The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Education

  • ANCOPSS seeks end to politics in education

    The All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) has said government’s politicisation of education has greatly handicapped the maximum implementation of curriculum in schools.

    In a communiqué by the group’s National President, Hajiya Fatima Abdulrahman, at the end of its 58th annual national congress, it blamed the government for making policies that are not backed by funding and commitment.

    The congress, which had as theme: “Good School Community Relationship- A Tool for Effective Implementation of New Curriculum”, held in Abuja.

    Explaining the body’s position, Hajiya Abdulrahman said: “We said education should not be politicised; education is a capital intensive project.  If state governments for instance, declare free education from basic, even some to higher education, there should be commitment on the part of the government.  They should not use education as factors of canvassing or winning elections,” she added.

    “Education should be taking seriously, when you are going to give free education, you must make sure that you own it a duty to the citizenry and the students that whatever is needed to make teaching and learning effective should be in place.”

    While state governments declare free education, the ANCOPSS President said instructional materials for the use of the students should be made available.

    She noted that though the curriculum implementation by government has yielded some measures of academic improvement, but revealed that there was no corresponding moral improvement among the students.

    ANCOPPS recommended that the government should come out more boldly to make all and sundry know that education with curriculum implementation inclusive could no longer be the sole responsibility of government.

    She said good community relationship would promote full understanding of the rationale behind each curriculum reform and ensure maximum support by all stakeholders.

  • The parlous state of education

    I was elated when I learned that: “Transforming education through partnerships for global competitiveness,” was the theme of the 20th Nigerian Economic Summit, organised by The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja from March 18 to 20, 2014. As someone who is deeply concerned about the backwardness of the Nigerian education sector, I participated in the summit, optimistic that it would address the disturbing development issues in the sector.

    It was a wonderful summit, attended by great people from all walks of life. I bet that it was one of the major gatherings of Nigeria’s education technocrats in recent times. A lot of reforms were suggested in the summit; reforms that I hoped would later be transformed into policies for the Ministry of Education and other relevant institutions for implementation. It was a good idea that such a summit considered the structural linkages between the education sector, economic growth and development of the country. The plenaries and design workshops of this summit were robust with powerful topics. The Director-General of The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Frank Nweke Jr., wrote a powerful foreword in the programme of events, citing the neglect and poor condition of the Nigerian Education sector; and the very importance of quality education as a catalyst for economic development.

    He said: this year’s summit is of particular significance as we will be focusing on the education sector. Education is without a doubt, the sector that holds the key to transformational national development and our ability to compete in global marketplace and it is singularly the sector that has experienced the worst type of decline in relation to standards, quality and value. The decision to hold the summit on education was taken to redress the decline in a sector that is critical to economic development”.

    But I do not know of how these great reforms suggested in this summit have been implemented. And just like most gatherings of this sort in Nigeria, impressive reforms would be recommended but few, if any, would be implemented. The Nigerian education sector is currently in its worst of conditions, from the primary to the tertiary institutions, all crying and dying, and in dire need of urgent structural reformation more than never before. One would be left to wonder what actually happened to such an important sector to such extent that the quality of education is appalling. According to the recent Webometrics rankings, Nigeria has more than 140 universities, but none of them is within the first 18 in Africa. What happened to the University of Ibadan, the University of Nigeria, the Ahmadu Bello University etc., which were among the best in Africa in the 60s all though the 80s? What has gone wrong? Is it because of government’s neglect or poor funding? The quality of education that Nigerians received in these universities decades ago can never ever be compared with what is on offer today. The differences are legion.

    Few decades ago, to offer bribe to a headmaster in a village school was a taboo, much less a lecturer or professor in a university. Few decades ago, every step of the educational process was based on merit. But the realities have since changed. A lot have been said of Nigerian graduates being unemployable and lacking essential skills to compete in the 21st century career world. These allegations, though incredible, are very true. But can we solely blame them for the tragedy of their plight? What efforts have we made to secure a prosperous future for them?

