I will like everyone to contribute to this topic "should there be free education in Nigeria?" I mean in tertiary institutions

I support free education to secondary school - subsidized education at tertiary level - with loans and grants.

No because we cannot afford it !

Look at where the previous attempts at the so-called free education got us.
Some NLander cannot tell the difference btw a noun and an adjective.
We shall not even discuss plural nouns vs plural verbs.


Bottom line?


IT DOESN'T WORTH IT!

I appreciate all of the contributions so far. I asked this question because of the campaign manifesto of the ACN to provide free education to everyone. Especially the "dumb" governor of Osun State. Let me state clearly that I m not a fan of any of the political party in Nigeria. All of them are thieves and rogues. I have a great respect for Chief Obafemi Awolowo. However, isn't it the time for ACN to rewrite its manifestos to be in line with the 21th century? In my opinion, if Chief Awolowo is still alive today, he would have rewrite his manifestos.
I visited my primary and secondary school (in Osun State) last year, I was crying when I saw the condition of the buildings. All the buildings in those school are nothing but death traps for the students and teachers. The classes were overcrowded and under funded. In fact, what I saw were better imagined than real. In spite of these conditions, Gov Aregbesola did nothing to improve the situation of public school in Osun State but he has the time to analyze who is suppose to be "omoluabi" and who is not suppose to be "omoluabi". I wonder what is his definition of "omoluabi"?
This is my message to all the politicians who will rather lie than to tell the truth- Nigeria needs subsidized quality education not free education.

alj harem: No because we cannot afford it !

I support free education throughout secondary school. THen for university grants and loans can be given out. We need cut government because a lot of them are useless. This will leave more money for education. This educational reform can change Nigeria for ever.

Borntoreign: I appreciate all of the contributions so far. I asked this question because of the campaign manifesto of the ACN to provide free education to everyone. Especially the "dumb" governor of Osun State. Let me state clearly that I m not a fan of any of the political party in Nigeria. All of them are thieves and rogues. I have a great respect for Chief Obafemi Awolowo. However, isn't it the time for ACN to rewrite its manifestos to be in line with the 21th century? In my opinion, if Chief Awolowo is still alive today, he would have rewrite his manifestos.
I visited my primary and secondary school (in Osun State) last year, I was crying when I saw the condition of the buildings. All the buildings in those school are nothing but death traps for the students and teachers. The classes were overcrowded and under funded. In fact, what I saw were better imagined than real. In spite of these conditions, Gov Aregbesola did nothing to improve the situation of public school in Osun State but he has the time to analyze who is suppose to be "omoluabi" and who is not suppose to be "omoluabi". I wonder what is his definition of "omoluabi"?
This is my message to all the politicians who will rather lie than to tell the truth- Nigeria needs subsidized quality education not free education.

The few times I have heard parties campaign, the extent to which they promised free education is up to secondary school level which I believe is very reasonable and highly sustainable if priorities are well set. This said, I would like to see a situation where the PTA levy paid by students which goes to the confers of the school is used towards improving the standard of the school as well.

GboyegaD:

The few times I have heard parties campaign, the extent to which they promised free education is up to secondary school level which I believe is very reasonable and highly sustainable if priorities are well set. This said, I would like to see a situation where the PTA levy paid by students which goes to the confers of the school is used towards improving the standard of the school as well.

I will love to see the governments dividing each town into districts, collect property tax from each district and use 70% of tax from each district to improve education in that district. The remaining 30% can be used to help the financially challenged districts on urgent need bases. If we do this, our primary and secondary schools will look different in the next 10 years.

igbo2011:
I support free education throughout secondary school. THen for university grants and loans can be given out. We need cut government because a lot of them are useless. This will leave more money for education. This educational reform can change Nigeria for ever.

The brother from another mother. Igbo2011 my true friend.

The situation now does not call for free education. Nigeria is in deficit because of the previous Nigerian administrations and the traitor among us (government workers lying to people). To be honest Nigeria is broke, even to the extent that we have a reoccurring expenditure of 75 % of our total budget although now it has reduce to 55 % or so according to Manny4life (I am not sure how true this is).

