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By Ayodeji Abiola
VENTURES AFRICA – In my previous two articles here and here, I discussed funding issues for higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Nigeria. The aim of those articles was to encourage corporate organizations and employers to put money into higher education, which is in their best interest. Another money related trouble with higher education in Nigeria is students’ finance and students’ poverty.
Recently, I heard a case of a student in a Nigerian university who lost a full year of his studies because of the N11,000 ($68) tuition which he couldn’t afford to pay. His case is just one of many. The tuition fee in many Nigerian publicly owned universities which is unaffordable to many students in many cases are less than N100,000 ($600) for the most expensive ones. As a student in a Nigerian public institution, the total amount I paid for tuition in combined 5 years of study was N12,200 ($75). As cheap as it sounds, many colleagues from low-income households struggled to pay this amount. The grave economic lack is better understood considering that the average Nigerian is said to live on less that $2 (N300) a day. Actually considering what N300 means in a Nigerian economy, a student who has up to N300 each day could be considered, “rich”.
So, why is there such poverty amongst students of publicly owned educational institutes? This is a demography, which spans the ages 16 to 30 and should be considered agile and productive. However, the situation we have is such that this demography remains largely dependent on their parent’s largesse. A largesse, which is usually inadequate, since it is typical for a Nigerian family to have up to five or more children.
The solution to the students’ poverty is not far fetched. In many European and North American countries, students usually pay or contribute financially to their education. Young students working for a specified number of hours each week in addition to full time study is common. Government in these countries also facilitates student loans, which are repayable when employed after graduation. Although the student loan systems in some of these countries do have challenges of their own, however, the challenges therein are comparatively simpler compared to the endemic student poverty of Nigerian students.
Among other possibilities, the cure of emphasis to the acute student poverty in Nigeria is part-time jobs. Do Nigerian students refuse to work because they are lazy? I wouldn’t say so. Many students, perhaps the one reading this article right now, actually work. However, working on a job that does not pay reasonable compensation should rather be called slaving rather than working. Though, a harsh choice of verb, but slaving, is what most of the students in Nigeria working full-time students do. There are few or no student-targeted jobs, while available menial jobs appear filthy and unattractive. This is one common reason why schooling and working had never appealed to Nigerian students in Higher Education. The Higher Institutions need to take a proactive step to correct this situation. How?
By creating sustainable, on-campus, part-time jobs for registered students.
Higher Education is not simply created to teach students within the walls of a classroom. It is for all-round development of the student. There are several ways campus jobs can be created and packaged to appeal to students. The capacity to create jobs for students by Nigerian HEIs are possible through Teaching and Research Assistantship for Upper class undergraduates and postgraduate students, Facilities and Maintenance staff positions, Library Services Assistants, Transportation personnel, Security personnel, Cleaning and Gardening workers, Organizing staff, Accommodation and Hospitality workers, ad-hoc medical officers etc.
While job openings will usually be limited to a few of the thousands of registered students, it should be competitively offered. Criteria may include academic performance, financial need and references. In many Nigerian campuses, the need for these positions actually exists, but they are usually not filled. I must add that it is not enough to create jobs; it must be accompanied by commensurate compensation system. Else, a new system of slaving would have been created.
The creation of sustainable student jobs on campus should be a major concern for advocacy by student unions, parent associations, academic staff unions and other educational stakeholders. This is because it will not only help reduce students’ poverty; it is also a great way to foster students’ personal and professional development. Students who are able to work and earn on campus while studying will also develop time management capacities, budgetary skills in addition to the job-specific skills. In fact, on graduation, such students would have built enviable Curriculum Vitae that prospective employers will cherish. This is also a great way to create entrepreneurs out of fresh school graduates rather than 100% job seekers. Institutions of higher learning are one of the great places to build and nurture entrepreneurship, but these institutions are not doing enough at present.
Do you work on campus as a student in any Higher Educational Institution, please leave a comment below on how your part-time job has affected your personal and professional development.