    There is no country where Nigerians cannot be found all in the name of pursuing standard education and to avoid the artificial challenges associated with running such programmes in Nigeria. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe studied in the USA because we had no indigenous universities then. More than eight decades later, Nigerians are traveling abroad just to have a share of quality education. Nigeria arguably boasts the highest number of nationals schooling in the UK and USA alone. Add that to the pool of Nigerians tucked away in far Australia, Cyprus, Malaysia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana etc., and you will not but appreciate how awry the narrative has become. Imagine the capital flight. Imagine the loss of manpower and the hydra-headed brain drain. That is too bad for a country that prides itself as Africa’s giant.

    It is disheartening that the global best practices entrenched in our foremost public universities were never sustained. It is depressing how studying abroad has assumed a stock for boasting and intimidation by today’s elite. And understandably, employers are on the look-out for Nigerians that trained abroad as they no longer believe in the quality of our own graduates.

    The Nigerian public primary and secondary schools used to be very efficient, with a very high level of quality, but not anymore. These schools laid emphasis on learning and character development. But all that has vanished into the air.

    I went to a public primary school in a village in Anambra state. My life is built on the quality education I received in this school. I enjoyed free education. I had the best of teachers that understood what a child really needed to succeed and the best way a child should be taught. Premium was placed on hard work, knowledge and discipline. I was taught by very humanistic and passionate teachers, ardent about teaching, and satisfied with their meagre pay. Decades ago, public primary schools were the best, with standard and free education. It is not so anymore. What happened? The public primary schools all over the country are almost all dead. A parent is seen as a joker if they take a son or a daughter to a public primary school, because quality is at its lowest ebb.

    My enthusiasm for knowledge in a competitive learning environment was cut short when I saw my colleagues running helter-skelter on the eve of my WASSCE examination. I would learn later that the question paper had leaked the night before. And I thought they were stupid for relying on such ignoble luck. When it dawned on me that what appeared in the examination paper were the same as what they had seen, I was downcast and partly felt stupid for reading that much. And today, that is the order of the day. This has severe implications on a nation’s reading culture. How can a country grow when almost all its young people depend on malpractice to excel in exams?

    In the face of this dilemma lies a plethora of questions: what’s the Nigerian government doing about the poor standard of education in the country? Why is everyone seem to be silent over the leaked questions, gradually forming a regular pattern of our education life?  What happened to the foremost public universities of the country? And how can the public primary and secondary schools be revamped? The questions are just too many.

    The Nigerian education system needs a serious, systematic, reformatory and sustainable attention by the government if the future of the country is of any significance. To treat the sector like a plague is the beginning of a national disaster

     

    •Chambers is a Master’s of Arts and International Studies student of the University of Nairobi

     

  • Clerics uncover loopholes in education

    •Rt Rev Adegbite
    •Rt Rev Adegbite

    Bishop of Methodist Church Nigeria, Owo Diocese, Rt Rev Solomon Adegbite, has clamoured for a conducive learning environment for pupils.

    Rev. Adegbite expressed disappointment at the state of many public schools where poor facilities have dehumanised pupils and teachers.

    In a telephone chat with The Nation, the cleric said: “Education must be done in a conducive atmosphere. Some so-called classrooms are no class rooms at all. The poor facilities are not supposed to be. People should learn only in conducive environment. Even if it is not 100 per cent, let it be minimally conducive. Anywhere that people would be dehumanised should not be used to teach our children.”

    Once the nation gets it right at the basic education level, the cleric is optimistic the rate of illiteracy would reduce and people would be more enlightened.

    Also speaking, Presiding pastor of Ori Oke Baba Abiye, a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) prayer mountain in Ede, Osun State,

    •Prophet Akande
    •Prophet Akande

    Prophet Funso Akande, who condemned delays in teachers’ salaries, advised the incoming government not to toe the same line.

    Akande said many teachers are losing their zeal to work because of poor motivation, hence they now channel their efforts to other businesses, rather than their professional calling.

    He said: “Teachers are not being paid well so the efforts they put into their job is only 20 per cent, while the remaining 80 per cent goes into their private businesses. That is why they sell goods in schools. But if they are well-paid and as at when due, they will show more concentration on their jobs.”

    The cleric advised the incoming government to imbibe the fear of God and fulfil their promises to the people since they will still need them in future.

