₦airaland Forum

Aliciakeys: You said it yourself, they sought admission elsewhere, they surely do know the value of education so that act did not deter them from seeking what they so much want.

So the price hike is justified, as well as the termination of their studies. You never spoke about your feelings if you were in their shoes.

[quote author=Dr.ABCD]example of free tertiary education here in nigeria....its not like we dnt hv one, one typical example is the residency program for doctors here in nigeria and other parts of the world[/quote]Thank you.. I'm looking forward to my opponents telling me how this negatively impacts medicine

Aliciakeys: Like you claimed, subsidized education landed US Government in trillions of dollars of debt, imagine what will happen to Nigeria Government if they should implement FREE TERTIARY EDUCATION because from my calculations, free tertiary education will cost an estimated sum of ten trillion naira just for a semester, won't that land Nigeria in a much bigger debt?

The US Government gave out, expecting back and they lost because the cash never came back. If the weren't expecting anything, giving freely, would there be any talks of losses from unpaid loans?

Aliciakeys: You sit down there and scream about financially-induced discrimination when people who know the value are out there making it.

I'll give you an instance of what happened at Anambra State University two years ago.. The school fees for oldies was hiked from N33,000 to N85,000. As a result, over 1/3 of the students stopped and sought admission elsewhere, of course with varying discouraging degrees of success. If you were one of them, describe your feeling and what action you would love. Are they all financially unwise like you claimed?

[quote author=Mazi_Omenuko]more like, give us good leaders that can implement my recommendation of subsidized education with grants and loans.[/quote]Hello.. Doing that landed the US Government in trillions of dollars debt..

Aliciakeys: Bills Gates did not get the all-classy education in a tertiary school, yet he is amongst the world's richest, educating and funding tuition.

Easy on that. Bill Gates is just one person with his success. How does he begin to replace the number of Nigerians that can be here now due to financially-induced discrimination. It doesn't look like they're turning Bill Gates overnight.

@Mazi.. Oh yes.. There is a blueprint. Contact Amanze Okwuchi, a banking expert on facebook. I couldn't publish her work here on her demands for copyright reasons, but I was allowed to give referrals. She has a blueprint. Go verify and extract it.
@CARACTA.. Parents take their kids to outings. Parents encourage their kids to socialize. It's a common sight on campus to see parties. Have you ever attended a party with nothing in your pockets? I have. Countless times

@Obinoscopy.. We're going to be the first to implementing it. Our African brothers are in the blind. It won't be the first we're making such achievements. We were also the first country to offset their international debt owed to the France aid
@ CARACTA.. THE gDP is often utilized to make plans before the full amount ibecomes liquid cash. That's how countries execute projects.

Aliciakeys: DESERVING STUDENTS are those that know their game academically, that is why there are SCHOLARSHIPS and not making education free for all.

Deserving students are those who can. You can't tell me all scientists you know today where always top of their classes from the start. Some picked up along the way.. So you see why finance must not hinder the slow-starters we kill? And mind you, scholarship means freedom from the burden for a very limited number, meanwhile someone who knows much better narrowly missed out while a rich pea-brain schools. Poor decision.

[quote author=Mazi_Omenuko]Still don't understand the correlation between the point I raised and this reply![/quote]If you did accept that the government is responsible for empowering its citizens to participate actively in democracy, why then defer the financial responsibility?

[quote author=Mazi_Omenuko]Did you also consider that you are asking this same country with all these faults to offer free education and fund it completely? The faults you highlighted above strengthens the argument that their should not be any free education as the government can't be sincere enough to fund it.[/quote]That David was youngest and ill-experienced didn't stop him from being King over his brothers. Honour to whom it is rightly due

Fynestboi: Alicia, deschyko you both are not punturing any point from your opponent's argument

Did puncture the whole lot.. Now let's switch

[quote author=Mazi_Omenuko]Dechyko; in your essay, you posited that the rise of the cost of tertiary education has risen to over 2000%, using a case study of OAU within the last decade. Did you also put into consideration the inflation rates and value of the naira when making that statistical comparison? It will be shallow to compare just figures without considering that the value of naira in 2003 isn't the same in this 2013 and the difference could result also in the increase of school fees.[/quote]The exchange rate of dollar to naira in 2003 is N137 to $1. I think inflation statistics should reflect thus here. It is currently N160 to $1, an increase of below 10%. Compare to the 2000% increase in fees.

