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Higher Education Systems and Institutions, Nigeria

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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions
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Introduction

Located at the eastern end of West Africa, Nigeria has a 2017 population of approximately 190 million, making it the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world. Nigeria achieved independence from the British in 1960. It has one of the most expansive higher education systems in sub-Saharan Africa with over 707 institutions enrolling more than 2.5 million students. About 65% of this population is in the youth category indexing a huge population of potential higher education students. The country is made up of 36 states and a federal capital territory and runs a presidential system within a democratic political arrangement.

Higher education which covers all forms of post-secondary delivery is typically the last 4 years of the 6-3-3-4 education system (National Policy on Education 2014). It has a history dating back 94 years with the establishment of the Yaba Higher College (Taiwo 1981). There are three main clusters of higher education...

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Okebukola, P.A. (2018). Higher Education Systems and Institutions, Nigeria. In: Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_465-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_465-1

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