    “It is the same door with which you come into your house that equally serves as an exit. So if you shut the door violently against them (the people) when you enter and it gets spoiled in the process, that door may just not be available when next you need it,” he said.

  • Education summit now

    Education summit now

    A professor of Computer Engineering and Archbishop of Lagos Province (Anglican Communion), Rev Adebayo Akinde, has advised the incoming Gen. Muhammadu Buhari administration to organise a summit that will appraise the education sector.  Rev. Akinde told ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA that he believes the move can pave the way for a new direction in the system.

    You have always been agitating for an education summit. Why do you think this is necessary?

    Over the last three years, I have been advocating an education summit for Nigeria. We need to revisit the state of education in our county. God has blessed this country with experienced highly respected and renounced educationists. Thank God they are still alive. Some of them could still be brought from the pre-school, to nursery, secondary and tertiary education. I mean education managers and planners. Those who have taught all these years let them come together for at least one or two months and review the state of education in Nigeria.  I am sure they will come up with policy document that the government can meaningfully make use of and not just to add to the stack of sundry reports which are hardly implemented.

    The incoming administration does not have much time, but there are people that will be invited to give them position papers. Nigerians have been yearning for a change that will bless the present generation, a change that will leave a lasting legacy for sustainable development for the future generations, and a change that will bring respectability to Nigeria in the comity of nations.

    So where do you think we got it wrong?

    As far as the education is concerned, it is the vital bedrock of any sustainable development in any community. It is important for the incoming administration to know exactly what education means. There is the knowledge, the skill and the experience component. We are not lacking in knowledge but What Nigeria needs is holistic education whereby knowledge with understanding will be what is imparted into the pupils. What seem to be the missing link in our education system now is: do our pupils understand the knowledge we impart?

    Could you cite an example?

    I will give you one. When we were little in the primary school, we were taught the mental sums-two times one equals two, two times two equals four and so on. If anything, we memorised because when the teacher visited and asked a question, we easily had the answer but without knowing how those answers came to be. But it is more important for a pupil to have the knowledge of multiplication so you can even do it yourself – that is what understanding is! Knowledge with understanding is most critical. That is what will induce practical expectation.  It is only when you have understanding accompanying knowledge that you will get to the point of ability to do.

    We do not want theoretical knowledge anymore. By the time our pupils are trained in acquiring knowledge with understanding, they are bound to get to the point of doing researching and developing new skills and expertise to achieve what we need.

    How achievable is this against the backdrop of workers’ unrest and poor funding?

    Let me go down memory lane. I had my primary, secondary education as well as my first degree in Nigeria before I went abroad for post graduate studies.  Looking at my first three levels of education, they were very solid. We have no cause to bastardise it but the truth of the matter is that cumulative bad governance is what has brought us to this level.

    Workers unrest is a manifestation of something not right in the system. One, workers will not rest if they perceive inequality; sharp disparity between those governing us and those of us is being governed. Two, if there is transparency, even and equity distribution of national resources in government, of course Nigerians are reasonable. And this was one of the things we had when we were growing up. Those who led, their children were our peers in school. Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s children attended Ibadan Grammar School and St Anne’s School also in Ibadan just like every other people. How often do we have the children of our leaders in government schools? Do they not attend special and fee paying schools irrespective of the cost, largely though not all of them? So these are the cause of frequent unrest.

     

  • APC youths admonish Buhari on education

    The All Progressives Congress  National  Students Vanguard (APCNSV), the student wing of APC, has called on the president-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to reduce school fees, especially in public institutions on assuming duties.

    The students also insist that the incoming government should change infrastructure in public institutions by replacing those that are obsolete with modern ones, in addition to focusing more on science and technology for the nation to leapfrog technologically.

    In a congratulatory message to Gen. Buhari, the group’s Coordinator and Secretary-General Comrade Abdulbaqi Shatta and Ahmed Muyiddden, said the spate of rising fees in public institutions was becoming ubiquitous, and placing heavy burden on parents who live from hand to mouth.

    Said the group: “The National leadership of APC National Students Vanguard (APCNSV) wishes to congratulate our president-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on his election victory on Saturday, March 28.

