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Education: The Lost Legacy Of Nigeria [editorial] by ThatFairGuy: 10:58am On Apr 12, 2017 |
It is wisely said that when you build mansions
and refuse to build your children, the children
will ruin the mansions, with over 12.7 million
children out of school, Nigeria constitute 48% of
the world out of school children, this implies
that Nigeria is educationally disadvantaged.
Nigeria as a nation have the resources to
implement free and compulsory standard
quality education in all fairness across all levels
(primary, secondary, vocational, tertiary) but the
reverse is the case. Even though we operate a
partially free basic education system, the
standard obtained is nothing to write home
about.
A sight-seeing tour of the 36 states and 774
local governments in Nigeria will expose you to
the rot in our public primary and secondary
education system, from dilapidated buildings to
less hygiene schooling environments,
overcrowded classrooms, lack of basic learning
equipment’s, substandard teaching staffs,
obsolete and outdated syllabus, extortion of
pupils/students by government education
agencies in form of fees and levies, lack of
proper checks and balance at instance where
government or international agency release
funds or learning materials for educational
advancement. All these have robbed us off the
good we can derive from the presumed leaders
of tomorrow; worst still is the ever increasing
numbers of school dropout and even out of
school children.
It is an eye sore when you drive round major
cities and highways in Nigeria, you see school
aged children turned professional beggars, wind
screen cleaners in traffic, niche narcotic
distributors, street hawkers, domestic labors,
child bride (teenage pregnancy) , store keepers
while some just roam the streets during school
hours.
These out of school children, no matter the
circumstance pose a great danger to the society
and nation at large because an educated mind
is a liberated mind (liberty from social vices).
The out of school children that have been
exposed to several vices from tender age will
grow up and constitute nuisance to the
environment, wreaking havoc on people from
pickpocketing to petty thieves , drug abusers,
tout, political thugs and even ganging up to
form cult society, militant groups or terrorists
(suicide bombers).
To avert this looming danger and also take
immediate measures in reviving our ailing public
primary and secondary education system,
drastic steps must be taken by all tiers of
government. It is no more news that about 48%
of student’s fail WAEC exams yearly (do not
attain minimum 5 credits) and over 75% of
those that passed WAEC were aided to cheat
during exams no thanks to our corrupt system
where everything is compromised and all Mr.
Integrity has a price. If a student had passed
WAEC in all sincerity, there should be no need
for JAMB or other competency test as a yard
stick for admittance into tertiary institution as
obtainable in other nations. But since we are all
aware that the system is compromised, hence
lack of trust across borders. It is also pathetic to
note that several state government that owes
teacher’s salary will find joy in disbursing
bursary (which do not get to it actual targets) to
indigenous students within and outside the state
institutions, in like terms the state owned
tertiary institutions are much more expensive to
enroll as compared to federal schools. To make
matter worst some state governments as part of
their jamboree still sponsor students to study
abroad when their state owned schools are
either on strike or poorly funded.
SOLUTIONS
1. Promulgation and implementation of a new
national schooling program (public primary
and secondary school) that will drive all
school aged children back to school.
2. Establishment of standard quality free and
compulsory basic education schooling
program for all (a clue from Awolowo’s
model in the old western region).
3. Review and upgrade of our primary and
secondary school curriculum to meet with
international best practice standard as
obtainable worldwide.
4. Increase budgetary allocation, improve
infrastructure, proper funding of our basic
education institute and constant supply of
all learning materials needed for studying.
5. Eradication of all forms of payment, levies
and fees directly or indirectly in all our
government owned primary and secondary
schools.
6. Disbursement of free uniforms, textbooks,
sandals and bags to all pupils/students
(which is a better option compared to the
school feeding program).
7. Integration of high end technological driven
vocational and ICT studies into our primary
and secondary school curriculum.
8. Establishment and accreditation of post-
secondary school vocational/technical
training centers for students that do not
desire to pursue academics further. (This is
a norm in Asian countries where skilled
labors are certified and can compete with
their counterpart whom had gone ahead to
study in tertiary institution), this will also
reduce the number of people seeking
admission into tertiary institution as a last
resort for societal relevance.
9. Mandate all military, para-military, police
and corps to arrest, charge and prosecute
parents of children found defaulting/
wandering around during school hours.
10. Recruitment of more qualified basic school
teaching staffs and training of existing
once.
11. Incorporate sporting activities into basic
school curriculum, this will assist in
discovering genuine sports talent especially
in age grade competitions and curb the
idea of age falsification.
If these highlighted points are well
implemented, the long term benefit will be a
more secured, learned and technological
oriented society coupled with development of
Nigerian technology (fabrication, manufacturing
and improvising). This will also curb the over
reliance on university degree rather than
individuals ability, the issue of university degree
falsification will subside also unemployment and
crime rate will be reduced.
I hereby appeal to all stakeholders and well-
meaning Nigerians to see from my point of view
and act fast before this ticking time bomb
explode.
A certain generation of Nigerians parley with the
foreign ally to bring formal education unto this
land, another generation struggled for the
independence of this nation, a further
generation fought for the unity and sovereignty
of Nigeria. This present generation of leaders I
wait to see what legacy will be inherited from
them.
TO:
Nigerian Senate, House of Representatives
Federal Ministry of Education
National Commission for Mass Literacy (NMEC)
Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
All State Governors and Commissioners of
Education
All States Assembly
FROM:
Comrade Solomon Sunday Jacob
Education activist
Initiator, Education for All Campaign
Member, Education Right Campaign
08164693304 (SMS only)
Jacobite06@gmail.com |
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