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The National Policy on Tertiary Education: GATS Challenges To University

Management in Nigeria

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 Journal of Educational Research and Policies, Volume 4, Number 3,2009
Printed in Nigeria. All Right Reserved ISSN: 2006 - 113 7 Copyright@2009DuncanScienceCompany
· ational

THE NATIONAL POLICY ON TERTIARY EDUCATION: GATS CHALLENGES TO

(down. UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA

N. S. Okoroma
s-a-vis Institute of Ed ucation
Rivers State University of Science and Tech ., Nkpolu-Oroworuwo, Rivers State, Nigeri a

ABSTRACT
I prnent.
The General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) has the purpose of universalizing
education services at all levels. Its advantages to developing countries like Nigeria are
suspect. With a fi rm promise by President Obasanjo of Nigeria to sign GATS soon the
paper is worried that if this becomes a reality the management of university education in
Nigeria will f ace more challenges than at present. By literature research it was revealed
.e. ITE
that GATS will lead to the international commercialization of university education in
Nigeria resulting ' in the level of compe tition that Nigerian Universities will be unable to
cope with. The competition fac tors will be ' in the areas of fundin g, f acilities, service
ctional
conditions which will encourage brain drain and high cost which will reduce university
education to the exclusive preserve of only the children of the f ew a.lJluent Nigerians who
will afford it. The pap er recommends that Nigeria should not sign GATS until the problems
at the pr esently f acing universities in Nigeria are adequately addressed to enable them cope with
the international compet ition that will ensue.

INTRODUCTION
Nigeria's policy on tertiary education has since 198I given a specific mandate to Nige rian Universities with
a number of revisions that crystallized in the 1998 version being used for this paper. This mandate has
proved very challenging to university managers in Nigeria. Such problems as inadequate funding, poor
learning facilities, unmotivated and unfulfilled staff, brain drain, general indiscipline etcetera, have been
common to the university system. These negative features have reduced the quality of university education
including other levels of education in Nigeria. The observation of Falua (1989:9) captures the scenario
vividly thus:
The Primary Schools have virtually decayed. The Secondary Schools are congested.
Both Colleges of Education and Polytechnics exist under their shadows. The
universities are generally in shambles. The conditions can hardly be otherwise.
Inspectors ofEducation have now withdrawn to the secretariats. The teachers remain
even frust rated ... In the circumstance; the quality of the educational services at all
levels have f allen. Consequently, most certificates only possess face validity.

In 2005 the picture of education in Nigeria is even worse than the scenario presented above. The student
population has continued to increase with less resources being put into educat ion coupled with high level of
corruption. The sophistication of university education makes it unique and appearing to be more adversely
affected by the policy of under-fundin g. The main thrust of this paper is on the recent declaration by
President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria that he would soon sign The General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS). This was made known at the 2004 Convocation Ceremony of tile University of Lagos. In
that occasion Obasanjo (2005:30) had this to say among others: '
The cornerstone of university, autonomy, which my government has championed, is
deregulation and that pu blic universities must be aware that private universities now
compete with them in the provision of high quality education. He assured his audience
that with the signing of GA TS in the near f uture, the challenges of competitive
education 'will not only be from 'within the country but also fr om different p arts of the
globe.
This statement portends danger to tertiary education in Nigeria for many reasons that the paper will address
later. However, the most potent reason for worry is that with this statement of commitment President
Obasanjo is most likely to sign the General Agreem ent on Trade in Services (GATS) before he leaves office
in 2007. President Obasanjo sees himself not only as the President of Nigeria but the defacto leader of
Africa who must do the biddings of the influential elements in the global community. The purpose GATS of
IS
 The National Policy on Tertiary Education: Gats Challenges to University Management in Nigeria

is to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade which is either in goods or services. Presently , Nigerian tertia
institutions are unable to cope with internal competitions such as between government and priva
proprietorship or between federal and state government proprietorship . The question is, can Nigeria
universities withstand international competition under GATS? The answer wil I be provided later.

