Supreme Special: Impact of Educational Tourism on Nigerian Economy

A sharp and continuous decline in the standard of education is one of the most cogent reasons for the mass Exodus of Nigerians oversees for studies. By decline we mean incessant strike actions by university staff, poor lecturer to student ratio, an ideal lecturer to student ratio is 1-30 but in Nigeria the ratio is 1- to an average of 70 students. infrastructural deficit and decay like over populated lecture halls, inadequate public address systems, lack of regular power supply, over populated hostels with extremely poor sanitary conditions, obsolete and analogue library system, ill equipped laboratories, non-functional electrical appliances, broken louvers, chairs, bunks, insecurity of lives and properties on campuses etc.

These reasons are cogent but the trend is worrisome. On this article we are discussing the impact of educational tourism on our manpower, economy, education, politics, military and national development. Studying abroad is not pocket friendly that was why in 2016, the Chairman Senate Committee on Tertiary Institution and Tertiary education trust Fund, TETFUND, Senator Binta Masi , noted that Nigerians spend over $2billion annually as capital flight on education in other countries (Yusuf,2021). Even for courses that can be easily undertaken in Nigerian Universities our people send their children to foreign Nations. What does this mean? It means that as a country we bleed our foreign exchange funding education overseas and by extension we weaken the Naira against the Euro, Pounds Sterling, Dollar, Cedi .ETC. Since education is a very legitimate and lucrative business, is there anything wrong in leadership injecting real money on education to attract foreigners to our Universities the same way others attract us? This would in no small way help public universities in Nigeria especially in the area of ranking. Remember that most students who travel oversea to study hardly return back to use their wealth of experience to help develop their father land Nigeria; and we don’t expect a majority of them to return back for very glaring reasons (Ethnicity, standard of living, Gender Inequality, Insecurity, Religion etc.). These children end up developing their host countries because of the hardship in their home country. That is why we often hear comments like: Nigeria has some of the best Doctors in the world, Nigerians are some of the best lecturers in Malaysia and so on. The impact of this fact on our economy is, we spend so much sending our children abroad, when they are done the host countries or any other country that can afford their salaries retain them through mouth watery remuneration offer for the sole purpose of national development.

That means we use our money to develop their educational system by paying so much for our children’s oversea education  and our man power (The students that have successfully undertaken their studies) are retained  to develop same  foreign economy. Educational tourism in my  humble opinion is a subtle form of slavery. Do not get me wrong I am not completely against it; however, adequately managing it in order to forestall under developing our Educational and Economic system should be highly encouraged. Educational tourism enhances networking skills.

• It enhances creativity because it is a platform for exchange of ideas.
• Helps learn about other people’s culture.
• Makes learning effective through real world experience.

What about the malicious killings and hostilities Nigerian students face while studying abroad simply because they are Africans/Nigerians? According to (Ojeme,;2014, abubakar,2013;). As at 2014 Nigeria had over 300 of her students studying precisely in China serving different various jail terms, In 2017, two Nigerian students were sentenced to death in Malaysia for drug related offence, by extension cutting down our manpower. Thousands of Nigerian students are schooling there and I tell you that hundreds have been killed. Who do you take these cases to? And they are killed in similar circumstances. the school just tells you they committed suicide and nothing happens. There has been none prosecuted neither is there any compensation. No Nigerian parent should send their children to any university in Northern Cyprus. There is a collaboration we do not understand that makes them kill blacks especially our Nigerian students. According to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (2020)

The drivers of educational tourism are as it were, very rich, the political and state  actors. That is why there is a very strong assertion that they are the  reason for the gross neglect of our educational system. Nyewusira,B.N, & Nyewusira, C. (2021).

Krystal IBHADE Tamunosiki

krystaltaminosiki@gmail.com