As you rightly said, it would be nice to have free in secondary school which I strongly support but at the end of the day it would turn to a silly project. Do you know right now we have free education but take a tour to those government schools, you would almost cry as salaries of teachers have not been paid for upto 7 months, students and teachers can not construct a simple sentence etc. It was here on narialand when we heard of a student who was speaking in broken English to judge. How sad you ask ? well that is the situation in Naija.

My brother, please lets just pray that your likes get into government and so you would help Nigerians. This current generation of leaders and people are too wicked to make something like that work. My brother you would be shocked if you go a Nigerian public school currently which is free. Very shocked.

Right now, Nigeria should focus on revenue generation projects and constant electricity.

awof dey run belle, if we no pay money them go the treat students like trash, lecturers go just dey say afterall are the paying for the class

alj harem: No because we cannot afford it !

as in?

OP - how much den pay you for this job?

Nothing is free in the real sense. I do believe that a token of a few thousands- like #5000 per term could help in improving the infras in the schools. This is where there is some level of sincerity. It's not enough to mouth free education when things are not adding up. Check the public schs in china. Our so called expensive private schs can not a

Every state that think they can afford free education policy should go ahead and do it, as it was done during the time of Awolowo! meanwhile, parents should be encouraged to complement the government efforts in the free education thing. But if anybody feels they are not happy with the free education arrangment, we have plenty of private schools around!

I have yet to think out a good reason why the willing man who cannot afford to get an education shouldn't be given an opportunity.

Missy_B: I have yet to think out a good reason why the willing man who cannot afford to get an education shouldn't be given an opportunity.

This is the reason we talk about subsidized quality education and not free education. When education is not free everyone pays. Those who cannot afford the price gets help from the govt.

Callotti: Look at where the previous attempts at the so-called free education got us.
Some NLander cannot tell the difference btw a noun and an adjective.
We shall not even discuss plural nouns vs plural verbs.


Bottom line?


IT DOESN'T WORTH IT!

Obviously, if there is anyone here that can't tell the difference between a noun and an adjective, it is you, Mr Prof. Your statement, "it does not worth it" only shows that you do not know and do not know that you do not know, what a malady and travesty of a supposedly paid education that you have got. The word "worth" can be used both as an adjective or a noun, however, in your statement; "it does not worth it" you wrongly tried to use it as a verb as opposed to the correct expression, which is; "it is not worth it", where it is used in its adjectival form which is the right way to use it.
May be if you had had a little more free education you would have been able to learn better than to overhaul the opportunities free education presents to people who are willing, smart and intelligent but do not have the wherewithal to pursue it. Every man needs an education, it does not have to be a luxury for the few opportuned, we don't have to get darwinian or capitalist with every "goddam" thing, even the US with their mighty Ivory Leagues still heavily fund and subsidize education, go figure.

Free education at tertiary level is an utopic wish in today's world; it is not just possible. A country like Nigeria, aspiring for rapid advancement in science and technology, need tertiary institutions to be well-funded. Universities/polytechnics are research facilities and internally generated funding is a priority for any serious tertiary institution. Today, South Africa and Egypt are far ahead of Nigeria in terms of research and development in Universities and I think we have a lot of serious catching up to do. However, I think a robust bursary/scholarship scheme for outstanding and indigent students can be proposed to cushion the fall-out from paying fees.

The fact is, at no time has there ever been an entirely free education to the tertiary level in this country , I doubt if even the widely touted Awolowo scheme can boast of such a feat. What we call free education most of the times are just subsidies( which obviously go a long way to help parents to cut cost). And I am of the opinion that it should not just stop at secondary, other bursery schemes can be introduced as well at the tertiary level to help cushion the effect of high cost. In reality, no amount of salaries will improve those rogues we call lecturers( yes, a majority of them are mediocres), the problem is in the management system and philosophies by which our schools are run. Corruption has eaten deep into every fibre of our society, majority of the people we call lecturers at our Universities-am sorry to say-are quacks that parade themselves as academics but can't hold their own outside. Most of them do not go on sabbatical neither do they have any elaborate scheme at our Universities that serve such purpose. All they do is politics, at departmental, falculty to the senate level, there is very little academic prowess in their selection process, it usually politics and connections. In fact, it is like the more the government pumps money into these schools both federal and state the more corrupt the management gets. Until there is a paradigm change of philosophy like we have seen in the banking institution where people are held responsible and nobody is bigger than the law then we will have to make do with what we have and tailor our free education policy in line with what is obtainable and not compare and wait until we have an almost perfectly run system like in china, RSA or almighty USA. Fact!