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: AN OVERVIEW

The premier University of Nigeria was established in 1948 as the University College at Ibadan. In 1960 tl
Government of Nigeria set up the Ashby Commission which recommended the expansion of the Universit
College and the funding of new universities. As a result, the University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello
University and the University of Ife (now Obaferni Awolowo University) were founded in 1962. Th
University of Benin was established in 1972. In 1975, seven new Universities were established and a
Universities in Nigeria were federalized . The more expensive universities of technology were established i
early 1980s (Ajayi , 1986:14). In recognition of the important role of university education to nations
development the constitutions of the Federal Republ ic of Nigeria (1979) at section 18 (3c) and (1999) also 2
section l8(3c) provide that "Government shall as when practicable provide free university education". Th
placement of higher education under the concurrent list of the 1979 and 1999 constitutions provide
opportunities for State Governments to establish State Universities. The massive demand for highe
education led to more liberalization by encouraging private sector participation in university educario:
Between 1980 and 1983 twenty-four (24) private universities were establ ished. However, the lack of prope:
guidelines led to their abolishment by the Federal Government in 1984. In 1993 a law was properly enactec
for the purpose of accommodating private universities. As at April 2005 sixteen (16) private universities, 2:
State and 26 Federal Universities making a total of sixty-five are operational. Furthermore, a National Oper
University was established in 2001 to offer education through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode as 2
deliberate effort to accommodate more Nigerians questing for higher educat ion (Maitarna Sule, 2005:4-5).

THE NATIONAL POLICY ON UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

The policy on university education is inclusive in the policy on tertiary education found in section 6 of th
National Policy on Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (3rd Edition, 1998). Tertiary education is
the education given after secondary education in Universities, Colleges of Education, Polytechnics.
Monotectnics including those institutions offering correspondence courses. The goals of tertiary education
include: To,
(a) contribute to national development through high level relevant manpower training;
(b) develop and inculcate proper values for the survival ofthe individual and society;
(c) develop the intellectual capability of individuals to understand and appreciate their local and
external environments;
(d) acquire both physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to be self-reliant an
useful members of the society;
(e) promote and encourage scholarship and community service;
(I) forge and cement national unity; and
(g) promote national and international understanding and interaction.

These goals are to be pursued by tertiary educational institutions through:

(a) teaching;
(b) research and development;
(c) virile staff development programmes;
(d) generation and dissemination of knowledge;
(e) a variety of modes of programmes including full-time, part-time, block-release, day-relea se.
sandwich, etc;
(I) access to training funds such as those provided by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF)
(g) students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES)
(h) maintenance of minimum educational standards through appropriate agencies;
(i) inter-institutional co-operation,
U) dedicated service to the community through extra moral and extension services FRN (1998:31-32).

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

University education in Nigeria is expected to contribute optimally to national development by:

