Stakeholders have argued the need for government to revamp basic and secondary education in the country, tackling the numerous problems affecting them rather than leaving them in the hands of private schools, which charge “exorbitant” fees due to rising operational costs. They noted that the onus is on the government to make public schools attractive to people, DAMOLA KOLA-DARE reports
Stakeholders argued the need for government to revamp basic education
It is believed that the increasing demand for quality education has made private schools to be suitable alternatives to public schools, thus, the former seem to enjoy widespread relevance in the nation’s education space. Observers posited that apart from being “better” alternatives, they offer top- quality education and surpass public schools in academics. Private schools are believed to be important in areas where public schools are challenged — in terms of poor funding and infrastructure deficit. But another school of thought disagrees that private schools offer the best despite charging high fees.
Nevertheless, many at the lower rung of the ladder cannot afford what has been termed “exploitative” fees charged by private schools. Thus, there is an obstacle getting affordable and quality education. This makes it essential for government to revamp public schools.
The public schools are plagued by myriads of problems, including inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, insufficient qualified teachers, and low student performance.
Acute teacher shortage, infrastructure deficit
Erstwhile Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Dr. Hamid Bobboyi lamented that the country suffered from acute shortage of qualified teachers.
Bobboyi said public primary schools in the country lacked qualified teachers.
According to him, of the 694,078 teachers required at the level, only 499,202 are available, leaving a gap of 194,876. He noted that the inadequacy of qualified teachers at primary school level was contributing to learning poverty in basic education. He added that the problem lies with skewed deployment in favour of schools in urban areas.
The erstwhile UBEC executive secretary also said states were neither recruiting new teachers nor replacing those who withdrew from service, resulting in shortage of teachers.
He also lamented that private schools were more than public schools, saying of the 171,027 basic education institutions in the country, 79,775 are public schools and 91,252 are private schools.
The former UBEC chief also bemoaned infrastructure deficit in schools, noting that teaching and learning take place in poor environments.
He added: “Forty per cent of classrooms are in bad condition in the basic education sub-sector. The poor condition of classrooms cuts across all geo-political zones. As at 2022, 907,769 additional classrooms were required in primary schools, and 200,085 were required in junior secondary schools. Generally, a high percentage of learners do not have furniture in both public and private schools.
“Percentage of schools without toilets is worse in public schools, especially ECCDE and primary, compared to private schools. States are totally overwhelmed with the scale of dilapidation and scarcity.”
Bobboyi, however, called for more private sector investment in basic education to complement the Federal Government’s efforts.
“Since government alone cannot meet the huge requirements for quality UBE delivery, private entities should commit to taking further responsibility in key aspects of UBE delivery, especially creating opportunities for addressing the out-of-school children phenomenon,” he said.
Representative of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Bala Yusuf Yinusa, noted that urgent action must be taken to improve basic education because, by 2030, 84 million children will be out of school, while 300 million will not have access to education due to years of under-investment in education.
Accessing UBEC funds
Bobboyi had also revealed that states have not accessed N135,540,905,308.92 in matching grants between 2020 and 2023.
According to him, many states failed to meet the necessary conditions to access the funds, thus, posing a serious challenge to the growth of education.
He noted that nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had not accessed the 2023 UBE Matching Grant.
“In terms of regional performance, the North-West Zone has performed the best, achieving 100 per cent access to the UBE matching grant, while the South-South Zone has accessed 97.92 per cent of its allocated funds,” he added.
Though there is little progress, more states have been urged to access the UBEC grants to ensure all round quality education. This would also go a long way to address the issue of poor funding which remains a major challenge.
Multi-pronged approach required to revamp education
Vice Chancellor, African School of Economics, (the Pan-African University of Excellence), Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, noted that revamping the country’s primary and secondary education for quality delivery and public trust requires a multipronged approach.
The don said the revamp includes the physical, structural, the systemic, the human, the technological, the financial and the political dimensions.