[quote author=Mazi_Omenuko][color=blue]Tertiary Education should be free: Against

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. I would say you can't quite veil the fact that indeed, the government needs to be involved in tertiary education tuition. That is good. However, after acknowledging that the government is indeed mismanaging our funds, is denying them a medium of properly utilizing the funds they embezzle the best you can offer?? No!!.
Saying that the certificate will not be valued any longer is quite offbeat. We are here, arguing over this logically and intelligently, as a result of our exposure at that stage. Do you think the less-privileged of our audience and country in general prefer the state they are in, not having the tertiary education exposure? Of course not.
That the degree would become useless is, in truth, a sign of progress. Years back, a stone was a potent tool in warfare. What about now, in the age of armoured tanks, radar missiles or nuclear bombs. Do the stones you see everywhere stand a chance?
There may be reduction of employment opportunities, yes, but then, years back, it took numerous men to erect a building. Now building requires lesser people with technology. That, I would say, is a side-dressing of technology. Saying No to that is saying 'No' to technology.
Finally, the educational loan idea is like pouring water on stone to soften it. Although you perhaps inadvently appreciated the influx of governmental interest in education, the loan idea is not ideal. The US government you cited are being owed trillions of dollars via student loans according to article 12 of my essay. Some even perform poorly under such pressure, as in the case of one whose family house was collateralized while securing the loan. Free education is the way out, no halfway solutions here.[/quote]

Continuation The common reactions would be that it would be an expensive project for the government to undertake, but for a country which had been projected to have the highest average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world for the next forty years, according to world acclaimed Citigroup, in a country where 469 lawmakers earn N240 million each as salaries and allowances (ten times more than their US counterparts) ^{[ 10 ]} , in a country where millions of naira are being channelled into white elephant projects before our very eyes, in a country where so much is being spent on comparatively lesser-effective tuition techniques, personnels and research, I would say channelling of funds into tertiary education is not so much of a 'risk'. Knowing the value of tertiary education, how does it appeal to you that it is being considered a 'risk' the federal government cannot take to educate its masses? With an efficient allocation of resources and proper management of funds, this is a responsibility that can be deftly nurtured. Being aware of the disconnect between the cost of tuition and the quality of instruction, there are cheaper, considerably very effective means of education that the federal government can induce into their tertiary institutions, such as the widely embraced Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), where with a computing device and an internet access, one can learn live from the best professors in structured problem solving environments ^{[ 11 ]} . According to Wikipedia, Canada, one of the countries to have successfully implemented free tertiary education, allocates only but 7% of its budget to education, including tertiary education, and are reaping huge rewards, as the country now has more graduate professionals impacting the nation, precisely 1 in 7 as opposed to 1 in 10 Canadan citizens ^{[ 12 ]} . Progressive introduction of free education as initiated and currently undertaken by Canada would do us no real harm.
Conclusively, committing to mind the inestimable importance of tertiary education, the following question must surely remain asked and answered: "Should tertiary education for a significant proportion of the citizenry, sufficiently important for the proper functioning of the society today, be considered a public good and not a privately purchased consumer product?" If you admit it is indeed important for our societal improvement that everyone gets the chance to show their worth, then welcome to where I stand. There may be random unproven jabbers about the drop in quality of tertiary education should it be free, but as we look at the primary and secondary levels where it is being applied, as we look back at the inter-school competitions we had back then, we remember how frequently contestants from the government-owned schools graced the events. Thus, this unproven criticism on the quality of the unfairly maligned free tertiary education is but a castle in the air. As famed speaker and leader, Abraham Lincoln rightly pointed out in the letter to his son's teacher, 'Only the test of fire makes fine steel'. Thank You.

NOTES
1. Universities in Nigeria - Federal Univeristies in Nigeria. Available: http://www.fuoye.edu.ng/discover-fuoye/universities-in-nigeria?start=1
2. National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). Available: http//www.nbte.gov.ng
3. Federal Colleges of Education Act|The Complete Laws of Nigeria. Available: http//www.placng.org/lawsofnigeria/node/110
4. Key Degree 2010. "How to reap the benefits of college". Available: http://keydegree.com
5. Swift, Adam. 2001. Political Philosophy : A beginner's guide for students and politicians.
6. Department of the Taoiseach. 2008. "Building Ireland's Smart Economy: A framework for sustainable economic renewal". Government of Ireland. Available: http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/buildingirelandssmarteconomy.pdf
7. Tribune Opinion. 2005. "Education paves way out of poverty". Greeley Tribune. Available: http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20051225/SPECIALB0411/112250053
8. OECD. Education at a glance. 2011
9. The Legacy of Chief Ikedi Ohakim in Imo State | IMO STATE BLOG. 2012. Available: http://www.imostateblog.com/2012/10/13/the-legacy-of-chief-ikedi-ohakim-in-imo-state/
10. Derenle Animashaun. Nigerian lawmakers are the highest paid in the world - Vanguard News. 2013. Available: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/nigerian-lawmakers-are-the-highest-paid-in-the-world/
11. Vijay Govindaragan and Jatin Desai. Research innovation. HBR Press. 2012
12. Education in Canada - Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Canada[/color]

