We Need to Explore Other Funding Options for Education, Say Bagudu
Olubusuyi Adenipekun
27 October 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email|Print|Comment
Share:
interview
Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu is Chairman Senate Committee on Education. In this interview with Vanguard Education Weekly Bagudu says tertiary institutions should be given freedom to develop at their own pace just as he discloses that President Goodluck Jonathan is setting up a task force among other issues, to return about eight million children out of school to classrooms.
What is the education summit all about?
The education summit was held at the instance of Mr President to look at the educational sector with the theme: restoration, reclamation and sustenance of quality education in the country and all stake-holders were invited to have a two-day look at the education sector of the country.
The President was directly involved in the two-day summit as he chaired the two plenary sessions. He said he wanted all of us to have a hard talk on education which I think is the best phrase one can give the summit. It was an interactive session where he listened, he talked with everybody and I think the summit is the best that has ever happened to the education sector in recent times.
A few weeks ago I was in Bayelsa State, at a function for capacity building for primary school teachers and I remarked that this was a very opportune moment for the education sector in the country because our dear President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a teacher, the minister of education is a teacher, the permanent secretary in the ministry of education is a teacher.
In terms of understanding the issues, in terms of comprending what is at stake and relating to the issues at hand, there is no better team than those who organised it. Both committees on education in the National Assembly are dominated by people who are keen and interested in the educational sector.
I have been a primary school teacher. I have been university lecturer, my father too was an headmaster, so I am familiar with the challenges bedeviling the education system of the country. You have Professor Jubril Aminu, a veteran in the sector, you have Iyabo Obasanjo and others who are well grounded in the education sector.
The same thing in the House, you have Honourable Farouk Lawal, a lecturer for 17 year. So we feel this combination of talents around the decision making process is an opportuned moment for us to look at the sector critically and do something decisively in order to do something different in the education sector.
What is your take on the remark of the president that past ministers of education should apologise to the nation for bringing the sector to this sorry state?
The president was asked a question based on that issue and he said his view came out of his experience as Governor in Bayelsa State where he said the difficulties in differentiating between junior and secondary school, allegedly has been a challenge across the country.
May be the policy was not a bad one, as a matter of fact the policy was a good one but the implementation here has been poor. Some were of the opinion that there should be ouster of the 6-3-3-4 system, some say it should be 9-3 system, some suggested the re- introduction of high school certificate. Policy making for a country is like a growing prison.
No country is at the end of maturity level, you keep evolving as society changes. If you tell somebody today that there is a university that is not offering information technology, you will be surprised. But 30, 40 years ago, I doubt if there was any university offering information technology in the country as a core department.
But because of evolving and changing needs like that, your policy has to be dynamic. Other thing is a reflection of time and any opportunity and developmental needs.
Poor infrastructure and motivation are some of the reasons the standard of education is going down. Was this part of the hard talk?
Nobody was apportioning blame on the teachers or anybody for that matter. Yes it is true that the quality of teachers is very low, the number of teachers is very low as well, individual responsibility given to teachers is also very low and this is a reflection of many other sectors of the country.
Before now, a primary school teacher had the best community support you can think of, then it is the community that would give you accommodation, now these things are no more. A primary school teacher was a very important member of the village in those days.
He worked hard to remain important and the community recognized him so. All that has broken down, so restoring that is not a one man's job. At the end of the summit, we discovered that the problem is hydra-headed. There is result issue.
There is capacity issue which relates to inadequacy of infrastructure you talked about, teaching staff, a lot of teachers at all levels are not qualified, you can't give what you don't have. So the summit recognised that there is the need to do something about it.
We recognised that there is no financial skill management in our institutions, that is, we don't see budget coming from the primary or secondary school except the ministry of education. You just see the ministry of education just hand them whatever they have.
Ideally, the school management in the primary or secondary school comprising the headmaster or headmistress and other teaching staff should come together and outline their needs in a budget to be submitted to the ministry of education rather than the normal practice where the ministry just hand them anything and they also take gladly without any input .
So we recognise the need to develop a framework where people will take responsibilities so that you can hold them accountable. If I am a principal and I do not request anything from the ministry, there should be no need why the ministry must compulsorilly give the principal more teaching staff that is not needed. So, there is need for accountability in that regard.
We recognise the need to allow institutions to make their decisions particularly the tertiary institutions. If the University of Lagos or Maiduguri or Nsukka or Bayero feel that they want to concentrate more on medical field, they should. Universities should be allowed to develop in areas they are most competent, let them grow at their own different pace.
If Nsukka decide they don't want department for Igbo language, so be it. If Maiduguri thinks they are better off in churning out more doctors, why not. So they should be given freedom to exercise autonomy vis-à-vis their areas of competences so that we can see competition in the education sector and see specialization. If you look at it holistically, education anywhere in the world is meant to be competition.
What are some of the resolutions of the summit?
The two-day summit was chaired by the president as said earlier. The first major challenge in any reform of this nature is the will. The president was there without any prepared speech, he was just pouring out his mind. And that tells you how passionate he was regarding the sector.
He x-rayed to the best of his knowledge the problems in the sector. To show how serious he was about the decay in the sector, he said he was going to chair the summit, his actions demonstrated his will to get the sector off ground. The minister of education also did a wonderful job in putting it together. She was supported by the minister of state and the permanent secretary.
My prayer is that the commitment and motivation shown will continue at this high level because the challenges are enormous. So, part of the resolutions is the political will amongst the executive, and the legislative arm of government to make a success of the summit which I think is the first major ingredient for change. Once the will is there, implementation will be easier and that they have shown.
Secondly, there was frank talk. There were different groups in the summit which looked at different aspects of the sector and this group made us to understand that there are 8 million children out of school. What do we do to make some these children return to school?
How many classrooms, how many teachers do we need? There was also the ethics group which says without ethical values, the teachers, students and even the community are not going to change and this is where the religious leaders come in. They must lead in the ethical revival so that the issue of cheating, getting certificate for exams not sat for and other vices can be a thing of the past.
We also looked at the funding aspect of the sector chaired by Faruk Lawal. I am a member. The public sector can never be adequately funded and if that is the case, then we have to look at other options like raising bonds to finance the sector.
As far back as 1948 Nigeria had development bond, so why not for the educational sector because there is the need to really intervene like the 8 million children out of school that need to return to classrooms.
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Education
Business
There is infrastructure collapse and in order to realise our 2020 vision, we have to start now. Raising bond in the market apart, there is the need to increase the budget allocation that goes into the education sector and this is where the issue of flexibility in our higher institutions comes in so that they can charge tuition but with a proviso that there should be a scholarship in place whereby finance is not going to be a limiting factor because that is how the best educational institutions are designed. So we want to have a need-based scholarship.
There is the need to have a skills-based institution. There should be certification transfer mechanism that can help the skilled compete favourably in the labour market. So it was a broad spectrum approach which is why the president is setting up a presidential task force immediately
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Govt Seeks Private Sector Funding for Education
Govt Seeks Private Sector Funding for Education
Emmanuel Edukugho
28 October 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email|Print|Comment
Share:
Nigeria's private sector has been told to assist in the funding of educational projects as vital aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) whereby thriving companies can give back to the society.
Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Deputy Governor of Lagos State and also Commissioner for Education, while opening a new multi-million naira Edward Blyden Memorial School in Lagos Island at the weekend built by Etisalat Nigeria Plc, an emerging communication company, called on the private sector to invest in education and complement the efforts of government.
She said government cannot do it alone hence Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) introduced the Adopt-A-School initiative for private companies to help in ameliorating the problems which public schools encounter in respect of infrastructure, furniture, water, toilets and other amenities needed to create conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning.
"Education is significant for nation building, a legacy to bequeath to our children, a tool for national development, while an educated person is an asset to the nation ignorance can't bring development."
Sosan noted that Governor Fashola took deliberate measures to improve education through infrastructural renewal, building new schools, providing improved facilities, free text books, regulatory mechanism and supervision to ensure quality control.
She tasked officials of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), State and local government education functionaries, Chairmen of Lagos Island Local Government and Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, to go out for more sponsors of educational projects.
L-R: Mr. Babatunde Olaoluwa, Member, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board; Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Hon Mufutau Olanrewaju Kadiku, Chairman, Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area and Mr. Steven Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria at the commissioning ceremony of the newly reconstructed Edward Blyden Memorial Primary School, Lagos Island by Etisalat in Lagos over the weekend. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele.
