandemic, COVID-19 has accelerated the switch from traditional classroom learning to online learning – a switch that was primarily driven by the closing of schools across the world. However, beyond safety reasons and long before the pandemic started, online learning was popular due to its flexibility, accessibility and affordability.

Likewise, online learning also provides learners with a personalized learning experience. Given the variety of programs and courses available, there is no limit to what one can learn online. However, the real question is, “How to make the most of online learning?”

The art and science of online learning success

Brian Tracy, the Canadian-American motivational public speaker and self-development author said that successful people are simply those with successful habits. As such, the following tips and strategies highlighted below are a mix of individualized and generalized recommendations that you can implemented to ensure your online learning success:

1. Get a fast and reliable internet connection: Seems obvious, but it could be the difference between a great or terrible online learning experience. With most online courses and programs containing videos and external links, slow internet connection can make online streaming rather tiring. It can also extend the time required to conduct additional research and make it impossible to attend live classes. Therefore, it is important that you subscribe to internet service providers that offer fast and reliable internet connection.

2. Stick with what works for you: Although research has shown that the most effective timeframes to learn are between 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 10pm, the least between 4am and 7am, it is crucial to note that some individuals may learn better outside the above specified timeframes. Hence, if you assimilate best between 11pm and 2am, please stick to it. Among the benefits that have been associated with studying at night others include fewer distractions and a clearer mind.

3. Always plan to beat submission deadlines: One of the key measures of success in any learning environment is good grades. However, without spending adequate time conducting the research needed to turn in excellent projects and assignments, acing your online courses can be difficult. As such, you can’t afford to wait till it is one or two days to a submission deadline before you start working on an assignment. Doing so will only increase your chances of submitting substandard work, missing deadlines, and invariably reduce your likelihood of getting good grades. Therefore, it is always advisable to dedicate enough time for research, proofread your final work and plan to send in your assignments or projects long before the submission deadlines.

4. Take time to engage with fellow learners: Sitting for long hours trying to understand everything you are being taught all by yourself can be challenging and boring. While online learning will often require you to work independently, you shouldn’t avoid social interaction.
Interestingly, a recent research report published by the University of Minnesota revealed that students learn better when interacting with colleagues. So, take time out to engage with fellow learners, as this will make your online learning experience more exciting and rewarding.

5. Celebrate your milestones: If you thought that online learning required less work compared to traditional classroom learning, think again. While it is true that online learning will offer you the flexibility to learn anywhere and at your pace, it doesn’t exclude you from putting in the hours, to meet a submission deadline. In fact, having recently completed an online MBA degree from Nexford University, I attest to the fact that online learning will demand more from you (in terms of discipline, time management and resilience) than you ever imagined. So, when you complete that online course or submit your project, feel free to binge-watch a drama on Netflix, go for an ice-cream or sleep the whole day. You have earned the right to do so!

Nexford empowers you to succeed in online learning

Malcom Gladwell said that success is not a random act. It arises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances and opportunities
Wise words. As a Next-Generation American University that offers 100% online, affordable and competency based education, Nexford University does a great job of creating the right environment and circumstances for online learning success. It offers its global community of learners an easy-to-navigate learning portal and a variety of support systems including a responsive success advisor team, accessible course professors, and a reliable technical support team.

In addition, learners won’t feel lonely at Nexford University, as there are a number of avenues for them to interact and network with fellow learners, including an online community of prospective, current and past learners on Facebook called Nexford Network and an offline social event that takes place every quarter called the NXU Socials.

This all lends to the argument that when it comes to modern higher education and where to attain it, online is the place to be.

Hi Blurpy,

To enroll for this program, simply visit the link below:
apply.nexford.org

Got more questions about the program?

Please can contact Nexford University via
https://www.nexford.org/contact

or reach me on LinkedIn via
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuoluwapoademuyiwa/

About two decades ago, an MBA degree was obtained by attending physical classes at traditional business schools. Sounds simple enough but getting admitted into these schools can prove to be extremely difficult. According to a 1996 article by The Harvard Crimson, admissions were so hard to come by way back then that out of the 18,190 students who applied to Harvard, only 1,985 of them made it to the Class of 2000 – a mere 10.9% acceptance rate. As expected, women only made up 45.4% of this number and minority applicants accounted for 35.1% of those admitted that year.

