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 dierent 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.