A recent declaration that some 250 private primary and secondary schools in Bayelsa State will be closed down because of their sub-standard quality is very welcome news.
According to Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, the state’s commissioner for education, the environment, location and infrastructure of the schools, which represent 50 per cent of schools in the state, fall below the minimum standards prescribed for such institutions.
They had failed to improve even after the major shortcomings had been pointed out to them and a grace period in which to correct their faults had been given. Some of the schools were operating out of one-bedroom apartments; most lacked the teaching staff vital for imparting knowledge. Libraries, laboratories and even playing-fields were often non-existent.
The schools are to have their registration withdrawn and their names are to be published so that parents and guardians of prospective pupils can avoid them. They are also to be banned from participating in national examinations, such as those conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
For far too long, many private educational institutions in Nigeria have been permitted to get away with educational murder. Falling standards in public schools, the sheer pressure of rising populations, and the widespread belief that private schools are inherently better than public ones have ensured that they have survived and thrived. Almost every street across the country’s towns and cities is littered with private schools dubiously claiming to offer world-class tuition and extra-curricular activities.
The longevity of bad private schools is due to the abject failure of the regulatory authorities to properly monitor them and ensure that laid-down standards are attained and maintained. The fact that they were even registered in the first place points to a fundamental lack of capacity in the ministries and agencies that are supposed to ensure that they do not flourish.
Nigeria’s struggle in the area of primary and secondary school education is only too well known. The country has the world’s largest population of out-of-school children: 10.5 million as at July 2017, representing 50 per cent of the global total. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) claims that secondary school participation for both boys and girls averaged about 54 per cent between 2008 and 2012.
Low-quality private schools have contributed to these disheartening figures. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) stated in September last year that over 50 per cent of all the teachers in private schools are not qualified. While that does not mean that all of them are incompetent or ineffective, it does show a worrying inability to professionalise a calling that is fundamental to a child’s educational career.
In tackling the problem of sub-par private schools, perhaps the first thing to do is to conduct a comprehensive census of primary and secondary schools, as well as their pupils. Such exact figures would enable states to properly assess their carrying capacity in relation to their facilities and staffing.
Another measure would be to ensure that standard infrastructure and adequate staff are non-negotiable conditions for registering schools. It makes no sense to register a clearly-inadequate institution, only to start compelling it to meet up with established standards after it has begun admitting pupils. In this regard, corruption and other unethical practices in the regulatory bodies should be stamped out.
Widespread public enlightenment campaigns might also help to sensitise parents and guardians on exactly what they are to expect from a standard primary or secondary school, especially regarding facilities. Since they are the ones paying the school fees, they have an overt interest in ensuring that they get value for money.
Other states would do well to imitate Bayelsa State. A bad primary or secondary school is a time-bomb waiting to explode, and should not be permitted to exist.