Although a lot has changed since the 90s, admission rates at Ivy League Colleges and other top universities seems to have gone from bad to worse. An analysis of the declining admission rates over a 20-year period, which was conducted by Spark Admissions, showed that the numbers have gone down from an average of about 27% in 1990 to approximately 6.5% in 2019. However, according to a report by Poets & Quants, even the lowest acceptance rate among the top 25 online MBA programs in the United States was 25% in 2020. This is a far cry compared to the dwindling rates recorded by its Ivy League counterparts who offer residential MBA programs.

Why is it so difficult to get into traditional business schools?

Besides the fact that residential MBA programs, especially those from Ivy League Schools are expensive− with the average cost of studying in one of these schools being $176,000 and the MIT Sloan School of Management’s MBA program still maintaining its position as the world’s most expensive MBA at a cumulative cost of $241,984 in 2021, the application requirements and process can be exhausting in itself.

For many traditional business schools, application requirements such as GMAT/GRE, English Language test (TOEFL, PTE or IELTS), essays, application fee, academic transcript, letters of recommendation and applicant’s resume have become the gold standard. Apart from the last two requirements, the others come at additional financial costs, and they usually require several months of preparation to obtain. In fact, according to a blog post by Poets & Quants, most applicants will need at least four months to complete their application process – with those applying to top business schools like Harvard and Standard needing at least two years of prior preparation to successfully complete their application. Add this level of preparation (and stress) to the exorbitant tuition fee for these residential 24-month MBA programs, and you already have the answer as to why it’s so hard to get into these traditional business schools.

Nexford has higher MBA admission rates via its learner-centric application requirements and process

By simplifying its MBA application process, Nexford makes it possible for more people to acquire in-demand skills and develop the competencies needed to thrive in today's highly competitive business environment. Let's look at the institution’s application requirements and process below.

Nexford's MBA applicants only have to provide three basic requirements, and these include:

1. A government issued means of identification: This could be a driver’s license, international passport, or other relevant and acceptable forms of identification.

2. A proof of English proficiency: Nexford accepts the result of an applicant’s EF SET (a free English Proficiency Test) or other valid proof of English proficiency including an applicant’s personal statement, article, CV, or pervious employment with an English-speaking company. Additionally, Nexford also considers the successful completion of its learners' 1st month of the MBA program as enough proof of English proficiency. As such, the proof of English proficiency is not mandatory during the application stage

3. Applicants must provide their undergraduate degree certificate and academic transcript. However, Nexford understands that the process of requesting a transcript can take weeks with some universities. Hence, applicants have 60 days to provide this document, thereby making the submission of transcripts optional during the application stage.

Interestingly, Nexford also gives applicants who do not have a business-related bachelor's degree the opportunity to enroll for its MBA degree program. It does this by offering them two admission pathways: an MBA foundation course path (for those without prior business experience) or the Prior Learning Assessment path (for those who have business experience).

Consequently, the Prior Learning Assessment path allows learners to potentially skip all four MBA foundation courses, saving them six to eight months in time and at least $960. Thankfully, this assessment does not require any elaborate preparations, as prospective learners only need to set aside 15-20 hours in total to build their presentation.

Similarly, the Nexford University’s MBA application process only consists of six simple steps and can be completed in about seven minutes. Given the institution’s application requirements and application process, it is not surprising that applicants usually get feedback in no time – way sooner than the official seven-day response timeline.

Business schools need to rethink their values and promote inclusive admissions

Having considered the importance of business education, the different application requirements and the distinctly huge gap between the MBA admission rates of online MBA and residential MBA programs, which of the statistics below will make our world a better place:

“Only 1,000 applicants were admitted out of the 10,000 people who applied to business schools globally.”

Or

“Millions of people from different works of life are now finding their voices and acquiring the skills they need to transform their personal and national economies through a valid business education.”