" The children are blessed because I know how this school was. Parents should pray for Etisalat. I am proud of the school. You should all support to put the school in good shape always. The school is the oldest in Lagos Island. I'm delighted in the tenacity of Etisalat in meeting its corporate social responsibility."
The Deputy Governor added:
"When they (Etisalat) came, they immediately started to give back to the society." Mr. Steven Edward Evans, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Etisalat Nigeria Plc, said it was a privilege to have the Deputy Governor in our midst and others from the education community, teachers, parents, the media for the commissioning of the new school.
He explained that Etisalat CSR is an essential part of the company's operations and activities in the country, and deliberate to build Corporate Social Responsibility around education.
Evans pointed to the 300 scholarships offered to students studying in 30 Universities across the country, particularly in areas of Information, Communication Technology (ICT), electrical engineering, management, sciences, etc who will become drivers of the Nigerian economy.
That Etisalat will soon begin a Radio programme to educate the people on malaria across the nation, while a CSR department has been established in a university, having realised that CSR is an important part of any organisation.
According to him, "It is important to support the community that we depend on for our business."
He recalled his first visit to the school in February, 2010, when he toured the school, went round and saw the poor state of the school, the worst in Lagos Island.
"It was touching as I went round,, meeting the children. It brought back the images of our days past in primary school. We want to make all the children to remember the new school fondly after leaving."
The Etisalat CEO commended Lagos State Government for this innovative programme of Adopt a school and encouraging corporate private partnership in funding of educational projects.
"Edward Blyden School has become a model for all those schools we hope to adopt and re-build," he said.
Headteacher of the school, Mrs. Ngozi Egbuna, praised the Adopt a school initiative of government which has resulted in the beautiful edifice, the "Mega school." She appreciated with gratitude, the CEO, Etisalat for rebranding Edward Blyden School for the benefit of Nigerian children.
It was disclosed that the school was founded by Mr. J. Albert in 1938 and has produced eminent men and women such as Dr. Olusola Saraki, former Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Wahab Dosunmu, former Minister of Housing and Environment, Professor (Mrs) Omotayo Olutoye, Head of African Language, Ondo State University, Prof. Kayode Albert (late), Hon. Wasiu Kayode, Chief of Staff.Egbuna said the school was initially located at No. 4 Okesuna Square. In 1956, it was taken over by Lagos State Government.
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Education
Business
The present site is 77, Hawley Street, Lagos built in 1998 by state Primary Education Board. On February 22nd, the Etisalat CEO visited the school and approved the construction of a new school. Demolition commenced on 20th April and the "Mega School" with eleven classrooms, eight modern toilets, and a borehole with water treatment was completed on 30th August, 2010.
Said the Headmistress:
"This will enhance qualitative and conducive learning environment, and this will no doubt result in migration of pupils from private and other public schools to Edward Blyden School."
She called on individuals, private and public organisations, NGOs and other groups to have a stake in the development of schools as Etisalat Nigeria Plc has done.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Today's Featured News
Tanzania: Business Confident Despite Heated Election Race
Sudanese Activists Campaign for Reform of Rape Law
Africa's Leading Fish Experts Collaborate With Vietnam
Business/Techonology News
Africa's Corruption: The Good and the Bad
South Africa Predicts Growth Rising to 4.4 Percent in 2013
Sudan: Avoid Dependence On Oil-Revenue - Governors
More News on allAfrica.com U.S. Embassy, Entrepreneurs Meet On AGOA
The United States Embassy in Banjul and the West ... Excess Crude Account - From $20 Billion to $460 Million
From $20 billion in January 2009, ...
AFL Widows Meet Pres. Sirleaf
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has authorized the Bureau of ... Giving Millennium Development Goals a Boost
It prides itself as a foremost women ...
Parents Urged to Invest in Their Children
Nigerians have been urged to positively and ... Cabinet Approves Easing Parole Conditions
Easing of conditions for medical parole mooted by ...
Copyright © 2010 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
AllAfrica - All the Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top | Mobile | Who We Are | Advertising | Search
My Account | Make us your home page | RSS | Contact | Privacy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sign up for FREE daily 'top headlines' by email »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site FrançaisSite GuideWho We AreContent ProvidersAdvertisingMy AccountMyAfricaBiztechSustainablePeaceMobileHOME
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Education
Economy, Business and Finance
Topics
FREE EMAIL HEADLINES
Special Reports & Briefings
Photo Essays
From allAfrica
Topical Focus Pages
Resources and Documents
RSS Feeds
BlogAfrica
Arts, Culture, Entertainment
Books
Book Reviews
Children & Youth
Conflict and Security
Crime and Corruption
Economy, Business, & Finance
Editorials
Education
Environment
Sustainable Development
Food, Agriculture and Rural Issues
Health
AIDS
Malaria
ICT and Telecom
Legal Affairs and Crime
Media
Music
Music Reviews
Religion
Refugees
Science and Biotech
Sport
Soccer
Travel
Women
U.S., Canada and Africa
Europe and Africa
Asia, Australia, and Africa
Middle East and Africa
Latin America and Africa
Internet Gateway
Content Providers
Emmanuel Edukugho
28 October 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email|Print|Comment
Share:
Nigeria's private sector has been told to assist in the funding of educational projects as vital aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) whereby thriving companies can give back to the society.
Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Deputy Governor of Lagos State and also Commissioner for Education, while opening a new multi-million naira Edward Blyden Memorial School in Lagos Island at the weekend built by Etisalat Nigeria Plc, an emerging communication company, called on the private sector to invest in education and complement the efforts of government.
She said government cannot do it alone hence Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) introduced the Adopt-A-School initiative for private companies to help in ameliorating the problems which public schools encounter in respect of infrastructure, furniture, water, toilets and other amenities needed to create conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning.
"Education is significant for nation building, a legacy to bequeath to our children, a tool for national development, while an educated person is an asset to the nation ignorance can't bring development."
Sosan noted that Governor Fashola took deliberate measures to improve education through infrastructural renewal, building new schools, providing improved facilities, free text books, regulatory mechanism and supervision to ensure quality control.
She tasked officials of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), State and local government education functionaries, Chairmen of Lagos Island Local Government and Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, to go out for more sponsors of educational projects.
L-R: Mr. Babatunde Olaoluwa, Member, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board; Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Hon Mufutau Olanrewaju Kadiku, Chairman, Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area and Mr. Steven Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria at the commissioning ceremony of the newly reconstructed Edward Blyden Memorial Primary School, Lagos Island by Etisalat in Lagos over the weekend. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele.
" The children are blessed because I know how this school was. Parents should pray for Etisalat. I am proud of the school. You should all support to put the school in good shape always. The school is the oldest in Lagos Island. I'm delighted in the tenacity of Etisalat in meeting its corporate social responsibility."
The Deputy Governor added:
"When they (Etisalat) came, they immediately started to give back to the society." Mr. Steven Edward Evans, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Etisalat Nigeria Plc, said it was a privilege to have the Deputy Governor in our midst and others from the education community, teachers, parents, the media for the commissioning of the new school.
He explained that Etisalat CSR is an essential part of the company's operations and activities in the country, and deliberate to build Corporate Social Responsibility around education.
Evans pointed to the 300 scholarships offered to students studying in 30 Universities across the country, particularly in areas of Information, Communication Technology (ICT), electrical engineering, management, sciences, etc who will become drivers of the Nigerian economy.
That Etisalat will soon begin a Radio programme to educate the people on malaria across the nation, while a CSR department has been established in a university, having realised that CSR is an important part of any organisation.
According to him, "It is important to support the community that we depend on for our business."
He recalled his first visit to the school in February, 2010, when he toured the school, went round and saw the poor state of the school, the worst in Lagos Island.
"It was touching as I went round,, meeting the children. It brought back the images of our days past in primary school. We want to make all the children to remember the new school fondly after leaving."
The Etisalat CEO commended Lagos State Government for this innovative programme of Adopt a school and encouraging corporate private partnership in funding of educational projects.
"Edward Blyden School has become a model for all those schools we hope to adopt and re-build," he said.
Headteacher of the school, Mrs. Ngozi Egbuna, praised the Adopt a school initiative of government which has resulted in the beautiful edifice, the "Mega school." She appreciated with gratitude, the CEO, Etisalat for rebranding Edward Blyden School for the benefit of Nigerian children.
