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  • Raising future leaders through free education

    Raising future leaders through free education

    Located in the Asokoro area of Abuja, not many will immediately come to the conclusion that the place known as “Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI)” is a school, which is training tomorrow’s leaders for free. It is located on a plot of land, whose owner is not yet known by the operators of the school. But, today, no less than 111 pupils are being educated for free by the owners of the initiative, led by former Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, Segun Adeniyi and his wife, Oluwatosin. The school recently celebrated its sixth anniversary of retuning hope to underprivileged children, TONY AKOWE reports

    Muhammadu Abdulahi is an eight-year-old and a primary one pupil of “Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI)”, a make shift school for the less-privileged managed by the family of veteran journalist and former Presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi. Today, Muhammadu speaks English and is happy to be in school because, according to him, the NFI has given a voice. He said: “I could only speak Hausa when I came to this school. But now, I can speak English; thanks to the help of my teacher and friends. NFI has given me a voice and a new way to connect with the world.” Little Sharon Shehu, a nine-year-old primary three pupil has the same story to tell. She said: “NFI school saw me when no one else would; they believed in me and now I am standing here as a proof of their unwavering support.”

    The beginning of NFI

    This is the testament of an idea, which began with an encounter between Mrs. Oluwatosin Adeniyi and a woman, who according to the former presidential spokesman, was on the verge of losing her marriage for refusing to surrender to her husband the N5000 she had saved to send her son to school.

    In April 2021, while sharing the experience that gave birth to the initiative that is putting a smile on the faces of several children today, Segun Adeniyi, in his write up titled: “Amapala and other unforgotten children”,  said: “On a particular day in 2018, a pregnant woman flagged down my wife as she drove past, asking for help. Her husband had asked her to move her things from their abode and she needed someone to intervene. Upon investigation, the conflict stemmed from her refusal to give him the N5,000 she had saved from her petty trading to send Haruna, her first son, whose father is late, to school. She was looking to get the savings to N15,000 to register the boy in school and here she was, about to be kicked out of her matrimonial home. When my wife discussed the matter with me, she followed up with a proposition: Why don’t we take up Haruna’s education? I agreed instantly. Then she added, ‘What about the other kids? We need to do something about them as well.’

    “She told me she had discussed with parents and they expressed willingness to have their children (14 at the time) in school but had no money. I told her to go ahead with whatever she planned, promising to provide the financial resources. I know I have good friends I can always count on. My wife took my word as a licence to construct two classrooms in a make-shift structure on an empty land within the area. But the moment the 14 pupils were enrolled and one teacher employed, we had many children showing up, looking all scruffy and tattered. And we could not turn them back. We hired two more teachers. Just as I was getting worried by the financial implications as the number of pupils kept increasing, my friend, Folorunsho (Foli) Coker, added a new idea. Following his appointment as Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Coker arrived in Abuja in 2017 to take up accommodation beside the school. He fell in love with the children and inquired about people behind the idea. When he got to know I was involved, Foli called me to suggest, “Segun, your wife has to go beyond teaching those children. They deserve at least one meal a day. I will support you.” That was how meal became part of the project”. The initiative is paying off and what began with 14 children now has about 111 children six years after.”

    Testimonies from parents

    Like the little children, The Nation noticed that the parents are full of gratitude for the opportunity offered their children to have formal education. One of such is Mrs. Afiniki Sunday, whose four children are part of the school. Afiniki is one of those who were present when the school celebrated its sixth anniversary. While expressing gratitude to the founders for the initiative, she called for support to sustain the initiative.

    She said “I have four children in this school. I am so happy because I have two children that have graduated from this school and are now in boarding school in Bwari on scholarships. We are praying that God will sustain this school with longevity and more wisdom and all the donors that are supporting our children. I am not paying any fees or for anything, every time I say to my children and even when we pray with their father, we tell them that even when we are no longer alive, whatever they become in life, they should remember to support this school because it is through this school that they will become somebody in the future”.

