₦airaland Forum

When Uneducated Minds Change the Education System, by Owei Lakemfa

The Federal Government has announced it is replacing the 6-3-3-4 education system with a linear 12-year one. This is without wide consultations with the citizenry or the major stakeholders like parents, intellectuals, teachers, students, employers and labour. Just nine months ago, government had, with immediate effect, imposed major changes in the education system. That was on September 3, 2025, when the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and Minister of State, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, announced that the Tinubu administration had ordered a major review of the national curriculum. They claimed the reforms were to reduce subject “overload,” promote skill development, and align Nigerian education with “global best practices.”

The ministers announced that the fundamental changes, which, like a military decree, took immediate effect, are a testament to the Tinubu administration’s commitment to invigorate education, enhance teaching, and equip students with the skills and knowledge required to flourish globally. The plethora of reasons given for replacing the 44-year 6-3-3-4 system do not stand up to any critical scrutiny or logic. First, it claims the aim is to reduce school dropouts. It said there are about 80,000 public primary schools to some 15,000 junior secondary schools. This imbalance, the administration argues, has contributed to overcrowding and limited access to education. So, how does a change of system result in availability of more secondary schools or improved access to education? What is required is simply to build and equip more schools.

The administration is merely trying to sidestep issues and divert attention from the fact that after over three years in office, it has neither focus nor direction on education. For instance, the primary problem Nigeria faces is not so much the issue of dropouts in secondary schools, but the fact that we have over twenty million out-of-school children. Rather than tackle this, the administration has for over three years now engaged in rigmarole. It is like abandoning leprosy and focusing on scabies. Education is like the staircase in a house; it is a linear progression.

It does not matter whether the steps are 6-3-3 or 12. So, the issue is not the system, but the vision, policy, implementation, political will and sincerity. Secondly, government claims that the change is to eliminate financial barriers. How does a change in school system solve that problem? The basic way to eliminate financial barriers is to make education free and available as stated in Chapter Two of the constitution. A refrain of the Tinubu administration is that its education objectives are to align the Nigerian education system with “global best practices.” What does this jargon mean?

The universal best practices in education are the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) four pillars of education, which are: Learning to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Live Together, and Learning to Be, which collectively result in holistic development and lifelong learning.

UNESCO explains that “Learning to Know” is about knowledge acquisition and understanding the world, which enables the student to develop cognitive skills and effectively comprehend complex issues. “Learning to Do” is the application of knowledge to real-life situations, which requires occupational skill acquisition and the ability to handle work challenges either individually or collectively.

This equips the individual to work within society, be useful to it and adapt to the environment and its challenges. “Learning to Live Together” is understanding how to live with others, appreciate diversity, respect other views, beliefs and human dignity, foster social skills and the ability to manage conflicts.

“Learning to Be” is developing the ability for critical thought and developing individual potentials. This pillar aims at personal development, encouraging individuals to develop their personality, autonomy, critical thinking, self-control, self-awareness and contribution to the development of society. These four pillars are the framework on which universal education is built.

Talking about system, is there anything inferior about the 6-3-3-4 Nigeria is running? To answer this, let us examine that of China, which has used education and vision to vastly improve the lives of its 1.4 billion citizens and transformed a hitherto backward, underdeveloped country to the second-largest economy in the world. China has a six-year primary school and a three-year middle school after which a competitive entrance examination, the Zhongkao, is taken for entry into senior secondary education, which runs for three years. It is at this stage the student either goes for the humanities or STEM. Except for the Zhongkao examination, this is exactly the education system Nigeria is running. If there is an argument that China is communist, let us examine the capitalist United States. It runs the “K-12” system, which is structured into elementary, middle school and high school, then tertiary. This again is like the 6-3-3-4 system Nigeria is running.

If there is an argument that Nigeria’s education DNA is British, we can also examine its system. Britain runs a 3–5-year-old early learning; 5–11-year-old primary education; 11–14-year-old secondary education; 14–16-year-old General Certificate of Secondary Education; and a 16–18-year-old Advanced Level school, before tertiary education. Again, there are similarities with the Nigerian system. So, where did the Tinubu government get its illusory “global best practices” refrain? Our 6-3-3-4 education system is designed to blend technical, vocational and general education so its graduate can choose a pathway to the future. If this system has failed as claimed by the Tinubu team, it is not the system that has failed but the governments we have had since 1982 that have failed to provide and equip workshops and training centres for skill acquisition and properly invest in education. But is government really interested in education when the teacher-training schools have been abolished and the Colleges of Education are run like orphanages for people considered as low brains?

Also, the government’s idea of education is myopic; it is all about form, not content. What is the content of the education our children are getting? For instance, are they being educated to defend the society, fundamental human rights and democracy? Now, my final submission. Education is the foundation of society and its future. It is so fundamental that it touches all lives in society. Therefore, if fundamental changes are to be carried out, it should not be like an ambush.

The people should not be alienated from the process. There should be broad consultations and the people treated as sovereign. Given UNESCO’s definition of education, those who alienate the people from such a fundamental process of education-system change, irrespective of their educational qualifications, are merely literate, not educated. My suggestion is that the Tinubu administration should halt any further steps on the education-system change to allow for a comprehensive review and wide consultations. The days of military rule are gone.

Clature:
I said the exact same. When I say that our leaders are not intelligent my friends will say I have come.