The Author
Michael said on February 12, 2013 [7:16 am]:
In nigeria institution nw,the fee they pay is always too high for the low income earners,like me
Highton Schools said on June 21, 2012 [5:29 am]:
I would appreciate your help in the cause of poverty and to help poor students to get best education and the best opportunities in the future.
Abubakar Bashar Ladan said on June 17, 2012 [11:02 pm]:
On campus jobs are not practiced in Nigerian higher institutions. Due to lack of good administration and management. All the same must of us do indulge into one paying job or the other how ever less the income is. Personally and professionally it helps us to get experiences in our fields of study. As for me i’m into Information Technology- i took a part time job in one Telecommunication industry.
AyoAbiola said on June 18, 2012 [10:26 pm]:
That is very true and in line with my opinion in this article. The administration of Higher Educational Institutes need to create positions that students can fill into. It is also part of education. A colleague once told me that he was working while schooling because of the educational benefit he derived from his job.
OKAGBARE Aghogho Samuel said on June 17, 2012 [11:43 am]:
I really must appreciate the writer of this much neglected but important piece. I am a student of UNIBEN and I do work-study in my sch. Its really been a great time because it affords me some extra though little cash, and also meeting with other persons as students and Staff in the University community and beyond its really been great.
I work 3 hours, 3 days in a week(9 hours every wk), and that has had little or no effect on my studies as I try to make up time to cover for the lost time in my work. I have tried to balance my work and my study and so I think I am doing just fine except for the fact that my pay is not commesurate compared to the amount of hours spent on working.
Thanks.
AyoAbiola said on June 18, 2012 [10:28 pm]:
Hi Aghogho, that is good news. Is this work-study a University of Benin program? Can you share how it works so others may learn from it.
The remuneration part is really sad, because it is as important as the work. Have you tried to help the organizers/management work out an appropriate compensation plan and perhaps suggest to them how it will be a win-win for every party. Fair pay aids motivation.
Oseyomon Ighodaloh said on June 17, 2012 [2:12 am]:
Very insightful article which I think should be read by all our stakeholders in the education sector. I am one who has been very passionate about working while in school, I for one has been a victim of very serious student poverty,as one who trains himself through school and annual fees being up to N65,000, it could be very difficult sometimes to feed, buy books, transport not to talk of paying such an amount on just school fees.
Entrepreneurship and personal development were my saviour; early on in school, I started a couple of businesses and also organized entrepreneurship and leadership seminers in various university campuses around the country, now these were some of the most challenging times of my life as it badly affected my schooling but I took solace in the fact that “my overall education is more important than just schooling” like somenoe said “Never let your schooling interfare with ur education”. In all I must say the whole experience was worth it as it placed me on a level above my peers, made me very popular in and outside school, added so much to my CV and boosted my overall confidence. The importance of working while in school can never be over emphasized and so I say thank you for writing this piece.
AyoAbiola said on June 18, 2012 [10:30 pm]:
Perhaps, we should also put effort in educating students about how to create jobs for themselves as these programs do not exist on most campuses.
Are you still doing these seminars? I am sure your story will help a lot of students out there.
Adegboyega Alabi said on June 16, 2012 [10:53 pm]:
You have a very good and thoughtful submission.
AyoAbiola said on June 18, 2012 [10:31 pm]:
Thanks. I hope it help someone out there and the school administrators also listen.
Adegboyega Alabi said on June 16, 2012 [10:50 pm]:
I am in total support of your submission. I thlnk our Government should rise up to make education more affordable to our children.
AyoAbiola said on June 18, 2012 [10:33 pm]:
Affordable quality education is the key. It is said, that a good soup has taken lots of money; so government should make educational funding a priority. If they can’t bear the burden alone, perhaps the private sector and prospective employers should be drafted in as I opined in the previous article here: http://www.ventures-africa.com/2012/05/who-should-pay-for-higher-education-2/