PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF PRIVATE IVORY TOWERS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Abstract
2015 marked 16 years when the first set of private universities made their debut in Nigeria. The two bedfellows that collaborated in the invention of these private universities are the neoliberal/new right perspectives on education, and public failure theory'. Government mediated the legislative measures that actually saw individuals, groups, and religious bodies found, fund and operate private universities. The thinking of policy makers and stakeholders was that public universities were under pressure due to dilapidated infrastructure of those old universities, and as such could not cope with the explosive population of candidates seeking for admission into Nigerian universities. Therefore private initiative in the provisioning of tertiary education would be the solution to the problems bugging the public universities. Sequel to the abovethinking, sixty-one private universities now dot the country. However, after sixteen (16) years of their existence, these institutions have made little or no progress and are now grappling with problems even worse than those of the public Universities. Thus, this study examined the challenges and prospects of these new universities with a view to determining if they will be able to transform into world class universities and provide the basis for the survival and overall progress of Nigerian peoples in the 21st century through functional education