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    Speaking in the same vein, Mrs. Sheidu Bilikisu, whose two children are also in the school, said, “I have two children in this school and I am so happy today to be here. My children are doing well. I love the school. Since my children came to this school, they have been happy coming to school. There is never a day I wake them up to prepare for school and they will feel bad. The way the owner of the school is taking care of the children is the reason why they are happy coming to school. It is only God that will bless Adeniyi. I am not paying any fees or anything. It is only God that will bless them.”

    Ehusani: NFI is an answer to out-of-school children challenge

    Founder of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, who has supported the initiative since inception, believe that if about 300 Nigerians replicate the initiative across the country, several out-of-school children will be given access to education. In his words, “Every Nigerian child has the right to equal education and to enjoy subsidies from the abundant resources in the country.” He believes that there should be no distinction between private primary school and public primary school, adding that all schools should have the same quality.

    He said: “If we have two to 300 people doing this kind of thing with one in every town in Nigeria, if we have one or two of such initiatives catering for hundreds of indigent children, then Nigeria will be a much better place.” The priest is pained that rather than advancing in education and technology, the Nigerian society is grossly polarised. He said: “Nigeria today is a thoroughly divided society between the very rich and the very poor, and the children of the very poor have no opportunities for education. So, this is a very critical initiative, a very much needed initiative, and it is God sent. You can see these children. You can see what they are benefiting. In only six years they have, how many people in Federal Government Colleges produced from this school. I was here at the beginning when it started. So, I know what has gone in here.”

    He is not happy that since the inception of the school, no government agency has considered it necessary to offer assistance. He said: “My shock is that till now, no government agency has considered it necessary to come and campaign for them to get a proper land for a school and support them to have a proper environment for these children to study. This is just coming out of one person’s initiative, one family’s initiative and see how much Nigerians are wasting.”

     Aniagwu: managing such an initiative is not an easy venture

    Given the current economic crisis in the country, former Commissioner for Works in Delta State, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, said managing such an initiative is not an easy venture. His joy, however, is that the initiative was retuning hope to the hopeless and creating a platform for the children to develop their talents and achieve their dreams. He us full of praise for the initiative why expressing the hope that other Nigerians will emulate what they are doing for the good of the country. He said “It is a laudable initiative to be able to give back to society. I am told that all the pupils of this institution don’t even pay fees. They take care of their fees every other thing they need for their educational advancement. That is what many Nigerians are not doing. That is what many churches are not doing, what many mosques are not doing. For me, I believe with this kind of initiative, heaven is closer to the person than those who think that is only about singing, dancing and collecting tithe and all that.

    “I believe the good Lord will bless them for taking care of individuals who are not even their children. It is not only about gathering them, but giving them quality education. Don’t be surprised that one of the children here may be a governor or even President. But if they are not given this opportunity, how can they put to use their God given talents? We are blessed with different gifts from above. If you are not able to manage it, you may lose it. But what they are hoping to do now is to give those children the opportunity to chat a part where they could realise their God-given potentials,” he said.

    Our mission, by founder

    The school’s director/founder, Mrs. Adeniyi, said that a total of 27 children from the school had been admitted into various Federal Government colleges on full scholarship, while expressing happiness that the school has grown from a small school to a community of leaders, learners, dreamers and achievers. She said: “Most importantly, we have been able to instill hope in children who were the ones forgotten by society, showing them that they are loved, valued and destined for greatness. As we celebrate today, let us not lose sight of the work that remains to be done. There are still many children waiting for opportunity to learn, to grow and to dream. We can continue to expand this mission, touching more lives and creating a better and brighter future for generations to come.”

    Interestingly, the makeshift structures housing the school are not owned by the Adeniyis, neither did they secure the permission of the owner to use it. They saw the empty plot of land and decided to use it pending when the owner would come for it. While sharing his experience, the former Presidential spokesman said they don’t even know the owner who has not shown up. But, he expressed the belief that the owner may be aware of what is going on there and is waiting. The implication, however, is that they may need a facility of their own very soon.

