Educational Returns and Demand for University Education in Rivers State, Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between educational returns and demand for university education in Rivers State Nigeria. In order to achieve the purpose of this study two objectives and two hypotheses were raise and formulated to guide the study. The research design adopted for the study was correlational design. The population of the study was 6144 final year students in tertiary education in Rivers State. A sample size of 614 final year students was used for this study. The sample was selected through the proportionate stratified random sampling technique, which represented 10 percent of the total population of the final year students from the three university in Rivers State. The instruments used in collecting data for the study which contain 25 items questionnaires tagged “Educational Returns and Demand for University Education Questionnaire” (ERDUEQ). The instruments were developed by the researcher, face validation and the reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Simple linear regression was used to answer the research questions and test for hypotheses respectively at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between personal benefits, family benefits, social benefits, economic benefits and demand for university education in Rivers State. Also a significant relationship existed between family benefits and demand for tertiary education in Rivers State. It was concluded that an individual who demand university education derived personal and economic benefits. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that home management and entrepreneurship education and skills acquisition centers should be introduced in our tertiary institutions across the state to be self-reliant on graduation