16
~ -; ia
Journal of Educational Research and Policies. Volume 4. Number 3. 2009
. •Iar:
. 'ate (a) Intensifying and diversifying its programmes for the development ofhigh level manpower within
__riar the context of the needs of the nation.
(b) Making professional course contents to reflect the national requirements of Nigeria .
(c) Making all students, as part of a general programme of all round improvement in university
education , to offer general study courses such as history of ideas, philosophy of knowledge and
national ism.
: : the
Furthermore, university research are to be relevant to the nation's development goals. Universities are,
ersity
therefore, encouraged to disseminate their research results to both government and industries.
ellow
University teaching is expected to inculcate community spirit in the students through projects and action
The
research.
- j ail
Voluntaryagencies, individuals and groups are to be encouraged to establish universities provided they
- d in
comply with minimum standards laid down by the Federal Government.
onal
Technically-based professional courses in the universities are to have as components, exposure to
so at relevant future working environment industrial, and professional experience are an imperative for
The teachers in professional fields.
ided A greater proportion of expenditure on university education are to be devoted to Science and
.lher Technology.
::ion. Conventional universities are to allocate not less than 60% of admission places to science and science-
-J per oriented courses and universities of technology are to allocate not less than 80% of admission places to
. cted science and science-oriented courses (FRN, 1998:32-33).
:s.23
_nen UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
:: 3 S a Most educationists and other stakeholders acknowledge that Nigeria's Policy and Education is a masterpiece
but that implementation has been its major problem. This paper has only presented an aspect of the policy
that concerns tertiary education and especially university education . If the tall ideas in the policy had been
put into practice no doubt Nigeria would have been transformed into a modern society by now considering
that the first edition of the National Policy on Education was in 1981. About twenty-four years later
university education has not made much impact. Infact, the average view is that the entire educational
system of Nigeria has deteriorated compared to the pre-1981 era. In the course of implementing the policy
of university education in Nigeria a number of challenges have been noted and prominent among them are:
(I ) Funding problems
(2) Inadequate facilities
(3) Lack of good conditions of service
and (4) Explosion of students enrollment
:.nd FUNDING
The greatest challenge to the management of university education in Nigeria is inadequacy of funds and this
is perennial. The Governments (Federal and State) are the main sources of funding universities , which are
either federal or state owned. The United Nations standard for funding education globally is 26% of national
GNP. Over the years Nigeria has provided less than 7% of its national budget to support educat ion which is
far less than the UN requirement. On a comparative basis even smaller African countries investment more
on education than Nigeria. For instance, while Nigeria spends only 0.7% of her GNP on education, counties
like Angola, Cote d' Ivoire, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi and South Africa spend 4.9%, 5%, 4.2%, 5.4% and 7.9%
respectively (Crystal Magazine, May, 2001:37; Okpaga, 2002:29). A major point of controversy between the
Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has persistently been
on the funding issue. ASUU has always insisted on the minimum of 26% of the National budget as
ise,
allocation to education which is the UN standard. The Government of Nigeria believes such standard is not
feasible for now and not even in the near future. Under-funding has affected the provision of the facilities
required to maintain quality education in Nigeria. In view of this situation the ASUU resolved thus:
ASUU wants Nig erian Universities to restore their laboratories, their libraries and their
teaching facilities to internationally respectable and respected standards. ASUU wants
to end the overwhelming dep endence of academic research. institution building and
definition ofgoals, problems and advances on donations and loans from abroad. This is
the major reason ASUU is insisting that their is no substitutes for adequate funding of
education in general and uni vers ities in particular, (ASUU. 2000:8)

17
 The National Policy on Tertiary Education: Gats Challenges to University Management in Nigeria

Ajayi (1986:8) observed that inadequate funding has affected adverse ly one of the key roles of universiti:
which is research . He notes thus . .
In fact, very little meaningful research is going on in the universities even though it is
regarded as the most basic function of a university don. One major fa ctor responsible
for this is the inadequate provision offunds, the unavailability of sufficient data and
lack ofresearchers with the appropriat e level of training and compe tence.
The Ch airman of the Board of the National Universities Cornm ission (NUC) in Nigeria recently confesse
the funding problem thus:
Under funding has been a major problem of education in many developing countries
including, Nigeria. When public funding becomes insufficient to maintain
institutional performance, universities seek to supplement their funding with locally
generat ed revenue. It is so in Nigeria; but realizing the need to maintain a tuition
fr ee policy that has been introduced in 19 76, the Federal Government set a policy
that requires federally funde d universities to generate at least 10% of their total
recurrent budget internally (Maitama Sule, 2005:10).