One of the things I expected of Mr. President was to retire the entire 700,000 plus civil and public servants and rehire purely based on merit; that way, watch the system change.

So in as far as we proceed with the current crop and the status quo who cannot critically think prior to coming up with silly ideas, we are headed absolutely nowhere.

Rapmoney:
I keep saying it that the Education Ministry in Nigeria is filled with 'uneducated' set of people. They play politics with the education system. These people know that there is nothing creative and progressive they have to offer, so what they do is to dish out policies without concrete tests to show that they are active.

Rapmoney:
I keep saying it that the Education Ministry in Nigeria is filled with 'uneducated' set of people. They play politics with the education system. These people know that there is nothing creative and progressive they have to offer, so what they do is to dish out policies without concrete tests to show that they are active.

SAMBARRY:
When una introduce politicians into the educational system that was the beginning of the end of educational system

The time una dey give funny and questionable politicians honourary doctorate because of money,una no know say anything politicians touch or put hand inside them must destroy

This one is my boy,give am admission, this one is my girl,put am for there what were you thinking. Unqualified students getting admitted and incompetent staff teaching students

BJanta:
How well educated is your own mind too with your BA in History, a very useless, valueless course

BJanta:
How well educated is your own mind too with your BA in History, a very useless, valueless course, from UnIfe , a wobbly stint at Guardian to end up as a useless union leader ?

GerogeI:
While I have reservations about the process of Givernment decisions without expert and community consultations in this administration. Your 6334 system is fundamentally flawed. That id why today you have millions of quarter backed would be managers and few blue collar workers i. A country that aims for industralization.

6334 plans to start chunning out blue collar workers at JSS3. Let's even forget the fact that their are zero provisions for specialised skills at secondary schools, how matured are kids at JSS3 for us to be looking at them to make career decisions.

Its diemphasization of high school and diploma means every body is heading to University after secondary school, otherwise you become an aberration. Graduate studies is meant to train designers and managers. If everybody is a designer or manager, who then will do the actual work?
If everybody is aspiring to be designers and managers because the system is skewed to look down on operators, fabricators technicians, then all your attempts at industrialization become stagnated. Even if designers make a good plan no one can produce it.


This is why so many graduates are unemployed. Many employed ones cannot accomplish the things they were employed to do. Take a typical Engineering class in any University. About 200 students per class in the minimum. The lecturer cannot teach them talkless of tracking their learning. They graduate and the reality for 90% of them is bike riding or keke. For 200 Engineers, there should be at least 4000 Lath operators, CNC machine operators, welders, foundry workers, Fitters , Electricians, heavy machine drivers, etc. ANY TECHNICIAN you see in Nigeria today, was trained in an informal setting either by work and learn or through apprenticeship. They cannot adapt to changes and new tasks outside of what they have experienced because they do not have good grounding. This is why your mechanic is still using guesswork and carburettors engine symptoms to diagnose your 2010 car with full range sensors, OBD ports and Electronic Ignition.

70 to 80% of secondary school leavers must be headed to blue collar careers not white collar office. Irrespective of your career choice, everybody should be getting roughly same remuneration for same level of experience and effort. A medical Doctor and an Electrician with 10 years experience should have roughly equal pay. A Teacher of 10 years and a 4 year Industry Trained and qualified Engineer in the Oil industry should have roughly equal pay. But how do you explain these to a president who thinks there is a fair exchange rate determined by the market, composed of other countries fighting for dominance and advantages.

SixSeven:
You are absolutely correct especially for entrance examinations both public and private schools. This is where merit got destroyed and if you teach a young child that they can find their way through the system, what do you think they will do when they become adults? School na scam is what they will say because parents, school administrators and officials all connived to take the shortcut. There's no shortcut to success. Are we not humbled at IETLS exams where we claim we have done WAEC but cannot shame those guys that English is our official language

GerogeI:
If everybody is aspiring to be designers and managers because the system is skewed to look down on operators, fabricators technicians, then all your attempts at industrialization become stagnated. Even if designers make a good plan no one can produce it.


This is why so many graduates are unemployed. Many employed ones cannot accomplish the things they were employed to do. Take a typical Engineering class in any University. About 200 students per class in the minimum. The lecturer cannot teach them talkless of tracking their learning. They graduate and the reality for 90% of them is bike riding or keke. For 200 Engineers, there should be at least 4000 Lath operators, CNC machine operators, welders, foundry workers, Fitters , Electricians, heavy machine drivers, etc. ANY TECHNICIAN you see in Nigeria today, was trained in an informal setting either by work and learn or through apprenticeship. They cannot adapt to changes and new tasks outside of what they have experienced because they do not have good grounding. This is why your mechanic is still using guesswork and carburettors engine symptoms to diagnose your 2010 car with full range sensors, OBD ports and Electronic Ignition.

70 to 80% of secondary school leavers must be headed to blue collar careers not white collar office. Irrespective of your career choice, everybody should be getting roughly same remuneration for same level of experience and effort. A medical Doctor and an Electrician with 10 years experience should have roughly equal pay. A Teacher of 10 years and a 4 year Industry Trained and qualified Engineer in the Oil industry should have roughly equal pay. But how do you explain these to a president who thinks there is a fair exchange rate determined by the market, composed of other countries fighting for dominance and advantages.

SAMBARRY:
oyinbo know our antics well na why them give us toefl exams which exposes the mediocrity that the educational system tries to cover