nice one there

whether there should be free education in Nigeria should be a question that should be asked. This should a fundemental right enshrine in the Nigerian Constitution

There should be no free education. Any thing free has no value. You must pay for a service rendered. Nothing in this lyf comes easy.
In Akwa ibom state,folks hu should be in vocational schs are being forced to go to sch,cos it's free nd complusory. Bottom line.
Free education makes a child redundant to the society.

igbo2011:
I support free education throughout secondary school. THen for university grants and loans can be given out. We need cut government because a lot of them are useless. This will leave more money for education. This educational reform can change Nigeria for ever.

Well said!

Callotti: Look at where the previous attempts at the so-called free education got us.
Some NLander cannot tell the difference btw a noun and an adjective.
We shall not even discuss plural nouns vs plural verbs.


Bottom line?


IT DOESN'T WORTH IT!

Arrant nonsense! You just spewed words devoid of sense.
George Bush (jr) was given the best of education, yet he was accused of 'murdering English.'
You've got no point here.
@ OP, free education will definitely reduce the high level of illetracy in the country.

Free Education is a NO! NO!

Education should not be free.

Basic education, yes!! but after J.S.S 3, education should be on merit and sports scholarship. Everything that has been subsidized has been destroyed. A University should be free to charge any amount it deems necessary for it to run at full steam. A university should be free to source for funds through tuition, research for companies and industries and other means. BUT, this habit of free free free has wrecked the Universities.

The Government in Nigeria poorly funds our Universities, then they sit in their fancy offices and houses and fix the cost of tuition for the Universities and still expect a university that s already running on a shoe string budget to provide top quality education. HOW!!!!!


After JSS3, any student that flunks WAEC should be sent to a vocational school to learn a craft or should be allowed to sit for WAEC again and try and pass, only that on his second attempt, the cost would be borne by the parents of the students. . . Upon passing into Senior Secondary, a scholarship system is put in place. For Academically gifted students who can hit a set average yearly, their tuition is covered 100% by the government. For those B & C students, they are on a partial scholarship (60% government), and those that are skillful and can maintain a set average as well yearly, they would have a special provision for them. The truth is that we must make the students work for their scholarship not just throw it blanket for everybody and anybody. This habit of free education all the way is really destroying our educational system. . Little wonder majority of those students who flunk external exams are from public schools.

To hell with free anything or subsidized anything. Provide us jobs, provide us security, provide us electricity, and provide us good schools. . . We will foot our own bills, Insurance companies and bank schemes would take care of tuition costs, security would ensure that we can hussle through the night, In the developed countries and continent with all the billions of excess dollars they have, EDUCATION and BASIC AMENITIES like water, electricity and telecomms are neither free nor subsidized.

education should not be free.

As much as I would like to say there should be no free education, I would have to say that it is needed. I think education should be free only at the primary level in order to bridge the literacy gap in the country. The primary level should be the only place where there should be free education and nowhere else.

Do not know
[img]http://www.spgames.info/g.gif[/img]

Okija_juju: Free Education is a NO! NO!

Education should not be free.

Basic education, yes!! but after J.S.S 3, education should be on merit and sports scholarship. Everything that has been subsidized has been destroyed. A University should be free to charge any amount it deems necessary for it to run at full steam. A university should be free to source for funds through tuition, research for companies and industries and other means. BUT, this habit of free free free has wrecked the Universities.

The Government in Nigeria poorly funds our Universities, then they sit in their fancy offices and houses and fix the cost of tuition for the Universities and still expect a university that s already running on a shoe string budget to provide top quality education. HOW!!!!!


