STUDENTS CRISES IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA, CAUSES, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Nigerian higher institutions are established with the purpose of giving the students who are admitted in into various institutions sound and qualitative education, which is to equip them to function effectively in any environment in which there find themselves; in other to become more productive, self-fulfilling and actualization of their dreams. Students’ crisis is a global phenomenon which has ravaged many institutions Nigeria in particular and the world at large.

The term, students crises has been defined by different scholars in different ways. Ojo (1995) defined students’ crises’ as the rampage made by students in pressing their demand on certain issues with university authorities. Ibukun (1997) regarded students’ crises as the demonstration made by students leading to destruction of lives and properties as a result of protest over their demands. Other researchers have described students’ crises as the protests made by students involving confrontation with authorities over certain issues with the authorities (Asunmo, 1999; Akinyemi, 2002). It is an unstable situation of improper behavior of students, abstinence from classes, disturbance, and continuous destruction of properties which is a great risk of life to the students.

To this end, higher institutions of learning are established to give students sound and Qualitative education so that they can become more productive, self-fulfilling and attain self-actualization. The rate of socio-economic and political developments is increasingly driven by the rate of growth and the application of knowledge which is education. This is the more reason why education in general and higher education in particular is pertinent to the growth and development of knowledge and economy as a whole (World Bank, 1999).

        Recently, the rate of students crisis in higher institutions in Nigeria is as a result of different factors such as: poor campus transportation system,  increase in tuition fees, cultism, lack of management paying attention to student complains, making unnecessary promises to student and not fulfilling them, poor communication between the management and the students over a stipulated increase in charges. Others include non-participation of students in decision making, academic stress, and changing value systems of students, contemporary national issues and welfare

Problems (Falua, 2004; Adeyemi 2009, Adeyemi, Ekundayo and Alonge 2010). All these have led to the

loss of lives and properties, breakdown of law and order, delay in the time frame a student is suppose to spend in school, thereby spending more than stipulated year of study.

STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL PROBLEM

The frequent occurrence of students’ crises in Nigerian tertiary institutions has been a matter of concern to educationists and its stakeholders in Nigeria (Ojo, 1995; Ogonor, 1996). It seems that not much has been done to reduce students’ crises in Nigeria. Despite the strategies put in place in curbing the crises, common observation shows that students’ crises seems to be on a sporadic increase in the higher institutions. The problem of this study was that of finding a lasting solution to the frequent occurrence of students’ crises in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To examine the level of occurrence of students’ crisis in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

2. To determine the causes of students’ crisis in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

 3. To outline the consequences of students’ crisis in in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

 4. To determine the control measures that could be used to resolve students’ crisis in tertiary institutions.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the level of occurrence of students’ crisis in Nigerian tertiary institutions?

2. What are the causes of students’ crisis in Nigerian tertiary institutions?

 3. What are the consequences of students’ crisis in in Nigerian tertiary institutions?

 4. What control measures could be used to resolve students’ crisis in tertiary institutions?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

H0: There is no significant relationship between students crises and educational development in tertiary institutions

H1: There is a significant relationship between students crises and educational development in tertiary institutions

H0: There is no significant relationship between students crises and the academic performance of students.

H1: There is a significant relationship between students crises and the academic performance of students.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study would be of immense importance to the educational sector as it would reveal the major cause and implications of students’ crises in Nigerian tertiary institutions while at the same time proffer solutions. The study would also benefit students, scholars and researchers who are interested in developing further studies on the subject matter.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The work is restricted to the students’ crises in higher institutions in Nigeria, its causes, problems and solutions with the Lagos state university serving as the case study.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview)

Time constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Crisis: Crisis has been defined by different scholars such as Rosenthal, Charles and Hart (1989), Olamosu (2000); Schmid (2002); Best (2006), etc. For instance, Schmid (2002) defined crisis as sudden eruption of unexpected events caused by previous conflict. Best (2006) sees crisis as a degenerated stage of conflict, where threats to human security, intense violence characterized by fighting, death, injury, etc, occur. To Olamosu (2000), crisis is a state or condition in the life of a social unit, system, organization or society in which the existence of a problem assumes critical dimension to the extent that the survival or existence of the social system or structure is threatened. Rosenthal, Charles and Hart, (1989) defined crisis as a situation of severe threat to the basic structures or the fundamental values and norms of a social system which under time pressure and highly uncertain circumstances necessitates making critical decision. From these definitions, three elements are clear. These are (i) a threat to the organization/society/system (ii) the element of surprise, and (iii) a short decision time. However, in this paper, crisis means a situation of sudden rampage in an organization/institution which necessitates making vital decision in the shortest time possible.

Students: This refers to a group of people attending school such as universities, polytechnics, etc, with a view to acquiring knowledge and skills needed to function in their immediate environment and society at large. The general characteristics of students are as follows:

(i) Students are youth (Lipset 1971; Mohantey 1999; Okolocha, et al, 1999; Igbo 2000; and Yinusa 2005). The word, Youth has been defined variously by different scholars. According to Kenniston(1971), Youth refers to a period between adolescence and adulthood. Berger (1972) opines that youth cuts across age, pointing to culture as what really matters. According to him, any one who exhibits such qualities as spontaneity, impulsiveness, energy etc. is a youth. In Nigeria, anybody who is above the age of thirty is exempted from the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme. He is simply not regarded as a youth (Albert 1997). Against this background, Yinusa’s (2005) definition of Youth is accepted in this paper. He defined Youth as any one between the ages of eighteen and thirty.

Students’ Crises: is defined in this paper as the rampage made by students in pressing for their demands on certain issues with authorities of the various tertiary institutions of learning.