This post is dedicated to all Nigerian children as they celebrate today

Whatever is written below is my opinion, it is not flawless or averse to criticism.

Nigeria's education system is on the brink of collapse, if it hasn't collapsed already. From basic to tertiary education, standards have fallen, and in some cases non-existent. The average Nigerian child is a product of a failed system. Government at all levels have paid very little attention to this problem. Even when it had intervened, such intervention have been inadequate.

From my own observation, the major problems bedeviling this sector can be grouped into 5 broad categories.

1] poor funding.
2] poor regulation
3] Examination malpractice.
4] Inadequate manpower
5] Poor strategy for implementing policies

These problems are not insurmountable, we just need a collective resolve to deal with them. Here are a few suggestions i believe could help salvage the situation, especially at the basic level.

1 ESTABLISHMENT OF A FUNCTIONING BASIC EDUCATION BOARD
Almost like the Nigeria universities commission, the primary purpose of this board would be to regulate and set standards to govern basic education in Nigeria. It would periodically carry out assessment of all primary and secondary schools within the country, to ensure that they all meet up to the standards set by the board. Schools that fail to meet up with these standards over a period of time would be de-accredited and closed down.(whether public or private) With the help of this board, parents can be sure that their children are getting proper education in well organised and effectively monitored environment. They would know exactly what to expect from a school. One of the most important standard this board can set has to be the minimum standard for establishing a school.

Minimum standard for establishing a school.
Classrooms without roofs, chairs, etc are all common features of our schools, especially public schools. Students sit on the floor or under trees to receive lectures from teachers who are either unqualified or under motivated. Even when classrooms are furnished, it may often be accommodating more students that it should. In almost every primary or secondary school across the country, teachers are overworked and underpaid. A trend that has left teachers exhausted and frustrated. In this scenario, the students are the worse hit.

The board would set and enforce standards regarding
1)the size and quality of physical infrastructure a school should have,
2)the ratio of teaching staff to students.
3)the maximum number of students to be admitted into a class
4)the nature of equipments (laboratory and library) a school should have and the ratio of such equipments to the number of students.
5)the minimum acceptable qualification for teaching staff.

The basic education board can enforce these standards by first de accrediting all primary and secondary schools in the country (both public and private). Thereafter, the minimum standard for establishing a school is set. The de-accredited schools could then be given a two year period to meet up with those standards. Those who meet up can then be accredited and subsequently reevaluated periodically, while those who fall short would be permanently shut down. It is better to have a few standardized schools than to have many schools providing low quality education.

2 CURBING EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
Many people are yet to come to terms with the serious harm that malpractice has done to our students, and education in general. We often blame the lackluster and nonchalant attitude of students towards their studies on the effect of social networking and television. But the truth couldn't be any farther. Students are increasingly becoming lazy because they can afford to. Why work hard to pass when you can simply cheat? At this rate, students no longer have to read, schools no longer try to get the best out of their students, parents too do not push their children to work hard because there is always a way out. Everyone is involved in malpractice. From the school authority to the parents. It has become organised crime. In most private schools, students who fail are not made to repeat, for fear that the parents may withdraw them from the school. It therefore follows that a child can actually move from JSS1 to SS3 without actually 'passing' a single class. It's not an exaggeration! The same child would eventually sit for SSCE and get full nine credits. How is that possible? Simply put, it is a miracle! No wonder some schools are dubbed 'miracle centers'. Miracles do happen. The miracles occur in different ways. (a) the external invigilator is paid to keep his mouth and eyes shut (b) the students are allowed to 'co-operate' inside the examination hall (c) someone (usually a teacher) writes or dictates answers to the children. (d) the student pays a machinery to write on his behalf.

There is no foolproof way of stopping examination malpractice, but we can definitely make it a difficult and risky endeavour. The following could help

a) Using security cameras at examination venues.
By Examining critically how these miracle centers operate, one would easily conclude that for malpractice to take place, one party must be bought over; the invigilator. If you can't compromise him, malpractice becomes difficult. How do we make certain that the invigilator is not compromised? Simply put, we monitor the events on the ground with a surveillance camera. The film would be submitted to the examination body along with the answer script. It would help the markers determine if the examination center/invigilator maintained laid down standards during the examination. If the film shows any sign of serious malpractice, the entire result for that center would be withheld, and the school would be banned from presenting students for external examination for a stipulated number of years. This method is not foolproof, hence the basic education board must be progressively innovative.

b) biometric data collection, thumb printing
Jamb has started this already. It just ensures that no one can hire a machinery to write exams for him.

c) prosecution of offenders
I'm yet to hear of anyone that spent time in jail for examination malpractice. I know we have such laws, but they should be properly enforced. Even principals of schools, invigilators that are caught in the act should be prosecuted. Such prosecutions should be well publicised to pass a message.


