The revelation of the cut-off marks for admission into Federal Government Colleges otherwise known as Unity Schools nationwide released recently by the Federal Ministry of Education is scandalous, extremely disturbing and should worry every patriotic Nigerian who has the well-being of this country at heart. I count myself as one despite my constant disillusionment with the shoddy way the Nigerian Project is being managed as in this particular case. But then as a senior friend and mentor once said encouragingly, “Don’t give up, we’ll keep plodding till we get it right someday”. But with an absurdity like this happening in the educational sector deemed to be a critical factor in national development, can we ever get it right?

I am aware this has been going on for years and successive administrations have consistently and tacitly encouraged the breeding of dunces in public schools in some sections of the country by virtue of the federal character principle and quota system. I believe the appointed time has come for well-meaning Nigerians to strongly condemn this retrogressive policy that confounds all known logical and educational reasoning. If not that this is a country where leaders celebrate shame and infamy, pray what will make the Governors of Yobe, Zamfara, Taraba, Kebbi and Sokoto states, where cut-off marks for admission are two, four, three, nine, and nine, respectively, over 200, laud a single development programme in their states? These cut-off marks are indications that this is non-existent. After 14 years of civil rule, it is only huge educational liability these states could offer the nation. I do not need to visit them to authenticate their governors’ infamous claims of building of classroom blocks and donating thousands of textbooks; the examination scores are damning evidence and they should bow their inglorious heads in the mud.

I empathise with states such as Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Delta, Lagos and Ogun whose cut-off marks are within the range of 130-139 over 200, and which had routinely received the short end of the stick as a result of this obnoxious policy. I, particularly, feel the pain and frustration of parents, guardians, teachers and leaders whose efforts in bequeathing their future leaders good quality education have been derided by this policy of the Federal Government. I join them to question why these children should be punished for being studious and bright; why they have to sacrifice their educational goals this early in life to give their counterparts from the so-called educationally disadvantaged states a chance, as if it is any of their making, as if they are not carrying enough burden for simply being born and bred in Nigeria. These innocent young boys and girls are being made to suffer for the misrule, negligence and corruption in these states that have deprived their younger citizens of quality education. Unfortunately for them, this is the beginning of several bumps in the road to succeeding in Nigeria. I sincerely hope their parents and guardians would be forthright and courageous enough to explain to them that our warped sense of patriotism calls for a lifetime of sacrifice that starts from secondary education (with the inequitable admission policy for Unity Schools) and continues into higher education (with JAMB’s discriminatory requirements for admission into universities and polytechnics) and right into working life, especially, if they plan a career in the public service (with the Federal Character principle that spurns meritocracy). They should let their charges know the retrogressive forces they need to fend off to make it in Nigeria — being constantly aware that the Nigerian state does not want you to aspire to be the best; to be competitive is repugnant to the Nigerian dream, to be creative is abhorrent to the Nigerian nature; and to have goals is an abomination in Nigeria’s very peculiar environment.

Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, who is a product of a system that encourages citizens to be the best they can be, captured it aptly when he declared that Nigerian leaders are dream-killers. How do we expect the children from Enugu, Anambra, Lagos, Delta, Abia, Imo, and Ogun states who have excelled in the entrance examination to happily swallow the bitter pill of the quota system/Federal Character principle that sneers at their efforts in this regard? Such children, whose only hope for laying a solid educational foundation probably rests on getting quality education from a Unity School, since their parents or guardians cannot afford the expensive private schools, are short-changed in this most horrible manner. These same children who have studied so hard and scored over 60 per cent have to relinquish their place to their counterparts from Taraba who scored less than six per cent.

A system that rewards failure or mediocrity under any guise will remain in perpetual retrogression. The fact that a state is educationally disadvantaged does not warrant this kind of abysmal performance in an entrance examination. The nagging question in any sane person’s mind is: What curriculum or syllabus is being used to teach pupils in Taraba, Zamfara, Kebbi states among others, to warrant this mass failure? Is it the same one approved by the Federal Ministry of Education and being used nationwide? What has been revealed by the cut-off marks from these states is that zero teaching is going on there – an indication of a gradual descent into sub-national illiteracy. Obviously, the governors from these states have a lot of explanation to do. Is it any wonder some of these states record large number of enthusiastic recruits into the Boko Haram sect?

The irony in all of this is that by embarking on this unjust policy, the Federal Government is punishing states which have made a concerted effort in the basic education of their citizens, by raising the bar impossibly too high for them to gain admission into the Unity Schools. On the other hand it had rewarded states which have failed to educate their citizens by lowering the bar, and even removing it in some cases, to make it possible for them to secure admission into the same schools. Thus the failure of the child from Yobe is equivalent to success in the government’s calculation, while the success of his counterpart from Anambra or Delta is tantamount to failure. What a paradox! It is only in Nigeria that this can happen.

My only advice to children from states with educational prospects is never to give up their dreams. In making sense of this injustice, they should understand that the failure of their counterparts from the educationally backward states is not by reason of their genetic makeup. Sadly, the system they trust and that should encourage them to aspire to be the best has instead turned them into dunces, as a ploy to keep them in perpetual servitude. The onus is on their parents and guardians to break this yoke by ensuring they go the extra mile to acquire education for their children and wards. There lies the key to their liberation.

- Ms Okafor, a policy analyst, wrote in from Central Area, Abuja via dechins@yahoo.com

phantom:
later someone will get up and tell me that this country is not a failed state.
a country where I.diots and mor.ons lead the intelligent.
thinking about it makes me want to puke.

rudedough:
[size=14pt]Because of the accident of geography, that candidate from Imo State who scores 138 points has to watch helplessly as he is unaccepted in the Unity Schools while his friend from Zamfara State who scored 2 points proudly walks into the same Unity Schools.[/size]

What baffles me the most is that this set of incompetent Northerners are the head of federal parastatals and agencies. How can we grow as a Nation when our brothers up North shy away from competition? They opt for quota system formula in education, military recruitment, employment in the civil service and even political appointments. An uneducated child is a danger to himself and those around him. Little wonder boko haram is recruiting them so easily in large numbers.

PapiWata:



The mere picture of certified dunces PROUDLY enlisting in schools that deny far brighter students admission is both comical and tragic at the same time ha ha ha ha.

A PROUD DUNCE. Ha ha ha ha ha what a concept. Oh well, we can at least conclude that "Affirmative Action" is STILL in action, across much of darkest Africa EVEN as this glorious year of 2014 winds down to a close.

IdomaLikita:
I support Meritocracy but also spare a thought for Equity!
The Chibok Girls not being able to Speak Queens English isn't their Fault, but that of their Teachers and thus must not be castigated for that! For if they had schooled down south and exposed to better teachers, I bet their use of english would have been better!
The true essence of the quota system was to give the disadvantaged a fair chance!
Imagine a Poor Calabar Boy who spent all his Life in Ogoja, was taught by Ogoja Teachers according to Ogoja Standards! What chance does he stand when competing for a Space in a Unity school where Children from Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt etc by virtue of their exposure will over-qualify in their Thousands?
Should the Poor Boy Apologize for his Circumstances and Background or He should be given the Opportunity to go there,see his mates and Sit Up?
Sadly, It has been abused over the Years, but I still think where Justice ends, equity begins!