IN a move to uplift the standard of accommodation of university students in Nigeria, experts have called on concerned agencies to look into the possibility of students getting convenient accommodations close to their schools to improve their living conditions and enhance assimilation rate, as proximity of students’ accommodation to their schools directly influences their academic performance.
Citing a recent study, experts pointed out that a student’s living and learning environment should be situated close to each other in order to produce well-rounded, academically sound students which will be evident in their performance in academics.
According to them, majority of tertiary institutions in and outside Nigeria make it compulsory for first year and final year students to live on campus. Unfortunately, there is a huge gap in the availability of basic student accommodation in general in Nigeria.
It noted that the National Bureau of Statistics and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board reports that less than 30 per cent of the 1.7 million university applicants in 2017 were able to gain entry into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. With a total combined ‘approved’ capacity of less than 850,000 places annually, the education system and its supporting infrastructure is continuously being stretched beyond capacity.
“Housing is a basic need and fundamental human right of every individual. In Nigeria, the struggle to get decent housing at a reasonable cost is a constant issue faced by the majority of her citizens and the same can be said of students. Students, especially in state and federal institutions are now accustomed to living in very poor conditions,” they noted.
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