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE FOR ACADEMICS

The challenge to provide working conditions desirable to the academic staff of Nigerian Univers ities ha:
been herculean. Comparatively university lecturers ' conditions of service are not commensurate w ith their
statuses educationally vis-a-vis others with similar qualifications or even less in other sectors of the
economy. Salaries are inadequate, poor housing if any, lack of facilities to carry out their jobs etc. This
situation has led to job dissatisfaction and consequently brain drain syndrome. Many university teachers see
their positions as temporary as they are a lways looking for better opport unities to enable them leave the
system and many have left. Before Nigeria endorses GATS which will result in increased trade in university
education it is instructive to note the State of University education in Nigeria as observed by Maitarna Sule
(2005:7).
The State of University education in Nigeria can be described as one of massive
explosion in student enrolments, increasing number of prospective new entrants in
the face of inadequate and obsolete infrastructure and equip ment, inadequate
academic staff in numbers and quality, inadequate funds, brain drain problem and
lack ofrelevance ofthe academic programmes. All these result in the production of
low quality graduat es.

PERSPECTIVES OF GATS
The General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) is a worldwide agreement covering 145 member
countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The GATS has existed since 1995 with the purpose of
reducing or eliminating barriers to trade. It is the first multi-lateral agreement on trade in services. The
GATS is also the first ever set of multi-l ateral rules covering international trade in service. Previous
international trade agreements covered trade in products, but not services. The negotiation of the GATS
took place in the Uruguay and came into effect in 1995 . It is administered by the ' World Trade Organizati on
(WTO) which is made up of 144 countries. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by
the majority of the world trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The GATS is one of these key
agreements and is a legally enforceable set of rules (WTO, 1999).

MODES OF TRADE IN SERVICES

The GATS defines four ways in which a service can be traded , known as ' modes of supply'. These four
modes of trade apply to all service sectors in GATS . The modes are Cross Border Supply, Consumption
Abroad, Commercial Presence and Presence of Natural Persons. Chart one below provides some details
(Williams,200J:5 ).

Ch ar to ne: M o d eo fS UpPIY
Mode of Supply Explanation Examples in Higher SizelPotential of market
According to Education
-
GATS
I. Cr oss Border -the provision of a service -Distance education -currently a relatively
18
 serla
Journal of Educational Research and Policies. Volume 4. Number 3. 2009
=~5 i t i e :
Supply where the service crosses -e-learning small market
in border (does not require -virtual universities -seen to have great
the physical movement of potential through the use
the consumer) of new ICTs and
especially the Internet
2. Consum ption -provision of the service -students who go to -currently represents the
Abroad involving the movement another country to study largest share of the global
- :~ s s e d
of the consumer to the market for education
country of the supplier services
3. Commercial -the service provider -local branch or satellite -growing interest and
Presence establishes or has campuses strong potential for future
presence of commercial -twinning partnerships growth
facilities in another -franchising -rnost controversial as it
country in order to render arrangements with local appears to set
service institutions international rules on
foreign investment
4. Presence of -persons traveling to -professors, teachers, -potentially a strong
Natural Persons another country on a researchers working market given the
es has
temporary basis to provide abroad emphasis on mobility of
:heir
servrce professionals
: :- the
Source: Williams M . (2001) The General Agreement on Trade In Service (GATS): The Debate Between
This
the North and South. International Gender and Trade Network P:5

Categories of Education Services

Trade in education is organized into five categories or sub-sections of service. These categories are based on
the United Nations Provisional Central Product Classification (CPC). Chart two presence the categories. It
is important to note that the four modes for service already described apply to each of the categories
(Williams, 200 1:6).