Personally, I would go with the latter as the more that people (women and men alike) are able to access quality business education, the better our chances of reducing and/or preventing social issues like high unemployment rates, crimes, corruption, and poverty will be.

Therefore, business schools need to start asking themselves if they exist to maintain a reputation for exclusivity, or to focus on promoting upward socioeconomic mobility for the many individuals who seek the education they provide. Without this deliberate evaluation of their core purpose, admission rates may continue in its downward spiral − keeping a quality business education out of reach of most applicants.

If something sounds too good to be true, it is generally too good to be true.

We were told to go to school, get good grades and as a result, several high-paying jobs would come to us.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the “life after school” reality we end up with. For instance, an excellent student like Emmanuel Nworie, who graduated with a first class honours (CGPA 4.92/5.00) should have no business taking up farming just to make ends meet. If people like Emmanuel struggle to land high-paying jobs, where those that leave the majority of graduates who finish with a second class or lower?

You may have even heard of parents who advised their children to study professional courses like pharmacy, medicine and nursing on the basis that such professions offer better job security. Well, if any of these were true, then medical doctors would neither be leaving Nigeria for developed countries in mass nor would more than 50% of the nation’s working force be underemployed.

Personally, I graduated with a second class upper. However, the last six years of earning peanuts as a community pharmacist and only ever getting a 10% pay increase is an additional proof that good grades alone isn’t enough to land good jobs.



The more things change, the more they stay the same

Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result.” I 100% subscribe to that philosophy. So, after six years of working as a pharmacist, I decided to explore a different path. I opted for a second degree in media and communication (marketing communications specialization) since I was instinctively good at creating magic with words.

But even that didn't have much of an impact on my earning capacity... or so was I led to believe. I mean, how could I have spent over N2m upskilling myself at a traditional brick and mortar institution only to still be priced like tomatoes and paid in accordance with my previous salary?



Third time was a trick

It's painful, but that's the reality I have had to deal with even with a master's degree in marketing communications. However, it didn’t deter me from getting a third degree. In fact, I was already thinking about obtaining a degree in Business Administration & Management whilst earning my second degree.

You see, a part of me had always wanted to understand how businesses work, even more so after my father passed away in 2017 and his 15 year+ old company collapsed.

Armed with my previous experience of how insignificant a postgraduate degree could be at moving the salary needle, I wanted this to matter. I needed to know that what I would be learning would be relevant in today's world. More importantly, I needed a postgraduate degree that would put me on the right path to a better and brighter career.



Nexford gives you the skills to succeed

When I heard about Nexford's competency-based learning model for their MBA program that focuses on skills based learning and not merely the regurgitation of inapplicable theories, I knew that I had stumbled on something amazing.

I remember combing through every single page on Nexford University’s website and reading everything about its MBA courses with relish. I even downloaded the university’s catalogue and read it from cover to cover.

Going through the website, I also discovered that Nexford also undertakes extensive research aimed at finding and bridging the gap that exists between the skills that employers are looking for and the skills required of learners to hit the ground running and get the job done. I was extremely impressed, and I just couldn’t wait to start my MBA program.

It's barely three months since my MBA graduation, and although I still work in a pharmacy (not for long). I have been able to earn at least four times my monthly income from a side hustle, content writing.

Indeed, enrolling for the MBA degree program at Nexford in May 2019 was one of the best decisions I ever made. It’s amazing how the template I now use to create promotional content and earn as a content writer is just one of the many things I learned during the program. In fact, the template was the final project for one of my MBA foundation courses – Global Marketing Practices, where I was required to create a regional content calendar for a brand that is planning a global expansion into one of the BRIC nations.

Right now I am not quite ready for a regular 9 to 5 job, but that will probably not last for long, as thanks to my Nexford MBA, I am seeing offers for employment coming in from none other than the likes of Pharma Business Review, Erisn Software Solutions and even Nexford.

Before I go, please understand that I am neither against fulltime employment, nor the community pharmacy profession, but it simply can't be the mundane type of employment that allows you to just keep your head above water. That’s in the past, and I am glad I can now do something for myself using the relevant skills and essential competencies I acquired during my MBA program at Nexford.