Nigeria tops in supply of African students to U.S.
The number of international students at United
States colleges and universities increased by 10
per cent to a record high of 974, 926 students in
the 2014/15 academic year, marking the highest
rate of growth in 35 years.
This is as Vice-Chancellor, Federal
University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof.
Isaac Asuzu, has said that the number
would continue to swell as far as
adequate facilities were not put in place
to address the burgeoning clan of
tertiary education seekers.
The Institute of International Education’s
(IIE) 2015 Open Doors Report on
International Educational Exchange,
which made this disclosure recently,
added that the strong growth was a
confirmation of the fact that U.S.
remains the destination of choice in
higher education.
America plays host to more of the
world’s 4.5 million globally mobile
college and university students than any
other country in the world. Nearly
90,000 more international students
enrolled in U.S. higher education in
2014/15 compared to the previous year.
The new report indicates there were
9,494 students from Nigeria studying in
the U.S. in 2014/15, making Nigeria the
leading source of students from Africa
and the 15th largest country worldwide
among international students there.
This marks a three-year high in the
number of Nigerians studying in the
United States since 2012.
Students from Nigeria in the U.S. study
primarily at the undergraduate level,
with 50.2 per cent enrolled at the
undergraduate level, 35.2 percent at the
graduate level, 12.6 percent pursuing
optional practical training, and two per
cent in non-degree programmes or short-
term studies.
The data was released to mark the
celebration of International Education
Week, which is a joint initiative of the
U.S. Department of State and the U.S.
Department of Education, to prepare
Americans for a global environment and
attract future leaders from abroad to
study, learn, and exchange experiences
in the states.
Each year, EducationUSA Nigeria hosts a
college fair that targets high school and
graduate students from all over Nigeria,
where hordes of higher education
representatives fly in to showcase
opportunities offered by American
institutions.
A press release by IIE quoted its
president, Dr. Allan E. Goodman as
saying that, “International experience is
one of the most important components of
a 21st century education.”
Goodman added that, “Studying abroad
is one of the best ways undergraduate
and graduate students gain the
international experience necessary to
succeed in today’s global workforce.
And studying in another country
prepares students to be real contributors
to working across borders to address key
issues in the world we share.”
Irrespective of the facilities provided
abroad and the international exposure
international students are exposed to,
Asuzu insists that serious efforts must be
made by relevant authorities to develop
the countries educational system.
“We need to do more to make our
educational system make room for
qualified Nigerians. We need to provide
the needed infrastructure and facilities
and other necessary educational tools to
enable us excel in education. People that
are capable go abroad to study because
their education system is incapable of
catering for their educational needs.
“The rising number of Nigerian students
migrating abroad for studies simply tells
us that we need to do more to support
the country’s educational system; we
need to equip our laboratories; train
and re-train our teachers because we are
as good as they are.
“A short while ago, a young Nigerian left
the country for John Hopkins University
and ended up making four out of the
available four point aggregate score. This
shows that our people are capable of
excelling anywhere in the world, but the
sad thing is that the facilities we have
here to work with are inadequate and
not up to standard.
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