    “As the student wing of APC however, we are appealing to the president-elect to take up the issues of tuition review which has now become a trend in public institutions nationwide.

    “The wave of skyrocketing tuition in the country has become a thing of serious concern that the incoming government must wade into upon assumption. The poor state of the economy, we must realise, places a heavy burden on parents who can hardly provide for their family let alone afford the ever increasing tuition fee.

    “Students of the University of Ilorin for instance, now pay about N70,000 per session. But UNILORIN is just one out of the many federal universities increasing tuition at will and to the disadvantage of children who are mostly from poor homes and whose struggling parents could hardly cope with such rising fees.

    “Therefore, let the government support public schools with more and up-to-date infrastructure as against obsoletes ones that dot our laboratories. We want public schools to be better funded. This lack of funding constitutes some reasons management of public institutions give for increasing tuition to augment government allocation.”

    The duo described Gen. Buhari as intelligent, conservative, and allergic to corruption, going by his antecedent as a military president, advising the president-elect to demonstrate that virtue once he is in the saddle.

    Recalling some of the statement Gen. Buhari once made and fulfilled in the fight against corruption as a military president in 1983, urging him to also walk his talk this time around.

    “He (Buhari) brought out what was known then as WAI (War Against Indiscipline) in which Lagos metamophorsed to KAI (Kick Against Indiscipline).

    “For these reasons, we will like to tell you all that the battle against corruption cannot be fought and won by one man.  The good people of Nigeria have shown their thirst, desire and affinity for positivity. To them, congratulations! The people of Nigeria dream and desire a country free from corruption reign.

    “Therefore, we, at APCNSV, wish to remind Nigerians that as we all look up to “the people’s general” to deliver us this new Nigeria, it is only with our support and solidarity that this can be achieved. We then pray that God, the almighty, grants general Buhari the strength and guidance required to move this country to a greater heights.

     

  • $100m donor fund for education in five states

    The Nigerian government has signed a $100 million grant agreement with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), an initiative partially funded by the U.S. government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  The grant will support Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Sokoto states to increase reading and writing skills, include more girls in basic education, and create a robust monitoring and evaluation system for the education sector.

    GPE focuses on increasing and maintaining equitable access to quality education globally.  In Nigeria, GPE’s goals are to strengthen community activism and local governance, expand access to education through community-based education, and increase the number of qualified female teachers in areas with high gender disparities.

    The group will help the Ministries of Education train teachers and increase access to quality primary education in the said states.

    USAID’s Mission Director in Nigeria, Michael T. Harvey, expressed satisfaction with the agreement signed.

    “The U.S. government is pleased to be a supporter of GPE, and we are happy to see the agreement with Nigeria finalized.  Nigeria has laid out very ambitious goals under its national ‘Education for All’ programme, and we believe the GPE agreement will be essential to its success,” he said.

    In addition to USAID, the GPE consortium in Nigeria includes the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, U.K. Department for International Development, UNICEF, and the World Bank.

    The national partners are state governments, local civil society groups, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and the Federal Ministry of Education.  The Oando Foundation serves as a private sector observer to the partnership.

  • Don advocates entrepreneurship education

    A renowned Geologist, Prof Oluwafeyisola Adegoke, has advocated that entrepreneurial studies should be introduced as a subject in primary and secondary schools.

    Delivering the 20th Ekiti State University (EKSU), convocation lecture, titled: ‘The entrepreneurship education initiative: Implication for higher education administration in Nigeria,’Adegoke noted that students of higher institutions should also take interest in entrepreneurship to the extent that after graduation they would likely become employers of labour instead of becoming job-seekers.

    Adegoke said entrepreneurship education seeks to provide students with the knowledge, skills and motivation to embrace entrepreneurial challenge in a variety of settings.

    He mentioned several areas where youths could start small manufacturing business such as local foods and drinks, flowers artisanal equipment, hair attachments, farming tools and tailoring, among others.

    “The national goal should be that not less than 25-30 per cent of our youths who attend the universities and other higher educational institutions should cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit at graduation,” he said.

