Nigerian Higher Education Institutions Draw 709 Foreign Students in Six Years Despite Obstacles
Commenting on the trend, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, the Director of Programmes at Reform Education Nigeria, highlighted the need to enhance the image and quality of higher education in Nigeria to attract more foreign students.
AKACHI NOEL 
Data obtained from the Federal Ministry of Education reveals that Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and other higher institutions admitted a total of 709 international students between 2017 and 2023 academic sessions. Despite challenges such as frequent industrial actions, inadequate infrastructure, and poor learning conditions, these institutions managed to attract foreign students during this period.
The breakdown of admissions shows that 127 foreign students were admitted in the 2017/2018 academic session, followed by 110 in 2018/2019, 161 in 2019/2020, 197 in 2020/2021, 78 in 2021/2022, and 36 in 2022/2023. A significant drop in admissions during the 2021/2022 session was attributed to industrial strikes by tertiary institution-based unions like the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities.
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Of the total foreign students admitted, 616 were enrolled in universities, 64 in polytechnics, and 29 in Colleges of Education. Further analysis of the data reveals that the top fields of study for foreign students include Network and Security Systems, Computer Science, Medicine and Surgery, Business Administration, Accounting, Pharmacy, Political Science, Mass Communications, Economics, and International Studies, among others.
Commenting on the trend, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, the Director of Programmes at Reform Education Nigeria, highlighted the need to enhance the image and quality of higher education in Nigeria to attract more foreign students. Oluwatoyin emphasized the importance of revitalizing the higher education sector to build confidence and retain Nigerian citizens while also making Nigerian institutions more appealing to international students.
The proposed bill aims to promote patriotism among public officers by encouraging their support for the public education and healthcare systems. The bill also seeks to build confidence in these sectors and preserve foreign exchange earnings by discouraging officials from patronizing private educational and healthcare institutions.
