Assessment of the Disparities in the Applications to Higher Education in Nigeria: A Coefficient of Variation Approach
C. P. Obite *
Department of Statistics, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
D. C. Bartholomew
Department of Statistics, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
G. U. Ugwuanyim
Department of Statistics, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
N. P. Olewuezi
Department of Statistics, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In this paper, we used the univariate coefficient of variation to estimate the disparities in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) applicants in all the States for both male and female from 2010 to 2018 and the multivariate coefficient of variation to estimate the disparities in the JAMB applicants for the different geopolitical zones for both male and female from 2010 to 2018. For the States, Zamfara State recorded the highest variation for both male and female while Adamawa and Osun States recorded the least variation for male and Edo State, the least for female. For the geopolitical zones, South West had the least variation for male and South-South, the least for the female while the North East had the highest variation for both male and female. The study shows that the Northern States and Zones had a high disparity rate in the study period.
Keywords: Coefficient of variation, disparity, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, states, geopolitical zones.