3) DEVELOPING ADEQUATE MANPOWER
By manpower i simply mean teachers. They are the key professionals in the sector. Every effort will amount to nothing if the teaching staff is inadequate. Which is our situation today. To ease this problem, my suggestions are as follows. ;

a) standardizing the teaching profession
Everyone is a teacher right? Wrong!. This is one area where we get it wrong in this country. Anyone with white chalk and a cane is a teacher. It is so wrong. The fact that you know a subject doesn't mean you can teach it to children. Transmitting knowledge in a way that it can be understood is an art and science that should be learned and mastered, that is why people study 'education' in the university. Using unqualified personnel to teach is something even the government is guilty of. A corp member who studied chemistry is pushed into the classroom to teach chemistry, forgetting that there is a difference between 'chemistry' as a course and 'chemistry education'. One is a full blood chemist, the other is a teacher. They shouldn't swap roles.
There should be criteria for being a teacher. For instance, how does one become a Nurse in Nigeria? First, such a person must complete such training in an accredited institution for a stipulated number of years, then sit for a professional exam organised by the council. A license is issued after a person has passed the examination, which will be renewed periodically after sitting for stipulated exams. The teachers registration council should follow suite. Only registered teachers should be allowed to teach. At least we would relax knowing that our children are in capable hands.

b) controlling the output of teachers
Promotion of teachers usually happens every three years. For some other professionals as mentioned above, they have to sit for exams to get promotion. Teachers shouldn't be promoted automatically, neither should it be based on some examination. The success or progress of a teacher should be seen in his students. Hence the performance of his students over that three year period should determine how much progress he has made on the job. At least 70% of his students should perform above average in well organised external examinations. This will challenge teachers to take their jobs personal and exert themselves.

c) improving remuneration of teachers.
An underpaid worker will never give 100%. If there are professionals who deserve better remuneration, then it must be teachers. Education is the cradle of any civilization. Our doctors, nurses, lawyers engineers etc owe a lot to the teachers who built their foundation. Whatever progress we make as a nation, Education is the key, and it lies in the hands of our teachers.

d) continuous education for teachers.
Teaching is a form of public service which requires of teachers expert knowledge and specialized skills, acquired and maintained through rigorous and continuous study; Authorities and teachers should recognize the importance of in-service education designed to secure a systematic improvement of the quality and content of education and of teaching techniques. Authorities, in consultation with teachers' organizations, should promote the establishment of a wide system of in-service education, available free to all teachers. Such a system should provide a variety of arrangements and should involve the participation of teacher-preparation institutions, scientific and
cultural institutions, and teachers' organizations. Refresher courses
should be provided, especially for teachers returning to teaching
after a break in service.


4) OVERALL REVIEW OF THE CURRICULUM
I can not talk much on it, because i am not a curriculum expert. But i do know that our curriculum and strategy for implementing them is old and outdated. I feel that our students are developing rather slowly, and they are not being thought relevant skills that would help them survive in the real world. How many secondary school leavers can you really employ as a secretary or office assistant?.
More emphasis should be put on technical education. There's nothing wrong with teaching skills like automobile repairs, carpentry and woodwork, computer programming, electricity, hairdressing, tailoring etc. The goal is that a secondary school leaver should have developed some skills that would make him useful to society, and even earn a living if he decides not to go further with his education.

Constructive Criticism, contrasting views, and general contribution and acknowledgement are all invited. Nairalanders lets discuss this.

Dicefrost

Ok,Nice

Lalasticlala, ishilove, is dis not front page worthy? At least something for Nigerian children today

dicefrost:
Lalasticlala, ishilove, is dis not front page worthy? At least something for Nigerian children today

Seconded, lalasticlala, abeg move it to front page lets dedicate this to Nigerian children nd d incomin administration. Ishilove olawalebabs , Fynestboi , Richiez
Oya do d needful pls

Story story, story.

You've already highlighted the Number 1 cause of stagnation in the education sector.

POOR FUNDING

Public schools are generally starved of needed funds by the kleptocrats in government

Private schools come in different shapes and sizes to cater to different budgets.

You generally get what you pay for in Nigeria.

The children of the rich who are educated in the country get the best education available in the country, and there are several excellent private schools in the country.

The children who recieve substandard education are generally those whose parents can't afford the very expensive private schools out there, so they end up at mediocre private and public schools.

Private education is funded by consumer budget, and so the parents know what bang they are getting for their buck...and generally speaking Private is better than Public in Nigeria

Therefore if the government must set 'standards' as you put it, they must also offer an alternative school for those students whose alma maters don't make the grade(pun intended)

However as the government run public schools are not much better, the government then faces a dilemma: Can you close down a run down private school and guide pupils to a run down public school which is being run on an ever diminishing budget?

So it is indubitable that the first step the government must take in fixing the rot in the educational sector, is by overhauling the public school system and making public schools the benchmark standard. Only then can there be any solid reforms to the sector.

But the eagle eyed posters amongst you might have noticed the flaw in this plan; the thieves in high places continue to steal the money meant for education, leaving it to rot... Bringing us back full circle to square 1(Pardon the shape-related pun)

So basically, LACK OF MONEY, is the one and only cause for the rot in Education. Every other problem stems from that one singular problem.

NO MONEY.

Find a way to pump money into the system and watch things change for the better.

This post was brought to you by 2 wraps of skunk cannabis. Thank you.

The role of radio programmes in improving education system
http://articlesng.com/role-radio-programmes-improving-educational-system/

The fact that you know a subject doesn't mean you can teach it to children. Transmitting knowledge in a way that it can be understood is an art and science that should be learned and mastered, that is why people study 'education' in the university. Using unqualified personnel to teach is something even the government is guilty of. A corp member who studied chemistry is pushed into the classroom to teach chemistry, forgetting that there is a difference between 'chemistry' as a course and 'chemistry education'. One is a full blood chemist, the other is a teacher. They shouldn't swap roles. PEGACSSA74V1 exam questions