Continuation It is quite mind numbing that despite the collective efforts of the country to counter racism and promote unity, discrimination chooses to rear its ugly head in the education of the masses, the very essense which is believed to hold only complete good for all and sundry. The cost of tertiary education in Nigeria has continually surged upwards, as the years roll by. For instance, Obafemi Awolowo Univerity, Ife (OAU), used to be heralded as the cheapest university in Nigeria, with their tuition fee pegged at N3,000 in 2003. A decade later, the tuition fee is almost N60,000, signalling an increase of 2000% in just a decade!! And might I add that this is a federal government-owned university, thus, orthodox to be cheaper than the state-owned and private universities. This is the trend all around Nigeria and what does that mean for the masses?? Only the financially-stable get this networking opportunity to meet people and obtain the much sought after degree. Degrees are viewed as signs of individual, intellectual and professional quality. Without a university degree, many paths are permanently denied, thus, access to careers and beneficial connections furnished by tertiary education is being made the province of the wealthy and privileged alone. This locks the less-privileged into the economic strata they were born and raised in as getting out becomes more difficult when denied access to the most high income jobs ^{[ 7 ]} since tertiary educated workers command significant wages and are less likely to be unemployed than the less educated workers ^{[ 8 ]} . The eligibility to attain tertiary education is now being defined by the accident of birth, and not by true merit. This, my friends, is the face of the less-privileged in our country today, a hideous discrimination behind the facade of the much-needed education and the government's insouciance. A typical scenario occured in Imo State in 2009, when the student protested the increment in their tuition fee from N20,000 to N50,000. There were outright protests and indeed low turn-up of payments by the students and in response, the school authority utilized their semester examinations as leverage, denying them the opportunity to sit for them should such fees remain unpaid before hand. This action galvanized some students to walk the extra mile to raise the fees, albeit legally or illegally. Those who couldn't pay up missed their semester exams for that session. As if to rub salt into the festering wounds of the living dead, an announcement was made about an impending hike of the tuition fees to N150,000. Students protested heavily with pen and sword, to which the then tyrant of a governor, now ex, Ikedi Ohakim, replied that such education is for the wealthy alone[9]. It broke hearts to see students in depths of despair within that period. This sentiment is outrightly pernicious and must be ameliorated. Financial barriers must not be allowed to limit potentially high-worth individuals from reaching high levels of success. The leaders of tomorrow should all have the chance to prove their worth, whether rich or poor. Eliminating tuition fees will permanently break down the cultural braces and rebuild social connections between these two often isolated groups. Were Michael Faraday, the poor-child-turned-father-of-electromagnetism, be a Nigerian of this age and time, most probably he would remain just Michael Faraday by birth and naught more, for the knowledge abounds within the walls of the tertiary institutions, one which he not 'born' to attend. to be continued

