Is Transnational Education The next Option For International Students

As a result of foreign exchange difficulties being experienced by Nigerians in recent times, what are the options available to them to gain access to quality international education? A Vanguard newpaper story of August 4, 2016 captioned "Nigerian medical scholars in Caribbean take to stealing" is particularly pathetic. The story has it that 16 students who are being sponsored by a State government hava been abandoned and things have gotten so bad that some of them have resorted to stealing.

Other stories in the media in Canada similarly paint a very depressing situation, for example a CBC news report by Nancy Russell on February 17, 2016 captioned "Nigerian students at UPEI struggle to pay tuition in wake of banking changes" also a CBC news story by Geoff Leo on November 23, 2015 captioned "U of M students fear deportation after Nigerian government fails to pay tuition" and another report by the same editor on November 23, 2015 captioned "Cash-stapped U of R students 'abandoned' by Nigerian scholarship program".

In light of the above stories, the question is what is the way forward for Nigerian students, or students from other nations who crave for quality foreign education in the present circumstances? Is trans-national programs, whereby the universities establish out-reach campuses in developing countries like Nigeria the way forward or should there be more online degree programs available to students from developing countries in their home countries, which will lead to less expensive education gained from respected international universities and other educational institutions?

There definitely has to be a rethink of education in countries like Nigeria, in which the brightest and the best students will still be able to have access to good foreign education without them being subjected to emotional stress.