Ch art T wo: CIassiiflrca tiIOn S-ys t em ror Ed uca f IOn Services

Category of education Education activities included in each Notes
service category
Primary Education -pre-schoo l and other primary
(CPC 921) educations services
-does not cover child care services
Secondary Education -general higher secondary
(CPC 922) -technical and vocational secondary
-also covers technical and vocational
services for the disabled
Higher Education (CPC -post secondary technical and -types of education (i.e business,
923) vocational education services liberal arts, science) are not
-other higher educations serves leading specified
to university degree or equivalent -assurnes that al J post secondary
training and education programs
are covered
Adult Education -covers education for adults outside -further delineation is needed
(CPC 924) the regular education system
Other Education -covers all other education services not -needs clarification re coverage
I
(CPC 929) elsewhere classified and differentiation from other
-excludes educations services related categories
to recreation matters -for example- are education and
language testing services, student
recruitment services , quality
assessment covered
Source: Williams M. (200 I) The General Agreement on Trade 111 Service (GATS): The Debate Between
the North and South . International Gender and Trade Network P.6

19
 The National Policy on Tertiary Education: Gats Challenges to University Management in Nigeria

Key Elements and Rules of the GATS No doubt, --

The overall framework of GATS contains a number of general obi igations to all trade in services regardless is applicab ~
of whether a country has made a specific commitment to sectors or not. These are referred to as especially ::..::
unconditiorial obligations. Each WTO member lists in its national schedules those services for which it clearly tha::
wishes to provide access to foreign providers. In addition to choosing which service sector(s) will be
comm itted, each country determ ines the extent of cornm itment by specifying the level of market access and
the degree of national treatment they are prepared to guarantee (Williams, 200 1:6). s:

Education Services Covered or Exempted by the GATS

The WTO states that the GATS is deemed to apply to all measures affecting services except "those services
supplied in the exercise of Government authority". GATS supporters maintain that education provided and Similarly, -- .
funded by the government is therefore exempted. The agreement states that "in the exercise of governmental Organ izat:.:-
authority " means the service is provided on a non-commercial basis 'and' not in competition with other
service suppliers. The education critics of the GATS maintain that due to the wide-open interpretation of
'non-commercial' and not in competition ' terms the public sector government service providers may not in
fact be exempt. It should be noted that a public education institution in an exporting country is often defined
. -

as private or commercial when it crosses the border and delivers in the importing country (Williams, 200 I) .
Nigeria n ~ :.
The Principle of Progressive Liberalization university - -
GATS is not a neutral agreement. Its aims are to promote and enforce the liberalization of education in an incre zs
services. The process of progressive liberalization involves two aspects; (1) GATS coverage is extended to Cross 8 0 .: ~"
more service sectors, and (2) the number and extent of measures that serve as impediments to increased trade Persons ~ - ~
are decreased. The intention of GATS is to facilitate and promote ever-more opportunities for trade. As a Nigeria ns z:
result, countries that are not interested in either the import or export of education services will most likely employe i:
experience greater pressures to allow market access to foreign providers. Furthermore, GATS aims at threat to e; ,
expanding free trade in services, open markets, and facilitate economic growth. The goals for higher 1995. Ho ::
education as a service include removing restrictions on market access and barriers to competition in higher educatio "-
education. Nigeria has
the manage
REASONS FOR INCREASED TRADE IN HIGHER EDUCATION venture be:
It is debatable whether trade in education services is of advantage to all countries . The study by Larsen and
Vincent-Lancin (2002) on the implications of trade in education services show that it is difficult to draw a 1.
definitive conclusion on whether trade in education services is 'good or bad' because the issues invo lved
vary substantially with different countries. However, they agree that lifelong learning market or trade in
higher education will produce greater impact than the traditional higher education. Among the reasons for
trade in higher education services include:
1. Domestic capacity to meet growing demand for higher education is limited.
2. To provide greater access to specific knowledge or skilled-based education and training.
3. Improvement of the quality of higher education by allowing market access to prestigious/reputable
foreign providers .
4. Development of human capital and stem 'brain drain'
5. To cope with excess national demand for higher education.
6. . Facilitates income generation
7. Enhancement of international recognition c :: ~.

