Gender Participation in University Education in Nigeria: Closing the Gap

Abstract

The National Policy on Education stipulated that there is need for equality of educational opportunities to all Nigerian children, irrespective of any real or imagined disabilities, each according to his or her ability. It further stressed that there will be the provision of equal access to educational opportunities for all citizens of the country at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels both inside and outside the formal school system. In spite of this policy commitment there still exists a wide gender disparity in university education in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper examines the concepts of gender and university education. Also, the paper highlights participation in university education by gender and locates the gender participation disparity barriers in university education in Nigeria. The paper concludes by identifying some intervention that can help close the existing gap between male and female in access to university education in Nigeria.

Exploring Gender Differences in Graduation Proficiency in Mathematics Education Using a Markov Chain Model: Implications for Economic Growth in Nigeria

“…In terms of equity and access, not only has there been reports of disparity in enrollment statistics based on gender, cases of wide gaps in academic attainment abounds. Mukoro (2014) observed that there seems not to be comparative increase in enrollment rate of females as for the males over the years. This trend was attested to by Oloyede and Lawal (2008) who added that male graduates continued to exceed those of females at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels.…”

University access and 'comparative disadvantage' in Nigeria: a reflection on the criticality of equity for sustainable development

“…For them, this does not only amount to undue advantage being accorded the latter group but also results in the mass recruitment of candidates who are less able to cope with higher education or contribute positively to improved quality of output. They have thus condemned the quota admission system as only serving to exacerbate the problems of access, equity and quality in higher education (Adeyemi, 2001;Agboola and Ofoegbu, 2010;Imabekhai, 2006;Kanyip 2013;Mukoro, 2014) as they lament the poor performance of those admitted and the possible exclusion of the better performing ones.…”

“…The above strand of criticism is strengthened by Nigeria's liberalist philosophy of education and the conditions of the educational system. Thus some subscribers to merit argue that according to Nigeria's educational philosophy which promises a right to equal opportunities for all citizens according to his or her ability (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004;Abdulkareeem and Muraina, 2014;Mukoro, 2014), any other arrangements for access besides academic ability compromises uniform quality standards. Especially as Nigeria's education system does not appear to cater for the differing educational needs of its highly diversified range of students, the country's practical redefinition of 'equal opportunities' on the basis of positive discrimination appears untenable.…”

“…While Nigerian literature is dominated by the North versus South element of the admission system and a quest for equality-by-merit, only a few authors have given attention to the equally important issues of gender and socio-economic background as impacting on patterns of access with reference to the quota system. Yet it has been observed that whereas gender gaps may be closing particularly in the south with regards to university access, high imbalance exists across disciplines and programmes in Nigerian universities with females often predominant in 'soft' courses like Linguistics or Mass Communication and males in the much more 'valued' courses like Engineering and Medicine (Adeyemi and Akpotu, 2004;Mukoro, 2014). Thus, Adeyemi and Akpotu (2004, p.366) find it disheartening that Nigeria's university admission policy with all its quotas for ensuring fair representation, does not include any special preferences for the female whom they describe as "culturally and religiously constrained".…”

Comparative Empirical Analysis of Female University Enrolment in STEM Courses in the Geopolitical Zones in Nigeria

“…This problem did not begin with university enrolment, but far back to primary education. British Council Report [4] reported that, at the primary school level, fewer girls than boys enrolled in school, and the majority of out-of-school children are girls. The difference is even more pronounced in the female participation in STEM courses when compared with that of the male counterparts [2].…”