It was disclosed that the school was founded by Mr. J. Albert in 1938 and has produced eminent men and women such as Dr. Olusola Saraki, former Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Wahab Dosunmu, former Minister of Housing and Environment, Professor (Mrs) Omotayo Olutoye, Head of African Language, Ondo State University, Prof. Kayode Albert (late), Hon. Wasiu Kayode, Chief of Staff.Egbuna said the school was initially located at No. 4 Okesuna Square. In 1956, it was taken over by Lagos State Government.
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Education
Business
The present site is 77, Hawley Street, Lagos built in 1998 by state Primary Education Board. On February 22nd, the Etisalat CEO visited the school and approved the construction of a new school. Demolition commenced on 20th April and the "Mega School" with eleven classrooms, eight modern toilets, and a borehole with water treatment was completed on 30th August, 2010.
Said the Headmistress:
"This will enhance qualitative and conducive learning environment, and this will no doubt result in migration of pupils from private and other public schools to Edward Blyden School."
She called on individuals, private and public organisations, NGOs and other groups to have a stake in the development of schools as Etisalat Nigeria Plc has done.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Today's Featured News
Tanzania: Business Confident Despite Heated Election Race
Sudanese Activists Campaign for Reform of Rape Law
Africa's Leading Fish Experts Collaborate With Vietnam
Business/Techonology News
Africa's Corruption: The Good and the Bad
South Africa Predicts Growth Rising to 4.4 Percent in 2013
Sudan: Avoid Dependence On Oil-Revenue - Governors
More News on allAfrica.com U.S. Embassy, Entrepreneurs Meet On AGOA
The United States Embassy in Banjul and the West ... Excess Crude Account - From $20 Billion to $460 Million
From $20 billion in January 2009, ...
AFL Widows Meet Pres. Sirleaf
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has authorized the Bureau of ... Giving Millennium Development Goals a Boost
It prides itself as a foremost women ...
Parents Urged to Invest in Their Children
Nigerians have been urged to positively and ... Cabinet Approves Easing Parole Conditions
Easing of conditions for medical parole mooted by ...
Copyright © 2010 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
AllAfrica - All the Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top | Mobile | Who We Are | Advertising | Search
My Account | Make us your home page | RSS | Contact | Privacy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sign up for FREE daily 'top headlines' by email »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site FrançaisSite GuideWho We AreContent ProvidersAdvertisingMy AccountMyAfricaBiztechSustainablePeaceMobileHOME
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Education
Economy, Business and Finance
Topics
FREE EMAIL HEADLINES
Special Reports & Briefings
Photo Essays
From allAfrica
Topical Focus Pages
Resources and Documents
RSS Feeds
BlogAfrica
Arts, Culture, Entertainment
Books
Book Reviews
Children & Youth
Conflict and Security
Crime and Corruption
Economy, Business, & Finance
Editorials
Education
Environment
Sustainable Development
Food, Agriculture and Rural Issues
Health
AIDS
Malaria
ICT and Telecom
Legal Affairs and Crime
Media
Music
Music Reviews
Religion
Refugees
Science and Biotech
Sport
Soccer
Travel
Women
U.S., Canada and Africa
Europe and Africa
Asia, Australia, and Africa
Middle East and Africa
Latin America and Africa
Internet Gateway
Content Providers
The state of education in Nigeria and the health of the nation
The state of education in Nigeria and the health of the nation
By Victor Dike,
Introduction
At the dawn of the year 2002, Nigeria is still uncertain where it is headed. In other words, her destination is still unknown. The Nigerian world has blamed the woes of Nigeria, and in particular that of the educational sector, to the many years of military misrule. There is the common feeling that the military neglected the universities because of their opposition to military rule. But with the re-emergence of civil rule the nation's educational institutions are still in shambles today, with university professors still not being paid on time. (Some may argue that the universities have started to claw their way back to normalcy with the reprise of civil rule – not democracy. See Bollag Feb 1, 2002). But that remains to be seen!
And the society is also being rocked by labor unrests prompted by nonpayment of salaries, among other factors. The latest strike action was the police, which the federal government branded 'an act of mutiny' (The Guardian On-line Feb 2, 2002; also see Chiahemen, Reuters, Feb 2, 2002).
If, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as democracy in Nigeria, it is because its past as well as its present history has become so interwoven into crises, which has often left the common man in constant struggle for survival. But for the riches and powerful corrupt politicians, things are very rosy. The role of the ordinary person in Nigeria in the making of democracy is, generally speaking, not regarded or not known at all, after casting his or her vote. And often the positive contributions of the people who struggled, and are still struggling, for the sustenance of democracy in the society have escaped the eyes of those who managed to rig their way into political offices. This is a terrible deviation from the norm. Nigeria is suffering terribly for that, with socio-political and economic crises strewn all over the society like a straw hut in a typhoon.
This paper attempts to bring into public domain the state of education in Nigeria, and its effect on the polity. With facts, judgment and understanding of the issues facing the nation, the paper argues that the survival of Nigeria as a viable society will depend on the health of her educational institutions, and how well the professors and support staff are treated. It portrays the state of education in Nigeria as a public-health issue.
Education in Nigeria: A public-health issue?
The role of education in the development of a society has been vastly documented in academic journals, and we do not intend to revisit it here. This section will concentrate on the need for Nigerian leaders to pay close attention to the needs of the educational sector, and treat it as a public-health issue, because the sociopolitical and economic development of a nation and (or her health) is, in many ways, determined by the quality and level of educational attainment of the population. Political leaders should take politics out of education, as the continued neglect of this sector would lead to social paralysis. The youth should be given the appropriate quality academic training and an environment that would enable them to reach their full potential.
Nigeria has toiled with some educational programs, which have only served as conduits to transfer money to the corrupt political leaders and their cronies. For instance, the nation launched the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1976, but as noted, the program failed due to lack of fund necessitated by corruption, among other factors. Nigeria has again launched another mass-oriented education program, this time branding it the Universal Basic Education (UBE). The President, Olusegun Obasanjo, declared during the launching of the program in Sokoto that the nation "cannot afford to fail this time around." However, not long after that, the federal government reported that the falling standard of education in Nigeria is caused by "acute shortage of qualified teachers in the primary school level." It is reported that about 23 percent of the over 400,000 teachers employed in the nation's primary schools do not posses the Teachers' Grade Two Certificate, even when the National Certificate of Education (NCE) is the minimum educational requirement one should posses to teach in the nation's primary schools (Ogbeifum and Olisa; The Vanguard Online, July 1, 2001).
If one may ask: with the troubling revelations of the shortage and "half-baked" teachers employed to teach in the nation's schools, how are we certain the current UBE program will be successful? Has the government trained the required number and quality of teachers needed to successfully implement the program? Are the teachers going to be motivated to perform their duties well? Are the classrooms and seats ready, or are the pupils going to sit on bare floor? Are the books and other teaching materials ready? This writer has noted elsewhere that to improve the standard of education in Nigeria, the society has to first educate the educators, and motivate them to perform their duties well (Dike, July 14, 2000). But the leaders do not seem to want to listen!
However, the UNICEF in it's 'state of the world's children' report for 1999' pointed out that about four million Nigerian children have no access to basic education, and that majority of those that are 'lucky' to enter schools are given sub-standard education (Akhaine, Jan 10, 1999). Today, there are about 48,242 primary schools with 16,796,078 students in public schools and 1,965,517 in private schools in Nigeria. In addition, Nigeria has 7,104 secondary schools with 4,448,981 students (The Guardian, May 6, 1999; and Dike, 2001).
Most of these schools are in dilapidating states. This shows that Nigeria has a weird value system: it is a society where priorities are turned to their heads. For instance, the salaries of the less educated local government counselors are higher than that of university professors; it is a place where well known rouge, a 419 person, is applauded for donating money to local communities and churches; it is a place where nobody cares about how one makes his/her money; it is a place where the roads leading to million dollar homes are filled with potholes; and the society is a place where the streets in capital cities are littered with hips of thrash. And nobody cares! Something is obviously wrong with any society that does not take her educational institutions seriously.