8. Promotion of cultural, political, economic and education alliances or co-operation

9. It can be a tool for the internationalization of domestic institutions (Knight, 2003: 10) 2.

GATS CHALLENGES TO THE MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

The history of GATS as explored so far show that some African countries including Nigeria will in the near
future endorse the agreement. President Obasanjo of Nigeria has already made promise as noted earl ier.
The signing of GATS will throw up extra challenges to the management of university education in Nigeria.
Among the existing challenges in the administration of Nigerian universities as stated earlier are:
(1) Inadequate funding 3.
(2) Inadequate facilities for teaching and learning
(3) Poor conditions of service, and
(4) Explosion of students enrollment

20
 ia
Journal of Educational Research and Policies. Volume 4. Number 3.2009

No doubt, the implementation of GATS will exacerbate the problems of Nigerian universities. This scenario
: ;?SS is applicable to other African countries hence they are cautious and guarded about the impact of GATS
: as especially as it applies to education. · For example, the Minister of Education in South Africa stated very
_- it clearly that:
be It is important that we remain vigilant to ensure that increased trade in education does
, nd not undermine our national efforts to transform higher education and in particular to
strengthen the public sector so that it can effectively participate in an increasingly
globalizing environment. Trade considerations cannot be allowed to erode the public
good agenda for higher education (Knight, 2003: I 0).
.:es
and Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius (2002/2003) after considering the World Trade
: tal Organization (WTO) proposal to liberalize trade in education services through GATS observed that:
-: er
While there is no doubt globalization may have some positive effects from the point of
- of
view of increasing access in higher education and reducing the knowledge gap in
. : 111
- ed developing countries, it equally has negative aspects which can seriously threaten
universities in those countries (Mohemedbhai, 2003:10)
Nigeria needs to be guided by these objective comments to avoid hurriedly signing the GATS and expose
university and other levels of education to an ill-prepared competition. The endorsement of GATS wil1 result
11 in an increased international trade in education of the four modes of trade in education services namely (1)
o Cross Border Supply, (2) Consumption Abroad, (3) Commercial presence and (4) Presence of Natural
.::. le Persons already presented in Chart 1, numbers two and four are already being practiced in Nigeria .
-: a Nigerians have been going abroad to receive education for several decades and many foreigners have been
ev employed fully or on contract to be part of Nigeria's educational system. These activities have posed no
threat to education services in Nigeria. They have been going on even before GATS was introduced in
1995. However, Cross Border Supply of education services and commercial presence are aspects of trade in
education in which the signing of GATS is imperative as motivation to participants. President Obasanjo of
Nigeria has indicated his willingness to sign GATS in the near future. When actualized its implications for
the management of Nigerian universities will be far reaching. Some advantages may accrue from such a
venture but its negative consequences are likely to be more.

1. Funding
The United Nations through the UNESCO stipulates 26% of national budgets as the minimum for
=J j
funding education. Nigerian Governments have refused to comply despite the enormous resources
available to the country. Since the past six years the annually budget for education in Nigeria has
not exceeded 8% of the total budget. This gross under-funding has brought numerous crises to the
education sector. Under GATS Nigerian universities will not withstand the competition with nations
that invest 26% or more of their budgets in education. Such countries will establish better funded
universities in Nigeria and market forces will gradually force Government Universities out of
existence. Nigerian Government is presently sponsoring on Autonomy Bill which will make the
universities financially and politically independent. This implies that if the Bill is passed into law
the universities will cease to be funded by the Government. If this happens the situation will be
worse than present and Nigerian universities (especially Government owned) will be ill-prepared to
cope with foreign competitors under GATS arrangement.

2. Teaching and Learning Facilities

This is an extension of the funding problem. It is also a problem of inadequate technology.
Universities have sophisticated structures with necessary facilities for teaching and learning
adequately provided as obtainable in America and Europe. In addition to inadequate funding,
Nigeria lacks the technology that can enable her universities compete with those that may be
established under GATS by foreign suppliers .