After JSS3, any student that flunks WAEC should be sent to a vocational school to learn a craft or should be allowed to sit for WAEC again and try and pass, only that on his second attempt, the cost would be borne by the parents of the students. . . Upon passing into Senior Secondary, a scholarship system is put in place. For Academically gifted students who can hit a set average yearly, their tuition is covered 100% by the government. For those B & C students, they are on a partial scholarship (60% government), and those that are skillful and can maintain a set average as well yearly, they would have a special provision for them. The truth is that we must make the students work for their scholarship not just throw it blanket for everybody and anybody. This habit of free education all the way is really destroying our educational system. . Little wonder majority of those students who flunk external exams are from public schools.

To hell with free anything or subsidized anything. Provide us jobs, provide us security, provide us electricity, and provide us good schools. . . We will foot our own bills, Insurance companies and bank schemes would take care of tuition costs, security would ensure that we can hussle through the night, In the developed countries and continent with all the billions of excess dollars they have, EDUCATION and BASIC AMENITIES like water, electricity and telecomms are neither free nor subsidized.

May God increase your honour and comfort you on every side for speaking the truth! Remain blessed always brother! I cherish you.

Okija_juju: Free Education is a NO! NO!

Education should not be free.

Basic education, yes!! but after J.S.S 3, education should be on merit and sports scholarship. Everything that has been subsidized has been destroyed. A University should be free to charge any amount it deems necessary for it to run at full steam. A university should be free to source for funds through tuition, research for companies and industries and other means. BUT, this habit of free free free has wrecked the Universities.

The Government in Nigeria poorly funds our Universities, then they sit in their fancy offices and houses and fix the cost of tuition for the Universities and still expect a university that s already running on a shoe string budget to provide top quality education. HOW!!!!!


After JSS3, any student that flunks WAEC should be sent to a vocational school to learn a craft or should be allowed to sit for WAEC again and try and pass, only that on his second attempt, the cost would be borne by the parents of the students. . . Upon passing into Senior Secondary, a scholarship system is put in place. For Academically gifted students who can hit a set average yearly, their tuition is covered 100% by the government. For those B & C students, they are on a partial scholarship (60% government), and those that are skillful and can maintain a set average as well yearly, they would have a special provision for them. The truth is that we must make the students work for their scholarship not just throw it blanket for everybody and anybody. This habit of free education all the way is really destroying our educational system. . Little wonder majority of those students who flunk external exams are from public schools.

To hell with free anything or subsidized anything. Provide us jobs, provide us security, provide us electricity, and provide us good schools. . . We will foot our own bills, Insurance companies and bank schemes would take care of tuition costs, security would ensure that we can hussle through the night, In the developed countries and continent with all the billions of excess dollars they have, EDUCATION and BASIC AMENITIES like water, electricity and telecomms are neither free nor subsidized.

Whoever thinks that education should be free in Nigeria should read this http://odili.net/news/source/2012/apr/15/821.html

I sincerely believe all schools from kindergarten to PHD should be privately owned and run...again it is down to the issue of blanket subsidies as we have in the oil sector...

Blanket subsidies actually try to create an artificial condition that will end up imploding on itself...

My suggestions are govt encourages private owned schools and sells off the existing govt owned ones, and then
identify those who cannot pay school fees for valid reasons,
for nursery,primary and secondary, the local govt pays your fees, you are fee to choose any school within the LGA as long as they accept you

For tertiary learning, those who cannot pay the fees should go for govt guaranteed loans, they are free to choose any school of their choice, this would be state govt run.....

For areas too poor to build schools, state and local govt can build schools and immediately sell off to private people who can pay over a period of time..

The FG has no business in this sector apart for overall educational policy formulation and regulations, eg NUC


The present system of government in running schools has succeded in creating two classes of schools, govt( for the have nots) and private (for the haves) , and again govt does not have moral rights to insist on standards being maintained when itself cannot maintain standards i running schools

Education should not be free...period!

I already know that freebie loving leaches will not support this ideas ...so fvuk u too