Though policies required for achievement of Education for all exist, across Africa, there are challenges in the effective implementation of such policies. Yet these challenges can be worked on so that all who should be educated can have access to education.
This was the summary of the two-day regional stakeholders’ consultative meeting on balanced and inclusive education, held in Lagos. It was put in place by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) – the Education Relief Foundation (ERF) and the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS). ERF is a Geneva, Switzerland based organisation.
The objectives of the stakeholders’ consultative meeting are to provide recommendations on young people’s development through balanced and inclusive education in the context of the rapidly developing sociocultural and economic environment and adequate training of teachers in inclusive education pedagogies to support culturally responsive school environment in the African context. And to make proposals for principles, policies and practice for the delivery and uptake of balanced and inclusive education based on intra-culturalism, trans-disciplinarity, dialecticism and contextuality which are ERF’s four pillars of balanced and inclusive education.
Speaking on Nigeria experience, in her Keynote address, the Vice-President, NAS, Prof. Ekanem Ikpi Braide said whatever the reasons for sub optimal implementation of policies are; Nigeria is now faced with what can best be described as an emergency in the education sector.
Prof Braide said: “In a normal situation, this challenge could easily be surmounted with intensified commitment and revitalisation of intervention strategies. However, in present time, situations such as insecurity, conflict and recession throw up new dimensions of challenges in Nigeria as in other countries. Some more questions arise- How does one handle education in conflict situations? How does one handle education in Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camps where the priority needs are security, food, shelter and health care- where the focus is on preventing death, emotional instability and need to reduce crime? How does one handle education in situations where populations are constantly moving away from dangerous conflict zones? Targeting such populations for attention is like targeting moving objects.”
She said the people in the situations described are the poorest of the poor in populations at the end of the road. “These are neglected people in hard- to -reach, neglected places mainly in the rural areas. It is for this group and other marginalised groups that the MDGs 2000, now SDGs 2015 was set,” she explained.
Prof Braide identified some of the challenges confronting the sector thus: “Attention should be given to improving access to education. The poor, the differently able, the girl child and other marginalised groups are missing in the classrooms. UNESCO Institute of Statistics 2005 reveals that, globally, 115million children of primary school age were out of school in 2001 to 2002 with Sub Saharan Africa accounting for 45 million and South Asia accounting for 42 million. The Nigerian National Literacy Survey results (NBS 2009) show 34.3 percent as out of school rate and 20.7 percent as dropout rate for Nigeria.
“Efforts should be intensified on the improvement the quality of education because education must be of the right quality to be useful to the individual, community and nation. Quality of curriculum, facilities and teachers need to be improved upon. The content of curriculum should be revised and made appropriate for the desired outcome. A close look at the grassroots reveals a deficit of basic physical facilities as well as services in many schools particularly in remote areas. In such schools, the environment is not conducive for learning.”
She said quality of teachers needs to be addressed otherwise teaching becomes a process of recycling ignorance in some instances. “In Nigeria, there is often no strict regulation on who teaches/ who is certified to teach. Fresh graduates, who have not been taught how to teach, handle teaching in schools particularly in primary and secondary schools, teaching subjects but not concerned about values, attitude and skills ( life and entrepreneurial) required to meet present day challenges. On the flip side, it is important to note that work environment influences the attitude and performance of teachers. Work load, welfare and capacity building/professional development matter significantly,” said Prof Braide.
To ensure a round peg is put in a round hole in the sector and the objectives of ERF is realized, Prof Braide said it will be best to promote interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration and coordination in addressing reforms in the education sector. Such collaboration will reduce cost of implementation and improve quality of monitoring. “There may be a need to audit existing policies, merging some, if necessary, and prioritising implementation of aspects that are key to the achievement of Education For All. It will also be best to intensify advocacy to leaders at all levels for a change in mindset so they regard resources allocated to the education sector as an investment and not expenditure,’ she added.
President, ERF, Shaikh Manssour B. Mussallam said ERF is a tax-exempt not-for-profit and non-governmental organization that serves to develop and promote a new approach to education that emphasises the importance of balance and inclusivity in the curriculum offered to young people.
Shaikh Mussallam said ERF believes that in a globalised world with unprecedented movement of people across continents, evidence based research must be conducted to confirm that only a curriculum with a holistic view on the history of civilization around the globe can, in the long term, be a sustainable solution to achieving inclusion, global collaborations, and non-discrimination reflecting the contribution of diverse cultures and civilizations to a modern world.
“ERF’s mission is to deliver, promote and embed a new, inclusive and balanced education that enables young people to learn from the contributions of diverse civilizations and culture,’ he added.