Why Nigerian students are investing £300 Million On UK universities Annually

Higher education is surely one of the most practical solutions for most Nigerian youths that can help them not only build their career, but also to rise beyond poverty and help their communities prosper. However, due to lack of sufficient world-class education opportunities in Nigeria, more and more students are now going abroad, especially the UK, to earn accredited degrees. Although UK education might prove beneficial for the students, the fact remains they are investing huge amounts of money on expensive degrees abroad, instead of investing it in Nigeria. Let’s have a look.....

Are Nigerian Students Ignoring Nigeria’s Development?

According to Ben TV International and the African-British Returnees International, Nigerians who reside in the UK spend around “£300 million annually on British education.” The experts believe that if the money is invested in education in Nigeria, then it could make a huge difference to their home country. Moreover, they also pointed out that currently over 2.5 million Nigerians are residing in the United Kingdom, who could have made substantial contributions to the socio-economic development of the nation only if these Nigerians lived back at home and used their professional expertise for improving their communities.

Tunde Alabi, Head at BEN TV News UK, apart from the spending around £300 million yearly on UK education, Nigerians in the UK are annually investing large amounts in pound sterling on rents and properties, stating that these individuals contribute greatly to the British economy. He commented that there “are a good number of Nigerians living in the UK. They are doing well in their callings, especially in healthcare, education and banking among others. In the British universities, there are Nigerians, who are heads of departments, deans of faculties and professors. They are doing well.”

But the question I want to ask here is why are these Nigerian students and professionals moving out of their homes and going abroad? The answer is simple...Nigeria is unable to provide world-class education and sufficient employment opportunities to its youth.

Is Nigeria Forcing Students To Study Abroad?

Numerous educators and academic leaders believe that the growing preference of Nigerian students for foreign institutes is mainly due to insufficient access, poor quality and unsteadiness in the education system. Ambassador Bello Shehu Ringim,High Commissioner of Nigeria in Malaysia, believes more and more Nigerian students are now opting to study at universities abroad due the various challenges in the education system at home. He said that most of the more than 1000 Nigerians living in Malaysia are students who are looking for better learning opportunities. He said “On the influx of Nigerian students here, our challenges at home led us to this problem. There are many good schools here and Nigerians always excel.”

He further said that currently over 200 Nigerian lecturers are employed in this Southeast Asian country. Ringim added “There are about 200 Nigerian lecturers in Malaysia. It’s a good thing that we’re leveraging on learning and teaching.” But he believes that the Nigerian government is taking steps to offer better educational opportunities back at home and to prevent the emigration of students. He said, “The present government is trying to restore the glory of education. Things are being streamlined while better funding and other positive steps are being taken. We’ve lost a lot of ground but government is determined to reverse the trend.”

Does This Mean There Is Hope For Nigeria?

Being an educationist, I admit that UK education is certainly among the best in the world and a degree from a UK university can certainly make you eligible for the best employment opportunities around the world. But is it necessary for Nigerians to invest such huge amounts of money in the United Kingdom and add to the British economy?

For me the answer is a hard no. There is no denying that the Nigerian education system is severely flawed at present and it might take several years for the government to offer top-notch learning facilities to the students. But there are still many ways through which you can earn an accredited UK degree without leaving Nigeria or investing heavily in the UK. I think one of the best ways to do this is through online study UK.

A Better Solution

Let’s face it...online education has taken the education world by storm and numerous students from across the globe are now studying online degrees and diplomas. You can find a wide array of online programmes offered by reputed colleges and universities in the UK. As these programmes are targeted at a wider student base, they are generally highly affordable and cost much less than traditional college courses. But if you are concerned about the quality of online education, then you will be glad to know that most universities offer the same curriculum online that are followed in on-campus programmes. Moreover the online study materials and lectures are developed and conducted by in-house and other renowned professors.

But I think the biggest advantage of pursuing online university degrees UK is that you can study at any time directly from your home or office. There is no need for you to leave your home country and visit the campus or travel extensively to attend classes. You can simply log in to your computer and easily access the online study materials to earn a recognised online UK diploma.

A Final Word

If you ask me, I think that online education can offer the right solution to Nigerian youths as it allows them to access world-class education from leading UK colleges and earn accredited degrees affordably without migrating to a foreign country. Hence Nigerian students can now learn what they need to and work to make their communities better and help the national economy develop.