CONTESTANT 4

TERTIARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA SHOULD BE FREE
According to Wikipedia, tertiary education refers to any education where you can study at an educational level that follows the completion of a school providing secondary school education. It is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as vocational education. In Nigeria, the main institutions that provides tertiary education includes universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, institutes of technologies and nursing schools.
Of over 200 tertiary institutions in Nigeria, the federal government manages about 26 universities, 21 polytechnics and 20 colleges of education ^{[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]} amongst others. The state government, religious outfits and private owners manage the rest. Despite the rise of the cost of tertiary education to over 1000%, it's quite bemusing that there is still a great deal of disparity as to whether tertiary education should be free in Nigeria. It only takes one to appreciate the relevance of tertiary education to both the community and country to admit and second that indeed, tertiary education needs to be free and open for all eligible candidates for the benefits are second to none.
Nearly every country in the developed and developing world provide free primary and secondary education. This is generally uncontroversial and accepted as necessary by both liberals and conservatives around the world because these education are viewed as fundamental rights of young individuals. Why then should this most sincere consideration be denied tertiary education? Every individual has the right to access the knowledge tertiary education affords, being a treasure trove of knowledge to be gained and experiences to be had. This is a once-in-a-lifetime personal, intellectual and spiritual exploration governed by questioning norms and conventions, instead of being all about instructions and orders as in secondary schools and our professional lives ^{[ 4 ]}. Even as it may appear that the population of students would obviously increase, this is a welcome healthy competition since in tertiary institutions, analytical skills take precedence over the ability to memorize, an opportunity to shape individuals' view of the country and themselves, creating deeper levels of relationship between citizen and country. This is, undoubtedly, the duty of the country, which is equipping citizens with the wherewithal to take meaningful part in the democratic process ^{[ 5 ]} . Without proper education, individuals can never be duly effective citizens and denying individuals this right to live aright, this opportunity to be what they should be as bonafide citizens, is outrightly criminal and unjust, a direct violation of their right to live.
A tertiary-educated populace is of insurmountable value to any country. This is reflected in the extensive advantage it provides to a country. Countries of the Western world that promote a culture of smart economy have substantial comparative advantage in terms of production of services and high technology ^{[ 6 ]} . Thus, by facilitating higher education, Nigeria would most definitely increase the likelihood and quantity of investments in her economy due to the availability of educated and skilled workforce in abundance, a trait considered critical when business investments make decisions in this 21st century. Unarguably, the success of every country depends largely on their extensive investment in education. The country, if mindful of what she desires, must, and will strive to make it come to fruition. Intense concern, country-enforced law and order associated with the country's interest would definitely come into play in this promising investment of the country's future.
Also of an equally direct benefit to Nigeria, is the preservation of the nation's cultural identity. Financial constraints, buoyed by the defection to the quick-money science/technology and commercial fields, has seen fewer and even fewer people actually retain interest in the study and research on the country's rich culture. This has left a gaping dent on the longevity of our identity. It is only normal that the government strive to encourage more people to actively devote their time to understanding much more about themselves: their place and relevance to the world, by giving them a comfortable platform to work on. A free tertiary education is the means to reinforce this patriotic desire of ours. to be continued

Hi Samtoll.. Hope you've got enough juice in your Glock?? I'm banking on 'us'.. I've seen what these folks can do..

Fynestboi: 3 already present where is Mazi

That 'MAN' always comes 'a minute to time'

Fynestboi: Two debaters already on seat...

Err.. Actually, I'm standing..

Davo93: Hello pals, hope you guys are doing great? I noticed some contestants are not been careful of the instruction for the finale.

NOTE:
3.) The essay should be in
maximum of 750 words.

All thesame, wishing you guys the very best of luck! We are waiting to see who wears the crown

I asked a question relating to this and I was made to understand it can be exceeded. Just so you don't reverse what has been debated on. Thank You.

Elliotwiz1: are you going to just paste it when the times comes or type it all?

Na pasting tinz toh sure.. The bugger [1500 words +] took me the better part of three hours.

Samtolly4JESUS: 'Your Subscription Has Expired, Pleasse Text.....to Renew'

Why

Why

Why must I receive this dreaded message at this precious moment?

Hey.. Teammate.. You had better found a solution o.. We shouldn't lose this.. *winks*

The Co-ordinators
I'll love to alert you of my usual difficulties, which are
1. Inability to put paragraphs in place such that they appear in the post with my mobile device.
2. Insufficient space to type in my essay in one post.
3. Inability to double space my work on this device.
I currently have no access to any PC now (rural area). I do hope your aid is available at no price.

CONTESTANT 4 verifying his availability for tomorrow's debate.

I think it's synonymous with 'A little thoughtfulness won't hurt your existence..' #NotSpeakingLiterally..

Just to be sure, I noticed some discrepancies in these two statements

Fynestboi: The essay should be in maximum of 750 words.

Better if less than 750 words to make it easier for judges to read all, but no harm making it longer.

I tried to reach others to explain last night, but couldn't. Thus, I took it to mean you can write more than 750 words if it warrants such. Am I in line?

Sexuality section tinz..

If she wasn't ashamed of bending down and exposing her underwear in public, am I supposed to be ashamed of squatting to take a good look at it?
The he-goat said he kept his organ behind because accidents always come from the front.
Before you request a seat from the dog, you must have seen it sitting on one??
Listen to the frog rejoicing for survival after the grass had been cleared, forgetting it is yet to be burnt.
Even if the tooth of an old man remains one, it won't stop him from chewing a chewing stick.

---

Emm.. Bros, is it available for Nokia Torch yet?

Elliotwiz1: let them speak for themselves You're not their lawyer.

Now where's your sense of humour??