Nevertheless, the increased need for higher education during the oil boom of the 1970s in Nigeria, coupled with political pressure, led to the establishment of many universities in the society. And 'an explosive expansion in enrolments' during this period marked the beginning of 'the decline in quality' of education in the society. In two decades, the number of university students increased eightfold, from about 55,000 in 1980 to more than 400,000 today (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A40). Now Nigeria has about 36 public universities, 46 polytechnics and 64 colleges of education (Dike, 1999, p. 54). In addition, four private universities have been approved and registered by the federal government. They are: Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State; Babcock University; Igbinedion University, Okada; and Madonna University (Oladeji, August 2, 2001).
As the ugly tradition of corruption persists, the public tertiary institutions have been left to rot away. Some of the loans received from the World Bank toward education during the 1990s were used to purchase unnecessary, and "expensive equipment" that "could not be properly installed or maintained, and many institutions received irrelevant and useless books and journals" (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A40). All these, including ubiquitous corruption, have contributed to the decline in the quality of instruction in Nigeria's educational institutions that were ones highly regarded. With the news of corruption still filling the pages of Nigeria newspapers and magazines, the apparent war on corruption in the society seem an impossible task, since those wagging the corruption-war are themselves as corrupt as a parrot.
Although Nigeria's educational institutions in general are in dire need, the most troubled of the three tiers is the primary education sector. The recent statistics on primary education available to this writer shows that there are about 2,015 primary schools in Nigeria with no buildings of any type. Classes are held under trees. The quality of lectures conducted under such an inhumane condition would not be anything to be proud of. With this dismal statistics, the government is still in the habit of allocating less money to the educational sector (see Tables A). If Nigeria's allocation to education is compared with that of other less affluent societies in Africa, the picture becomes more discouraging (see Table B).
Table A: Federal Government
Budgetary Allocation to Education
Year Allocation (%)
1995 7.2
1996 12.32
1997 17.59
1998 10.27
1999 11.12
2000 8.36
2001 7.00
Table B: Spending on Education (%GNP) for some African Countries as compared to Nigeria
Country % GNP
Angola 4.9
Cote d' Ivoria 5
Ghana 4.4
Kenya 6.5
Malawi 5.4
Mozambique 4.1
Nigeria 0.76
South Africa 7.9
Tanzania 3.4
Uganda 2.6
Sources for tables A & B: Extracted from, The African Dept; Reported by Jubilee 2000; Alifa Daniel: Intrigues in FG-ASUU
Face-off; see The Guardian On-line, June 17, 2001. Compiled by the author.
Relatively speaking, the above disheartening statistics show how insufficient Nigeria's allocation to the educational sector has been. One can only get what he or she has ordered! Nigeria has to change her value system and invest on education, which is the intellectual laboratory of any nation and the engine that propels the economy. It has been noted that 'without a formidable intellectual base' it is not likely that any society would move forward (Anya, June 19, 2001).
For that the success of any democratic system (which Nigeria now fiddles with) depends on the individuals' ability to analyze problems and make thoughtful decisions. And democracy, it has been argued, thrives on the productivity of its diverse constituency - a productivity fostered by free, critical, and creative thought on issues of common interest. But democratic values are nurtured on the fertile ground of basic education – a functional education with the right focus and correct scope (Marzano, et. al, 1988).
With everybody chasing the shadow of money, and with the pittance sum invested yearly on education, how could the system produce the critical and creative minds Nigeria needs to guide and manage democratic system and survive as a viable nation? If the society continues to neglect her schools, it could not educate her citizens. Consequently, the political landscape would be littered with illiterate politicians, and the society would be incapable of gathering and maintaining a reasonable database for national planning and other development programs. To avoid this, the political leaders should begin now to re-order their priorities, as their priorities have so far been dictated by how much they will gain from any policy decision (by ways of contracts), and not how they will benefit the society as a whole.
Thus, lack of good education and unemployment in Nigeria would contribute to many social ills, including crime, prostitution, and the break down in law and order. For this, the society should invest more on the youth, and educate them to differentiate rights from wrong before they become adults. As Rousseau has noted: "People, like men [and women are] amenable only when they are young; in old age they become incorrigible. Once [bad habits] and customs are established and prejudices ingrained, it is a dangerous and futile enterprise to try to reform them; the people cannot bear to have the diseases treated, even in order to destroy it, like those stupid and fearful patients who tremble at the sight of the physician" (Rousseau - trans. by Betts; 1994, p. 80).
Therefore, to move forward the government should adopt necessary policies to destroy the current bad value system in the society, and create conducive environment that would enable the educational institutions to engage in healthy competitions, raise funds through private donations and grants, and attract and retain qualified students financially positioned to pay tuitions. (Higher education in Nigeria should not be free. If one would pay for any service, one could afford to complain, or move to an institution where he/she could get the money's worth of service. This, however, does not mean that diplomas should be sold to the highest bidder. Also the universities should develop a system whereby students could transfer to schools of their choice (and change their major) if they are qualified, without it adversely impacting their studies. And university admissions should be based strictly on merit, without ethnically and state-based criteria, which have unfortunately colored the system). All these are not available in system currently. If these suggestions are implemented they would, among other things, help the institutions of higher learning to prepare grounds for more intense academic competition, and to attract better quality teachers by "rebuild [ing] a culture of scholarship which has been eroded by under funding" so as to motivate them to be more productive (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A40). And any institution that cannot survive should be allowed to wither. Improving the condition of things in this sector would pave the way to the nation's prosperity.
It is known (at least in the developed world) that education determines, not only earning capacity, but also the very quality of human life (even longevity has relationship to education). In a society that appreciates educated class, those with good education tend to earn higher incomes; they also are in a better position to leave a better and healthy live. Higher education gives one a greater sense of how to reduce risks in life and change their behaviour. As Davies noted, confidence, self-reliance, and adaptability are all earmarks of advanced education (Davies, Nov 30, 2001, B16-B17).
Comparatively, many uneducated people, in general, have myriad bad habits that cause or lead to illness. For instance, they can smoke or drink more than it is necessary, and tend to have more children. (As this writer noted during his recent trip to Nigeria, some of the less educated and unemployed villagers he talked with have about eight or more children. And they are proud of that – but the children are suffering. Many of them drink and eat whatever that is offered to them without limitation and cognizant of the health consequences). Higher education could be an important part in the solutions to the ills of the society. As noted earlier, how much a nation progresses has a lot to do with the quality of education and educational attainment of its citizens. That's why Nigeria should build and maintain good schools and treat the sordid state of education as public-health crisis in society.
Education and Basic Needs
Building good schools for the education of the population does not guarantee automatic good health to the people. The society must take care of the basic needs of the people – portable water, food, good roads and habitable environment (the streets are filled with garbage). The voiceless - the unemployed, the old and disabled – should be taken care of. The funds for all these services are currently diverted to individual purses by corrupt politicians, whom the people elected to protect them. The society should offer education that provides adults with the skills and knowledge they need to secure a job and to compete in the technologically advanced world economy. And it should find a way to reward those (teachers and others outside academia) who have contributed positively in creating new ideas and jobs in the society. Nigeria can sustain economic growth based on technology if a good number of the adult working population can read and write well, and be able to make productive use of the computers and information technologies. "According to a recent World Bank study, employers complain that the quality of university graduates [and secondary school graduates], especially their communication skills, has fallen continually for two decades" (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A41).
Improvement in their communication skill and the use of the computers and information technologies will increase their productivity, and in the long run translate into lasting, durable and participatory democracy. All these mean the need to positively transform the society, especially the educational sector, into a viable sector.
The need to improve higher education should begin with giving greater attention to our preschool, elementary, secondary, and vocational schools. These areas are the building blocks of society's educational foundation, as not everyone needs a university education. Thus, the society must make meaningful use of the current Universal Basic Education (UBE) program, which is expected to provide free education to children between the ages of seven to seventeen (Umar and Adoba, ThisDay, 12/6/01). In addition to the free primary education, the government should guarantee free lunch for the needy students, as no child can learn while hungry. To supplement the efforts of the government, the private sector should assist in the form of financial and material donations, and collaborate with institutions of higher learning to help the primary and secondary schools to improve their teaching standards, governance, and their community relations.
If Nigeria can not give adequate and quality education to students at the elementary and secondary level, the tertiary institutions would continue to be populated by those who are least prepared to face the rigors of university education. And 'cultism,' 'intimidation of professors into better grades' and other vices will continue to blossom on the campuses across the nation.