  • ‘Make education your priority’

    The Director of Studies, Alwasi’ Schools, Mushin, Lagos, Hajia Zaenab Amad- Taiwo, has called on the in-coming government to put more interest in education.

    She spoke at the school’s Ninth Biennial Inter-house athletics festival at Mushin Sport Complex, Illasamaja.

    She lamented that the sector was being denied the kind of prominence entertainment industry enjoys.

    She said: “As Nigeria promotes sport, they should also promote education. My appeal to the in-coming government is that education should be given a major priority.  We need to make our children see that the government appreciates education”.

    The Green House, which is the school house because the colour represents the school logo, won the competition for the first time in nine years.

    Accumulating a total of 11gold, 12 silver and three bronze medals, the Green House beat Pink House that finished second with 10 gold, five silver and seven bronze medals. The Blue House was third with seven gold, nine silver and 10 bronze medals, while Yellow House came fourth with four gold, seven silver and 11 medals.

    Ahmad-Taiwo expressed her delight at Green House performance.

    “I am so happy today that the school’s house won. In the past it has always been other houses, Green House has broken a record and it is so remarkable”.

    She noted that the school finds sport very essential to keep pupils fit and upright at all times; hence its engagement in biennial sporting activities.

    The chairman of the event, Alhaji Rasheed Yusu, said: “Life is tough and competitive. In life, as well as sport, you need determination when times are tough, life race needs to be completed whether you are feeling out of break or not.”

    He congratulated the winners and also commended parents for encouraging their children to participate in sport fiesta.

  • Education is a girl-child’s right, says club

    Education is a girl-child’s right, says club

    The Junior Chambers International (JCI) of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFA POLY) in Kwara State has organised a seminar with the theme: Educate a girl-child to sensitise female pupils on why they must be educated.

    The event, which was held at Offa Grammar School (OGS), was attended by secondary school pupils.

    The club president, Abimbola Ajibade, said the event would change participants’ orientation about education.

    She added: “We are having this sensitisation seminar because of our observation that many female students consider themselves as second fiddle to their male counterparts and rush into early marriage. We see this as a challenge that must be properly addressed before we can move forward. Girl-child must enjoy equal rights as opposite gender.”

    Mrs Oluwaseyifunmi Adebisi, the guest lecturer, spoke on Be all you can be. She advised the pupils to take their studies seriously and never to feel inferior to boys.

    She said: “You have all it takes to be whoever you want to be in life.”

    Another speaker, Mrs Kemi Adisa, during an interactive session with the pupils, said education remained the best legacy.

    OGS Principal Mr Ibiyeye Wahab urged the pupils to report abuses to their teachers, stressing that under-age marriage must be stopped for the girl-child to realise her latent potential.

    He praised JCI for the seminar.

     

     

  • Stakeholders brainstorm on access to education

    To improve access to quality secondary education for girls and other marginalised youths, Nigerians must begin to see education as a collective responsibility.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala made the call while speaking at a programme organised by Results for Development Institute (R4D) and The Education Partnership Centre (TEP Centre) under the auspices of the Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education (PSISPE).

    The PSIPSE Nigeria convening, held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, brought together stakeholders and decision-makers in secondary education in Nigeria to share knowledge and experiences, discuss best practices and innovation, and encourage peer-to-peer collaboration.

    Nwaobiala, who was one of the speakers at the convention, said that in addition to being collectively responsible, adopting approaches that strengthen government and private sector collaboration would also help improve the education system immensely.

    On her part, the Managing Director, TEP Centre, Dr. Modupe Adefeso-Olateju noted that well-designed and strategic public-private partnerships could address challenges, which affect access, quality and equity in Nigerian education.

    However, while addressing the challenges facing access to quality secondary education for girls and marginalised youth, the Team Leader, Human Development, DFID Nigeria, Ms Kemi Williams, who was the keynote speaker, stated that the solution to removing barriers requires a comprehensive understanding of how the barriers interrelate, and a holistic approach to addressing them.

    The convention was held as part of efforts to improve innovation and practice in secondary education in Nigeria. Technical sessions at the event focused on sharing knowledge on monitoring and evaluation, translating research into policy, strengthening the design of secondary education research, scaling projects and engaging policymakers.