    NFI’s achievements

    However, the school has recorded quite a number of achievements. He said in 2021 that, “a young lady named Mariam joined our evening tutorial programme for secondary school students. Then the story emerged that her mother was planning to give her away in marriage. After investigation, we realised that the mother wanted to take advantage of an offer of N150,000 from a suitor to marry her off. My wife spoke to the mother, auntie and the brother-in-law and they agreed to cancel the marriage if NFI would cater for Mariam’s education. We gladly accepted the deal.

    “Another young lady, Nana Usman, was brought to us to be a cleaner because the family could no longer cater for her education. We also accepted responsibility for her education. She has just completed her junior WAEC as well.”

    Many more stories on the impacts recorded by NFI in its six years of existence abound in Abuja and in the minds of its pupils and parents. However, many parents hope the mission of the founders and supports of others would keep making the school to flourish till eternity.

  • ‘Kano needs N160b for free education’

    The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in Kano State has said the government would need over N160 billion to properly execute its free and compulsory education policy.

    Secretary of the PTA, Aminu Tafida, disclosed this during a radio programme ‘Duniyarmu a Yau’.

    Tafida said the amount, which is more than half of the state’s 2019 budget, would meet all the requirements of the policy for both primary and secondary schools.

    Last December, the Kano State House of Assembly passed the N219.97 billion budget presented by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

    Giving a breakdown of the funds needed, the PTA chair said primary schools need at least N85 billion to run effectively, while secondary schools require N75 billion.

    According to him, the association would not stop collecting its dues from the pupils, despite of an order from the state government stopping the collection of levies in schools.

    Tafida said parents would continue to pay N100 every term for primary school pupils and N200 for those in secondary schools as PTA dues.

    However, the Chairman of Kano State Secondary School Management Board, Alhaji Danlami Hayyo said the state would not relent in its quest to provide free education to its children in the state.

    He said the introduction of the free education policy would contribute immensely to the development of schools in Kano, adding that parents should assist the government to realise the goal.

  • Nwosu promises to sustain free education

    Imo State governorship aspirant Uche Nwosu has promised to sustain the free education in the state if elected as governor in 2019.

    He also urged the students to support President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in the interest of the country.

    Nwosu, who spoke when the Imo State Students Unite (IMSSU) visited him, said President Buhari needs another four years to stabilise the country, especially the economy and other critical sectors that were neglected under previous administrations.

    The students organised a solidarity rally to support Nwosu’s governorship ambition.

    The aspirant said it took a lot of sacrifice from Governor Rochas Okorocha to initiate and run the free education programme, promising to sustain the programme when elected governor in 2019.

    He said: “Free education is non-negotiable in my agenda, it is one of the dearest to governor Okorocha, hence a legacy he wants to sustain and that is what I will do when I become governor.”

    Leader of the students’ union, Kingsley Ekenna, said they held the solidarity march to urge Nwosu to go ahead with his ambition, and to thank Governor Okorocha for his seven years of “giving free and quality education to students in the state”.

  • El Rufai’s free education, feeding policy

    SIR: Malam Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State introduced some policies in the state whose results so far are at best mixed. In fact, the policies of school feeding and free education introduced by his administration increased the financial burden of the state. The administration banned all schools in the state from collecting PTA money and any form of payment from parents in the state when it is known that most schools use this money for the procurement of chalks and other things required for a successful learning. Meanwhile the state has failed to provide these materials. Today in Kaduna State, students and teachers buy chalks for the use of their schools. Is this not borne of lack of good and proper planning?

    Secondly, the state government introduced free school feeding for primary school students of which N10 billion was reportedly spent in eight months. The aim of this was to motivate the students to go to school. Of course, this has really motivated them but the schools became very congested to the extent that students are staying outside the classrooms and sometimes in the veranda. What measures has the state government taken so far to expand or increase the number of classes in the state?