States and Federal governments should also device ways and means of helping financially handicapped students in higher institutions, in ways of making available affordable financial loans to enable needy students to complete their education. As in the United States (and other humane societies), 'merit-based' and 'need-based' approach policy could be adopted in the process of putting the loan policy in place (King, March 1999). And adequate machinery should be put in place to collect the loan from students as soon as they find employment. Nigeria has the resources to implement a good student loan program, but as always, her problems have been corruption and implementation (the old student-loan program in the society died because of this).
Private financing of higher education could contribute immensely to improving both the financial situations of the institutions and their quality of education. And the privatization of public institutions that cannot improve on their standard would not be a bad idea (Callan, et al. (eds.), October 1997); see also Maeroff, Callan and Usdan, January 2000). Poor schooling, ignorance, poverty, and unemployment or underemployment among the youths could lead to their being easily manipulated by the political elites for selfish purposes. That will spell danger for the society, as this group will become the nation's leaders of tomorrow. How can Nigeria manage a complex democratic process without educated, critical and creative minds?
Thus, to stamp out insatiable greed, ignorance and corruption in the polity and affect positive changes in the society, the 2003 election year is the time to act. The people should vote only those with integrity to political office, because as Jean-Jacques Rousseau notes, "it is only men [and women] of integrity who can administer the law…." (Rousseau, trans. by Betts; 1994, p.14) The society should only support political parties and individuals who value and support quality education, not in word, but in deeds. Good quality education and good value system in a society is known to affect the quality of the leaders in any society. The political leaders of Nigeria should find constructive ways to work with those in academia to improve and upgrade the nation's educational standard, instead of fighting and clobbering them to death for criticizing the government's lacklustre educational policy. President Olusegun Obasanjo has recently taken pride in punching and kicking ASUU with verbal assault (The Guardian Online, Dec 9, 2001).
His attack on the university professors seems to suggest that the teachers are the cause of the present poor state of the nation's educational institutions. There could be some bad eggs in the system. But in general, how could one believe that the person who works hard, often without pay and other personal sacrifices is the one causing the downfall of the sector he/she is striving to protect? And President Obasanjo's recent insensitivity and outburst at the angry thousands displaced by the recent explosions in Ikeja show a mark of irresponsibility and lost sense of purpose on his part. At the people who lost loved ones, he shouted at them after thinking that they were unruly: "Shut up. I took the opportunity of being here to see what could be done. I don't need to be here." "After all, the governor of the state is here, the General Officer Commanding Two Division and the Brigade Commander as well as the Police Commissioner were all here. These sets of people could between them do what needs to be done. I really don't need to be here" (The Guardian Online, Jan 31, 2002). As a leader and the servant of the people, President Obasanjo has no excuse to behaving in the manner he did. He should quit if he has nothing more to offer. As Americans would say, 'if you cannot take the heat, you should get out of the kitchen!'
Really, President Olusegun Obasanjo should not lead Nigeria at this technology age. He is, in the opinion of this writer, the president the nation should not have had. He could be a good military General, but he does not have a good manner of approach and the skill to lead a civil society. And he lacks the appropriate national objectives and strategies to solve the problems facing the academic sector and the nation at large.
Conclusion
With the reprise of civil rule in May 29, 1999, Nigerians expected instant solutions to the nation's myriad problems. But the future is still uncertain! Politics with bitterness, politics with selfish purpose, politics of moneybags (and not ideology), and politic of Sharia, and politics of ethnicity and division colored with political assassinations tend to defeat the purpose of the struggles to chase the military out of politics. The political leaders and political parties in Nigeria should change their sordid ways and be ready to make their views and visions known to the public through their manifestos and policy actions, and not engage in fists fights with those who disagree with them, or trying to eliminate them with cutlasses, guns through hired thugs, and even with charms. They should leave their lives by showing good examples, as our children learn more from what they see us do than from what we say. Yes, the youth deserve something better! This does not mean that we would create utopian society for them. As Albert Camus notes: Perhaps we cannot make this a world in which children do not suffer." "But we can lessen the number of suffering children. And if you and I do not do this, who will?"
Thus, without treating education as a public-health issue that requires serious attention, the youth will continue to receive inferior education; they will continue to suffer mass unemployment and armed bandits will continue to rise; the society will continue to have illiterates and non-leaders as political leaders; the society will continue to have political parties without ideology, and Nigeria will continue to fall behind economically, socially and politically.
References
Ajayi, Rotimi, Kingsley Omonobi and Kenneth Ehigiator; Obasanjo apologizes, cancels US trip. Ogohi allays fears over Naval Base, Ojo. The Guardian Online, Jan 31, 2002.
Anele, Douglas, "government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich." The Vanguard, November 25, 2001
Anya, Anya O., "The dreams, vision and myth of Nigerian reality" The Guardian Online, June 19, 2001
Aristotle (Trans. by J.S. Sinclair, 1962). Politics. Penguin Books, England, pp.116-192
Awosika, Kofo. "Destination unknown," The Guardian Online, July 5, 2001
Bollag, Burton. Nigerian Universities Start to Recover From Years of Violence, Corruption, and Neglect, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 1, 2002, A40-A42.
Callan, Patrick M. and Joni E. Finney with Kathy Reeves Bracco and William R. Doyle (Edited), October 1997: Public and Private Financing of Higher Education: Shaping Public Policy for the Future. American Council on Higher Education, Series in Higher Education/Oryx Press.
Chiahemen, John; "Nigeria Orders Army Deployment as Police Mutiny"; Reuters – Lagos, Feb 2, 2002.
CNN: Buenos Aires, Argentina: Dec 21, 2001 – "Argentina Presidential Elections set for March 3"
Davies, Gordon K., The Chronicle Review, Nov 30, 2001, ppB16-B17
Dike, Victor; Democracy and Political Life in Nigeria; Ahmadu Bello University Press, Zaria, Nigeria, December 2001.
Dike, Victor; Leadership, Democracy, and the Nigerian Economy: Lessons from the Past and Directions for the Future [Sacramento: The Lightning Press, 1999].
Dike, Victor; The Universal Basic Education Program: Educating the Educators in Nigeria. Online posting - http://www.Nigeriaworld.com, July 14, 2000
Djebah, Oma Return to the Wild, Wild West?; ThisDay. 12/25/2001
King, Jacqueline E. "Financing a College Education: How It Works, How It's Changing;" March 1999, Oryx Press).
Madu, Emeka. "More Than 200 Reportedly Die in Nigeria Religious Riots;" Reuters (Kano), October 14, 2001.
Marzano, et al. Dimensions of Thinking: A Framework for Curriculum an Instruction. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Virginia (1988), p.2
Maeroff, Gene I., Patrick M. Callan, and Michael D. Usdan (Eds.). The Learning Connection: New Partnerships Between Schools and Colleges; Teachers College, Columbia University/Teacher College Press, January 2001
Ogbeifum, Sam and Evelyn Olisa. "Half-baked teachers bane of education woes;" The Vanguard Online, July 1, 2001.
Oladeji, Bayo; "More private varsities coming – FG;" The Nigerian Tribune online, August 2, 2001.
Onuorah, Madu and Aniete Ben-Akpan; "Govt Releases N1b To Pay Police;" The Guardian On-Line, Feb 2, 2002.
Reuters (Ibadan, Nigeria); "Nigerian says killed minister for one min naira", Dec. 27, 2001
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques (trans. by Betts). The Social Contract; Oxford University Press, 1994; p. 14; p. 80.
The Guardian Online: "Money and politics of bitterness." August 2, 2001.
The Guardian Online: May 6, 1999
Umar, Bature and Iyefu Adoba: "Senate Passes UBE Bill" ThisDay, 12/6/01
William, Alabi; Unending Feud Between Government and ASSU, The Guardian on-line, Dec 9, 2001
Victor Dike, who is the author of Democracy and Political Life in Nigeria [Zaria: Ahmadu Bello University Press, December 2001], is an Information Technology Instructor at the California College of Technology, Sacramento, California, and an adjunct Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems with the Los Rios Community College District, Sacramento, California
By Victor Dike,
Introduction
At the dawn of the year 2002, Nigeria is still uncertain where it is headed. In other words, her destination is still unknown. The Nigerian world has blamed the woes of Nigeria, and in particular that of the educational sector, to the many years of military misrule. There is the common feeling that the military neglected the universities because of their opposition to military rule. But with the re-emergence of civil rule the nation's educational institutions are still in shambles today, with university professors still not being paid on time. (Some may argue that the universities have started to claw their way back to normalcy with the reprise of civil rule – not democracy. See Bollag Feb 1, 2002). But that remains to be seen!