3. Poor Conditions of Service for University Staff.

Emanating from poor funding is poor service conditions for university teachers who determine the
quality of education. University teachers are poorly paid in Nigeria with professors who are the
highest paid earning about N 150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) which is an
equivalent of $1,000.00 (One Thousand Dollars) per month. Other welfare services are grossly
21
 The National Policy on Tertiary Education: Gats Challenges to University Management in Nigeria

inadequate. The implication of this is that the universities that may be established as a result .
GATS which are likely to have proprietors from America, Europe and other countries with th:
money and technology will obviously offer better conditions of service to their staff. Nigerians are
very intelligent people and have migrated to other parts of the world to offer quality services . Thi.
was tagged a "brain drain" syndrome. With the signing of GATS and the follow-up activities the
"brain drain" syndrome wil l manifest itself in the best brains moving from Nigerian universities tc
foreign universities that will be established in Nigeria because they will offer more attractive service
conditions . Consequently, Nigeria n universities will gradually become moribund because of the
inability to withstand competition .

4. High Cost of University Education

The endorsement of GATS implies an acceptance to commercialize all levels of educatior
internationally . Commercial providers of any goods or services always have the profit motive.
Consequently, the cost of university education in Nigeria will obviously become higher as qua lity
will improve under GATS. This will not be in the overall interest of Nigeria with a high level of
poor citizens who marginally cope with the present modest cost of universities education. This
implies that with GATS signed in the future university education will likely be for the children of
the few affluent Nigerians and others who can afford it. This will be contrary to the 1999
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Section 3) that guarantees a II levels of education as
a right to the Nigerian child which should be provided free when practicable.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The paper has substantially presented the perspectives of GATS and its implications. Its endorsement will
obviously have far reaching consequences, which will be more on the negative for developing countr ies.
Nigeria and other African countries should be guided by the following recommendations.
I. Nigeria should not sign GATS until her educational system has been completely overhauled to meet
international standards that can make it competitive. With the extensive damage to education so far
ten years may be required for this overhauling .
2. The minimum funding requireme nt of 26% of National budgets to education must be implemented
without further delay .
3. Service conditions for university teachers particularly, and other staff in general must be made more
attractive so as to reduce the brain drain syndrome which may become worst with the signing of
GATS.
4. Reliable population statistics must be ensured so that education can be better planned.
5. Nigerian Universities should acquire the state of the art technology that can enhance teaching and
learning before the internalization of higher education broad. We must internationalize at home
first.
6. In giving consideration to the endorsement of GATS by Nigeria the ch ildren of the less privileged in
the society must be considered and carried along in order to avoid more social problems.

CONCLUSION
In an effort to be part of GATS Nigeria must be guided by the following wise observations: GATS is a new
and untested agreement and some of its intended and unintended consequences are unknown (Knight, 2003)
The common factor underlying participation in GATS is self-interest which is the strongest motivator for
trade. Commitments to GATS are to be made in the best interest of the country. They have to be in the
areas of the country 's strength (Powar , 2002) While there is no doubt globalization may have some positive
effects from the point of view of increasing access to higher education and reducing the knowledge gap in
developing countries, it equally has negative aspects -which can seriously threaten universities in those
countries (Mohemedbhai 2003) : The Association of African Universities (AAU) cautions against the
reduction of higher education, under the GATS regime because the GATS provisions are yet unclear, lacks
transparency and knowledge about its unfolding implications to African nations. African Governments are
being urged to halt all further GATS commitments in higher education until a deeper understanding on
GATS are provided to facilitate more informed decisions on participation (Anikpo, 2004). Everything
considered Nigeria is notyet ready for the GATS regime and should not sign the agreement in a hurry just to
impress on the international community that she is the giant of Africa and must give the lead. Such will be
unrealistic and detrimental to University education in Nigeria.

22
 Journal of Educational Research and Policies. Volume 4. Number 3.2009

REFERENCES
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