International Journal of Educational Research and Reviews

International Journal of Educational Research and Reviews ISSN 2329-9843 Vol. 3 (8), pp. 501-508, October, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Emergent issues in the practice of higher education: obstacles and way forward for improving medical training in Nigeria

*Femi F. Oyinlola, Babafemi H. Afolabi and Oladapo F. O

Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 19 June, 2015

Abstract

Greater numbers of medical institutions in Nigeria are currently experiencing difficulties in providing the right quality and quantity of education due to underfunding, inadequate and obsolete facilities, absence of experienced and dedicated teachers, increased cost of schooling, lack of update training for teachers, students over population and rapidly deteriorating good morals and core values. The necessary shift from traditional approach to a need-based approach requires a fundamental change of the roles and commitments of educators, planners and policymakers. Teachers of health professional education in Nigeria are to be well-informed of the current information and innovations and utilize these to increase relevance and quality of education to produce competent human resources for the country. The objectives of this paper are: (i) to discuss innovative strategies and emerging trends, which have been successfully adopted by educators around the world for the reorientation of medical education to overcome the above mentioned problems of educational planning, review and development and (ii) to highlight the implications and the importance to initiate need-based reforms of medical training in Nigeria.