And the society is also being rocked by labor unrests prompted by nonpayment of salaries, among other factors. The latest strike action was the police, which the federal government branded 'an act of mutiny' (The Guardian On-line Feb 2, 2002; also see Chiahemen, Reuters, Feb 2, 2002).
If, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as democracy in Nigeria, it is because its past as well as its present history has become so interwoven into crises, which has often left the common man in constant struggle for survival. But for the riches and powerful corrupt politicians, things are very rosy. The role of the ordinary person in Nigeria in the making of democracy is, generally speaking, not regarded or not known at all, after casting his or her vote. And often the positive contributions of the people who struggled, and are still struggling, for the sustenance of democracy in the society have escaped the eyes of those who managed to rig their way into political offices. This is a terrible deviation from the norm. Nigeria is suffering terribly for that, with socio-political and economic crises strewn all over the society like a straw hut in a typhoon.
This paper attempts to bring into public domain the state of education in Nigeria, and its effect on the polity. With facts, judgment and understanding of the issues facing the nation, the paper argues that the survival of Nigeria as a viable society will depend on the health of her educational institutions, and how well the professors and support staff are treated. It portrays the state of education in Nigeria as a public-health issue.
Education in Nigeria: A public-health issue?
The role of education in the development of a society has been vastly documented in academic journals, and we do not intend to revisit it here. This section will concentrate on the need for Nigerian leaders to pay close attention to the needs of the educational sector, and treat it as a public-health issue, because the sociopolitical and economic development of a nation and (or her health) is, in many ways, determined by the quality and level of educational attainment of the population. Political leaders should take politics out of education, as the continued neglect of this sector would lead to social paralysis. The youth should be given the appropriate quality academic training and an environment that would enable them to reach their full potential.
Nigeria has toiled with some educational programs, which have only served as conduits to transfer money to the corrupt political leaders and their cronies. For instance, the nation launched the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1976, but as noted, the program failed due to lack of fund necessitated by corruption, among other factors. Nigeria has again launched another mass-oriented education program, this time branding it the Universal Basic Education (UBE). The President, Olusegun Obasanjo, declared during the launching of the program in Sokoto that the nation "cannot afford to fail this time around." However, not long after that, the federal government reported that the falling standard of education in Nigeria is caused by "acute shortage of qualified teachers in the primary school level." It is reported that about 23 percent of the over 400,000 teachers employed in the nation's primary schools do not posses the Teachers' Grade Two Certificate, even when the National Certificate of Education (NCE) is the minimum educational requirement one should posses to teach in the nation's primary schools (Ogbeifum and Olisa; The Vanguard Online, July 1, 2001).
If one may ask: with the troubling revelations of the shortage and "half-baked" teachers employed to teach in the nation's schools, how are we certain the current UBE program will be successful? Has the government trained the required number and quality of teachers needed to successfully implement the program? Are the teachers going to be motivated to perform their duties well? Are the classrooms and seats ready, or are the pupils going to sit on bare floor? Are the books and other teaching materials ready? This writer has noted elsewhere that to improve the standard of education in Nigeria, the society has to first educate the educators, and motivate them to perform their duties well (Dike, July 14, 2000). But the leaders do not seem to want to listen!
However, the UNICEF in it's 'state of the world's children' report for 1999' pointed out that about four million Nigerian children have no access to basic education, and that majority of those that are 'lucky' to enter schools are given sub-standard education (Akhaine, Jan 10, 1999). Today, there are about 48,242 primary schools with 16,796,078 students in public schools and 1,965,517 in private schools in Nigeria. In addition, Nigeria has 7,104 secondary schools with 4,448,981 students (The Guardian, May 6, 1999; and Dike, 2001).
Most of these schools are in dilapidating states. This shows that Nigeria has a weird value system: it is a society where priorities are turned to their heads. For instance, the salaries of the less educated local government counselors are higher than that of university professors; it is a place where well known rouge, a 419 person, is applauded for donating money to local communities and churches; it is a place where nobody cares about how one makes his/her money; it is a place where the roads leading to million dollar homes are filled with potholes; and the society is a place where the streets in capital cities are littered with hips of thrash. And nobody cares! Something is obviously wrong with any society that does not take her educational institutions seriously.
Nevertheless, the increased need for higher education during the oil boom of the 1970s in Nigeria, coupled with political pressure, led to the establishment of many universities in the society. And 'an explosive expansion in enrolments' during this period marked the beginning of 'the decline in quality' of education in the society. In two decades, the number of university students increased eightfold, from about 55,000 in 1980 to more than 400,000 today (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A40). Now Nigeria has about 36 public universities, 46 polytechnics and 64 colleges of education (Dike, 1999, p. 54). In addition, four private universities have been approved and registered by the federal government. They are: Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State; Babcock University; Igbinedion University, Okada; and Madonna University (Oladeji, August 2, 2001).
As the ugly tradition of corruption persists, the public tertiary institutions have been left to rot away. Some of the loans received from the World Bank toward education during the 1990s were used to purchase unnecessary, and "expensive equipment" that "could not be properly installed or maintained, and many institutions received irrelevant and useless books and journals" (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A40). All these, including ubiquitous corruption, have contributed to the decline in the quality of instruction in Nigeria's educational institutions that were ones highly regarded. With the news of corruption still filling the pages of Nigeria newspapers and magazines, the apparent war on corruption in the society seem an impossible task, since those wagging the corruption-war are themselves as corrupt as a parrot.
Although Nigeria's educational institutions in general are in dire need, the most troubled of the three tiers is the primary education sector. The recent statistics on primary education available to this writer shows that there are about 2,015 primary schools in Nigeria with no buildings of any type. Classes are held under trees. The quality of lectures conducted under such an inhumane condition would not be anything to be proud of. With this dismal statistics, the government is still in the habit of allocating less money to the educational sector (see Tables A). If Nigeria's allocation to education is compared with that of other less affluent societies in Africa, the picture becomes more discouraging (see Table B).
Table A: Federal Government
Budgetary Allocation to Education
Year Allocation (%)
1995 7.2
1996 12.32
1997 17.59
1998 10.27
1999 11.12
2000 8.36
2001 7.00
Table B: Spending on Education (%GNP) for some African Countries as compared to Nigeria
Country % GNP
Angola 4.9
Cote d' Ivoria 5
Ghana 4.4
Kenya 6.5
Malawi 5.4
Mozambique 4.1
Nigeria 0.76
South Africa 7.9
Tanzania 3.4
Uganda 2.6
Sources for tables A & B: Extracted from, The African Dept; Reported by Jubilee 2000; Alifa Daniel: Intrigues in FG-ASUU
Face-off; see The Guardian On-line, June 17, 2001. Compiled by the author.
Relatively speaking, the above disheartening statistics show how insufficient Nigeria's allocation to the educational sector has been. One can only get what he or she has ordered! Nigeria has to change her value system and invest on education, which is the intellectual laboratory of any nation and the engine that propels the economy. It has been noted that 'without a formidable intellectual base' it is not likely that any society would move forward (Anya, June 19, 2001).
For that the success of any democratic system (which Nigeria now fiddles with) depends on the individuals' ability to analyze problems and make thoughtful decisions. And democracy, it has been argued, thrives on the productivity of its diverse constituency - a productivity fostered by free, critical, and creative thought on issues of common interest. But democratic values are nurtured on the fertile ground of basic education – a functional education with the right focus and correct scope (Marzano, et. al, 1988).
With everybody chasing the shadow of money, and with the pittance sum invested yearly on education, how could the system produce the critical and creative minds Nigeria needs to guide and manage democratic system and survive as a viable nation? If the society continues to neglect her schools, it could not educate her citizens. Consequently, the political landscape would be littered with illiterate politicians, and the society would be incapable of gathering and maintaining a reasonable database for national planning and other development programs. To avoid this, the political leaders should begin now to re-order their priorities, as their priorities have so far been dictated by how much they will gain from any policy decision (by ways of contracts), and not how they will benefit the society as a whole.