He said: “Structurally, new classrooms should be built while the existing ones should be renovated. Necessary equipment and facilities like chairs, desks, laboratories, books, among others, should also be put in place to support teaching and learning.
“Systemically, conscious efforts should be made to attract the best brains to the education sub-system. Good graduates should be offered automatic employments to secondary schools with adequate remuneration. The truth of the matter is that many consider teaching as a last resort but deliberate policy can turn it to graduates’ first choice as there are people who are genuinely passionate about imparting knowledge in others but poor conditions of service demobilise them. The system should also be boosted with curriculum review that incorporates total education – the training of the head, the heart and the hands. In this regard, technical and vocational skills with civic and religious education should be part of the training, not just rote learning or studying to pass.
“From the human dimension, teachers should be exposed to training and retraining opportunities while their salaries should be competitive. A situation in which every teacher must look for a side hustle because the salary is grossly inadequate to meet basic needs will have negative impact on education. Then, the inspectorate system should be brought back so that people do what they are expected to do. In private school, proprietors oversee their schools but government officials don’t sufficiently oversee what goes on in schools.
“Technologically, digital literacy programmes should be infused in the training of students. Basic computer skills, digital resources like e-books and blended learning environments should be introduced and sustained in various schools. Online learning platforms should be established with proper monitoring to enrich students’ learning experiences.
“The financial dimension is critical because getting pupils and students to public schools will necessarily entail government investing in the schools. So, increased funding, equitable allocation of resources and good management of the funds are necessary.
“Politically, since politics controls everything, if government mandates every office-holder from the topmost to the lowest levels to send their children to public schools, every other thing will fall in place. Government policies are sufficient to restore the old glories of public schools such that people won’t feel that attending those schools is inferior to attending private ones.”
Parents and education stakeholders also urged the government to make public schools more attractive to prevent parents and guardians from patronising expensive private schools.
They reckon that if public schools are well equipped with modern facilities, properly renovated and equipped with qualified teachers, many parents will begin to patronise them, instead of taking their children and wards to private schools.
Implementing proper standards for teachers’ recruitment, training
A parent and educationist, Mrs. Suliyat Sanusi, stressed the importance of teachers to education. She urged the government to focus on implementing proper standards for teacher recruitment and ensuring comprehensive training programmes to expose them to modern teaching methodologies and subject matter know-how.
She said: “Proper training and career advancement opportunities helps teachers stay updated with the latest educational trends and technologies.
Attractive salaries, housing allowances, healthcare benefits, and performance-based incentives will also boost teachers’ morale and motivation.
“Continuous monitoring and evaluation are important for assessing the impact of educational policies and initiatives. The government should create systems for regular data collection and analysis to track pupils’ progress, teacher efficiency, and school infrastructure.
“There should also be feedback mechanisms that allow students, parents, and teachers to provide input on pupils. The data from feedback should be used to make decisions to improve educational policies and programmes for proper improvement.
Enter new UBEC Executive Secretary
In a move aimed at bolstering the country’s education sector, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday, appointed Aisha Garba, a renowned international development specialist, as the new Executive Secretary of UBEC.
The President expects Garba to lead UBEC to provide quality education for the Nigerian children and enhance their competitiveness in the world.
The appointment underlines Tinubu’s dedication to revitalising Nigeria’s basic education sector as part of the “Renewed Hope Agenda”.
Garba, a Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, brings her years of experience in advancing educational initiatives across Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Kenya, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Her extensive career has been marked by designing and managing impactful education programmes, driving reforms, and fostering human and economic development.
With more than 15 years at the World Bank, Garba has utilised her expertise in leading large-scale education reforms from inception to execution and impact evaluation.
She is reputed for her work in fragile and conflict-prone environments, utilising her skills and network to deliver sustainable education solutions.
Garba has also contributed to Nigeria’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in education.
She is an alumna of Petra American University in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Computer Studies. She also obtained a Master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham in the UK.
Stakeholders believe Garba will bring her international and developmental experience to bear on public education.
