Developing the Total Student: Model for Learners as Partners in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

In addition to influencing students’ knowledge base, thinking abilities and skills; university education offers the opportunity to promote other aspects of students’ growth as people. University education has an important role in shaping our future society because today’s university students will be tomorrow’s doctors, engineers, business managers, teachers, faith leaders, politicians, citizens, activists, parents and neighbours. While they need to be able to demonstrate key skills and knowledge to enact those roles effectively, they must also demonstrate personal and social responsibility in carrying them out. While much of the current political discourse about higher education is instrumental and economic, this paper aims to lay the foundation for a discourse based on student development. Data was collected through focus group discussions with students in the various colleges in Evangel University, Akaeze - Nigeria, in-depth interviews with lecturers, administrative staff and document analyses of conference papers and journal articles. Findings reveal that the quality of tertiary education is influenced by socio–cultural, academic, economic, policy, political and administrative factors all of which are inextricably interwoven. In this case, the argument is for leadership of teaching and learning for the purpose of promoting students’ holistic development. The discussion of the findings is based on the findings on a wide range of related literature on learners’ challenges in other universities in Nigeria. The paper concludes that the quality of higher education in tertiary institutions is influenced by factors that have their roots in commercialization, general funding, and human population growth. It was recommended that appropriate policies and indigenous professionals (both academic and administrative) are necessary for improving the quality of higher education in tertiary institutions.