Thus, lack of good education and unemployment in Nigeria would contribute to many social ills, including crime, prostitution, and the break down in law and order. For this, the society should invest more on the youth, and educate them to differentiate rights from wrong before they become adults. As Rousseau has noted: "People, like men [and women are] amenable only when they are young; in old age they become incorrigible. Once [bad habits] and customs are established and prejudices ingrained, it is a dangerous and futile enterprise to try to reform them; the people cannot bear to have the diseases treated, even in order to destroy it, like those stupid and fearful patients who tremble at the sight of the physician" (Rousseau - trans. by Betts; 1994, p. 80).
Therefore, to move forward the government should adopt necessary policies to destroy the current bad value system in the society, and create conducive environment that would enable the educational institutions to engage in healthy competitions, raise funds through private donations and grants, and attract and retain qualified students financially positioned to pay tuitions. (Higher education in Nigeria should not be free. If one would pay for any service, one could afford to complain, or move to an institution where he/she could get the money's worth of service. This, however, does not mean that diplomas should be sold to the highest bidder. Also the universities should develop a system whereby students could transfer to schools of their choice (and change their major) if they are qualified, without it adversely impacting their studies. And university admissions should be based strictly on merit, without ethnically and state-based criteria, which have unfortunately colored the system). All these are not available in system currently. If these suggestions are implemented they would, among other things, help the institutions of higher learning to prepare grounds for more intense academic competition, and to attract better quality teachers by "rebuild [ing] a culture of scholarship which has been eroded by under funding" so as to motivate them to be more productive (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A40). And any institution that cannot survive should be allowed to wither. Improving the condition of things in this sector would pave the way to the nation's prosperity.
It is known (at least in the developed world) that education determines, not only earning capacity, but also the very quality of human life (even longevity has relationship to education). In a society that appreciates educated class, those with good education tend to earn higher incomes; they also are in a better position to leave a better and healthy live. Higher education gives one a greater sense of how to reduce risks in life and change their behaviour. As Davies noted, confidence, self-reliance, and adaptability are all earmarks of advanced education (Davies, Nov 30, 2001, B16-B17).
Comparatively, many uneducated people, in general, have myriad bad habits that cause or lead to illness. For instance, they can smoke or drink more than it is necessary, and tend to have more children. (As this writer noted during his recent trip to Nigeria, some of the less educated and unemployed villagers he talked with have about eight or more children. And they are proud of that – but the children are suffering. Many of them drink and eat whatever that is offered to them without limitation and cognizant of the health consequences). Higher education could be an important part in the solutions to the ills of the society. As noted earlier, how much a nation progresses has a lot to do with the quality of education and educational attainment of its citizens. That's why Nigeria should build and maintain good schools and treat the sordid state of education as public-health crisis in society.
Education and Basic Needs
Building good schools for the education of the population does not guarantee automatic good health to the people. The society must take care of the basic needs of the people – portable water, food, good roads and habitable environment (the streets are filled with garbage). The voiceless - the unemployed, the old and disabled – should be taken care of. The funds for all these services are currently diverted to individual purses by corrupt politicians, whom the people elected to protect them. The society should offer education that provides adults with the skills and knowledge they need to secure a job and to compete in the technologically advanced world economy. And it should find a way to reward those (teachers and others outside academia) who have contributed positively in creating new ideas and jobs in the society. Nigeria can sustain economic growth based on technology if a good number of the adult working population can read and write well, and be able to make productive use of the computers and information technologies. "According to a recent World Bank study, employers complain that the quality of university graduates [and secondary school graduates], especially their communication skills, has fallen continually for two decades" (Bollag, Feb 1, 2002, A41).
Improvement in their communication skill and the use of the computers and information technologies will increase their productivity, and in the long run translate into lasting, durable and participatory democracy. All these mean the need to positively transform the society, especially the educational sector, into a viable sector.
The need to improve higher education should begin with giving greater attention to our preschool, elementary, secondary, and vocational schools. These areas are the building blocks of society's educational foundation, as not everyone needs a university education. Thus, the society must make meaningful use of the current Universal Basic Education (UBE) program, which is expected to provide free education to children between the ages of seven to seventeen (Umar and Adoba, ThisDay, 12/6/01). In addition to the free primary education, the government should guarantee free lunch for the needy students, as no child can learn while hungry. To supplement the efforts of the government, the private sector should assist in the form of financial and material donations, and collaborate with institutions of higher learning to help the primary and secondary schools to improve their teaching standards, governance, and their community relations.
If Nigeria can not give adequate and quality education to students at the elementary and secondary level, the tertiary institutions would continue to be populated by those who are least prepared to face the rigors of university education. And 'cultism,' 'intimidation of professors into better grades' and other vices will continue to blossom on the campuses across the nation.
States and Federal governments should also device ways and means of helping financially handicapped students in higher institutions, in ways of making available affordable financial loans to enable needy students to complete their education. As in the United States (and other humane societies), 'merit-based' and 'need-based' approach policy could be adopted in the process of putting the loan policy in place (King, March 1999). And adequate machinery should be put in place to collect the loan from students as soon as they find employment. Nigeria has the resources to implement a good student loan program, but as always, her problems have been corruption and implementation (the old student-loan program in the society died because of this).
Private financing of higher education could contribute immensely to improving both the financial situations of the institutions and their quality of education. And the privatization of public institutions that cannot improve on their standard would not be a bad idea (Callan, et al. (eds.), October 1997); see also Maeroff, Callan and Usdan, January 2000). Poor schooling, ignorance, poverty, and unemployment or underemployment among the youths could lead to their being easily manipulated by the political elites for selfish purposes. That will spell danger for the society, as this group will become the nation's leaders of tomorrow. How can Nigeria manage a complex democratic process without educated, critical and creative minds?
Thus, to stamp out insatiable greed, ignorance and corruption in the polity and affect positive changes in the society, the 2003 election year is the time to act. The people should vote only those with integrity to political office, because as Jean-Jacques Rousseau notes, "it is only men [and women] of integrity who can administer the law…." (Rousseau, trans. by Betts; 1994, p.14) The society should only support political parties and individuals who value and support quality education, not in word, but in deeds. Good quality education and good value system in a society is known to affect the quality of the leaders in any society. The political leaders of Nigeria should find constructive ways to work with those in academia to improve and upgrade the nation's educational standard, instead of fighting and clobbering them to death for criticizing the government's lacklustre educational policy. President Olusegun Obasanjo has recently taken pride in punching and kicking ASUU with verbal assault (The Guardian Online, Dec 9, 2001).
His attack on the university professors seems to suggest that the teachers are the cause of the present poor state of the nation's educational institutions. There could be some bad eggs in the system. But in general, how could one believe that the person who works hard, often without pay and other personal sacrifices is the one causing the downfall of the sector he/she is striving to protect? And President Obasanjo's recent insensitivity and outburst at the angry thousands displaced by the recent explosions in Ikeja show a mark of irresponsibility and lost sense of purpose on his part. At the people who lost loved ones, he shouted at them after thinking that they were unruly: "Shut up. I took the opportunity of being here to see what could be done. I don't need to be here." "After all, the governor of the state is here, the General Officer Commanding Two Division and the Brigade Commander as well as the Police Commissioner were all here. These sets of people could between them do what needs to be done. I really don't need to be here" (The Guardian Online, Jan 31, 2002). As a leader and the servant of the people, President Obasanjo has no excuse to behaving in the manner he did. He should quit if he has nothing more to offer. As Americans would say, 'if you cannot take the heat, you should get out of the kitchen!'
Really, President Olusegun Obasanjo should not lead Nigeria at this technology age. He is, in the opinion of this writer, the president the nation should not have had. He could be a good military General, but he does not have a good manner of approach and the skill to lead a civil society. And he lacks the appropriate national objectives and strategies to solve the problems facing the academic sector and the nation at large.
Conclusion
With the reprise of civil rule in May 29, 1999, Nigerians expected instant solutions to the nation's myriad problems. But the future is still uncertain! Politics with bitterness, politics with selfish purpose, politics of moneybags (and not ideology), and politic of Sharia, and politics of ethnicity and division colored with political assassinations tend to defeat the purpose of the struggles to chase the military out of politics. The political leaders and political parties in Nigeria should change their sordid ways and be ready to make their views and visions known to the public through their manifestos and policy actions, and not engage in fists fights with those who disagree with them, or trying to eliminate them with cutlasses, guns through hired thugs, and even with charms. They should leave their lives by showing good examples, as our children learn more from what they see us do than from what we say. Yes, the youth deserve something better! This does not mean that we would create utopian society for them. As Albert Camus notes: Perhaps we cannot make this a world in which children do not suffer." "But we can lessen the number of suffering children. And if you and I do not do this, who will?"
Thus, without treating education as a public-health issue that requires serious attention, the youth will continue to receive inferior education; they will continue to suffer mass unemployment and armed bandits will continue to rise; the society will continue to have illiterates and non-leaders as political leaders; the society will continue to have political parties without ideology, and Nigeria will continue to fall behind economically, socially and politically.
References
Ajayi, Rotimi, Kingsley Omonobi and Kenneth Ehigiator; Obasanjo apologizes, cancels US trip. Ogohi allays fears over Naval Base, Ojo. The Guardian Online, Jan 31, 2002.
Anele, Douglas, "government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich." The Vanguard, November 25, 2001
Anya, Anya O., "The dreams, vision and myth of Nigerian reality" The Guardian Online, June 19, 2001
Aristotle (Trans. by J.S. Sinclair, 1962). Politics. Penguin Books, England, pp.116-192
Awosika, Kofo. "Destination unknown," The Guardian Online, July 5, 2001
Bollag, Burton. Nigerian Universities Start to Recover From Years of Violence, Corruption, and Neglect, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 1, 2002, A40-A42.
Callan, Patrick M. and Joni E. Finney with Kathy Reeves Bracco and William R. Doyle (Edited), October 1997: Public and Private Financing of Higher Education: Shaping Public Policy for the Future. American Council on Higher Education, Series in Higher Education/Oryx Press.
Chiahemen, John; "Nigeria Orders Army Deployment as Police Mutiny"; Reuters – Lagos, Feb 2, 2002.
CNN: Buenos Aires, Argentina: Dec 21, 2001 – "Argentina Presidential Elections set for March 3"
Davies, Gordon K., The Chronicle Review, Nov 30, 2001, ppB16-B17
Dike, Victor; Democracy and Political Life in Nigeria; Ahmadu Bello University Press, Zaria, Nigeria, December 2001.
Dike, Victor; Leadership, Democracy, and the Nigerian Economy: Lessons from the Past and Directions for the Future [Sacramento: The Lightning Press, 1999].
Dike, Victor; The Universal Basic Education Program: Educating the Educators in Nigeria. Online posting - http://www.Nigeriaworld.com, July 14, 2000
Djebah, Oma Return to the Wild, Wild West?; ThisDay. 12/25/2001
King, Jacqueline E. "Financing a College Education: How It Works, How It's Changing;" March 1999, Oryx Press).
Madu, Emeka. "More Than 200 Reportedly Die in Nigeria Religious Riots;" Reuters (Kano), October 14, 2001.
Marzano, et al. Dimensions of Thinking: A Framework for Curriculum an Instruction. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Virginia (1988), p.2
Maeroff, Gene I., Patrick M. Callan, and Michael D. Usdan (Eds.). The Learning Connection: New Partnerships Between Schools and Colleges; Teachers College, Columbia University/Teacher College Press, January 2001
Ogbeifum, Sam and Evelyn Olisa. "Half-baked teachers bane of education woes;" The Vanguard Online, July 1, 2001.
Oladeji, Bayo; "More private varsities coming – FG;" The Nigerian Tribune online, August 2, 2001.
Onuorah, Madu and Aniete Ben-Akpan; "Govt Releases N1b To Pay Police;" The Guardian On-Line, Feb 2, 2002.
Reuters (Ibadan, Nigeria); "Nigerian says killed minister for one min naira", Dec. 27, 2001
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques (trans. by Betts). The Social Contract; Oxford University Press, 1994; p. 14; p. 80.
The Guardian Online: "Money and politics of bitterness." August 2, 2001.
The Guardian Online: May 6, 1999
Umar, Bature and Iyefu Adoba: "Senate Passes UBE Bill" ThisDay, 12/6/01
William, Alabi; Unending Feud Between Government and ASSU, The Guardian on-line, Dec 9, 2001
Victor Dike, who is the author of Democracy and Political Life in Nigeria [Zaria: Ahmadu Bello University Press, December 2001], is an Information Technology Instructor at the California College of Technology, Sacramento, California, and an adjunct Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems with the Los Rios Community College District, Sacramento, California
Nigeria Education
Nigeria Education
------------------
Nigeria education has evolved through a number of phases. The education system in Nigeria has been formed by a number of influences, - the colonial influence, the influence of the military rule in Nigeria and then the impact of independence and a new constitution.
The progress of education in the southern states of Nigeria reveals the involvement of the Christian missionaries towards the education system in Nigeria during the colonial period. History of Nigeria Education
Nigeria education was slowly but soundly developing during the colonial time until the conclusion of World War II. The Christian missionaries introduced the western education system in Nigeria in the mid nineteenth century. Three fundamentally distinct education systems existed in Nigeria in 1990. They were, - the indigenous system, the Quranic schools, and formal European-style educational institutions. Higher Education in Nigeria originated with the colonial government launching the Yaba Higher College in1934.
Education in Nigeria became the responsibility of the state and local councils according to the 1979 constitution. First six years of primary education was made mandatory, which was a significant factor in the development of education in Nigeria. There has been a noticeable upgrading of educational facilities in Nigeria in the latest years. The apparent rates for adult illiteracy in the year 2000 is 35.9%.
Nigeria Education SystemAt present, there are 13 polytechnic colleges and four institutions of technology in Nigeria, along with a number of state universities, colleges, and schools. The local and state governments manage primary and secondary education in Nigeria. Higher education is the responsibility of both the federal and the state governments.
Education is free but not compulsory at present in Nigeria. The formal education system includes six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school, and four years of university education consequently directing towards a bachelor�s level degree in the majority of the subjects. The annual term of school in Nigeria stretch through ten months, and is sectioned into three ten to twelve weeks periods each at the pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary stages.
Nigeria Education includes a significant stage of language education. Primary education in Nigeria starts in the native language but brings in English in the third year. Higher Education in Nigeria has developed considerably over the years and is now popular among Nigerians. Some of the important educational institutions of Nigeria are �
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University
Bayero University
Government College of Ibadan
Lagos Business School
Obafemi Awolowo University
University of Benin
University of Lagos
Yaba College of Technology
------------------
Nigeria education has evolved through a number of phases. The education system in Nigeria has been formed by a number of influences, - the colonial influence, the influence of the military rule in Nigeria and then the impact of independence and a new constitution.
The progress of education in the southern states of Nigeria reveals the involvement of the Christian missionaries towards the education system in Nigeria during the colonial period. History of Nigeria Education
Nigeria education was slowly but soundly developing during the colonial time until the conclusion of World War II. The Christian missionaries introduced the western education system in Nigeria in the mid nineteenth century. Three fundamentally distinct education systems existed in Nigeria in 1990. They were, - the indigenous system, the Quranic schools, and formal European-style educational institutions. Higher Education in Nigeria originated with the colonial government launching the Yaba Higher College in1934.
Education in Nigeria became the responsibility of the state and local councils according to the 1979 constitution. First six years of primary education was made mandatory, which was a significant factor in the development of education in Nigeria. There has been a noticeable upgrading of educational facilities in Nigeria in the latest years. The apparent rates for adult illiteracy in the year 2000 is 35.9%.
Nigeria Education SystemAt present, there are 13 polytechnic colleges and four institutions of technology in Nigeria, along with a number of state universities, colleges, and schools. The local and state governments manage primary and secondary education in Nigeria. Higher education is the responsibility of both the federal and the state governments.
Education is free but not compulsory at present in Nigeria. The formal education system includes six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school, and four years of university education consequently directing towards a bachelor�s level degree in the majority of the subjects. The annual term of school in Nigeria stretch through ten months, and is sectioned into three ten to twelve weeks periods each at the pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary stages.
Nigeria Education includes a significant stage of language education. Primary education in Nigeria starts in the native language but brings in English in the third year. Higher Education in Nigeria has developed considerably over the years and is now popular among Nigerians. Some of the important educational institutions of Nigeria are �
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University
Bayero University
Government College of Ibadan
Lagos Business School
Obafemi Awolowo University
University of Benin
University of Lagos
Yaba College of Technology
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)