    We are all aware of the fact that the government renovated schools across the state, but this was not sufficient. My candid opinion here is that these huge monies that are being spent on school feeding where half of the school hours are wasted in distributing food packs that cannot satisfy even a toddler should be used in promoting the social and economic welfare of the teachers. The schools need more than renovation. The structures of these schools should be upgraded and where there is enough land or spaces, additional classes should be built. The N10 billion spent in eight months on school feeding is too much. This money should have been used in other sectors of the state. If one billion naira was spent on agriculture, it would have employed thousands of graduates. If one billion naira had been spent every year for eight months on important and selected ministries it would have transformed the state to a greater level.

     

    • Hasheem B Ahmad,

    hashimbahmad@gmail.com

  • Zuma, Okorocha sign MoU on free education

    South Africa President Jacob Zuma and Imo State Governor Rocha Okorocha yesterday joined forces to offer quality education to indigent African children at no cost.

    Their foundations, Jacob Zuma Foundation and Rochas Foundation, signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the project.

    The South African President and Founder of the Jacob Zuma Foundation, who was accompanied by his wife and top South African businessmen and government officials, described the signing of the MoU “as beginning of the journey of solving Africa’s problem once and for all”.

    Emphasising the need for education, Zuma insisted education remained the only efficient tool to prepare African children for the task of developing and emancipating the continent.

    According to him: “I am partnering with the Rochas Foundation because we share similar passion to educate poor African children.

    “Maybe my own passion is as a result of my poor background. I wanted to be a teacher or a Pastor or a Lawyer but none of this dream was fulfilled because I did not go to school.

    “So I realised at a young age that education is important to make you as a human being to be to do whatever you wanted to do.

    “So I decided that even though I could not go to school, I must be educated”.

    President Zuma, who recalled his challenges while growing up in his poor neighbourhood, argued freedom from colonialism alone cannot solve the continent’s problems or improve standard of living for Africans.

    Only education, he said, can liberate the continent, stating “Africans are condemned at birth without education”.

    He noted Africa cannot develop without education, stressing “African continent is carrying the burden imposed on it by the colonialists and the only way they can confront such challenges is through education”.

    To pioneer students of the Rochas Foundation College of Africa drawn from 55 African countries, he said: “If I can make it without seeing the walls of any school, you can make it even better because of the quality education you are getting in this Foundation; so make good of the opportunity while you are here”.

    Okorocha, President and Founder of the Rochas Foundation College of Africa, said he was glad that the vision he had 17 years ago had materialized.

    He informed the colleges have 15,000 students across the nation and over 4,000 graduates in the different fields.

    Okorocha said: “As it stands today, I have dedicated 75 percent of my wealth to charity from all my income and whatever I make in my life as a successful businessman 75 percent of it will go to charity.

    “I have equally dedicated certain assets of mine not to be inherited by my children even when I am no more those assets have been willed to Rochas Foundation for ever.”

    He added: ”Every child here is a story. Of recent we have children from Guinea and Sierra Leone whose parents and relatives all died of Ebola and they were left alone in this world, these children we are now giving hope again to live.

    “These ones will go nowhere anymore until they finish their universities and then we shall send them back to their countries where they will contribute to the economic development.”

  • Senate passes Free, Compulsory Education Bill

    The bill on Compulsory, Free Education has been passed by the Senate.

    This is contained in a statement by Bashir Rabe Mani, Special Assistant to Senator Aliyu Magatakarda, Wamakko on Media and Publicity.

    The statement said the bill, which seeks to amend the Compulsory, Free, Universal Education Act 2004, had passed through the first, second and third readings before its eventual passage.

    The statement stated further that the bill seeks to increase the block grant contribution of the Federal Government to education, while reducing contributions from state governments.

    The statement said the bill aimed at reducing the scenario where most states are unable to access the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) grants owing to their inability to contribute 50 per cent counterpart funds to the cost of projects before execution.

    It continued: ”The only two per cent budgetary allocations  to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), by the Central Government is to be increased to three per cent.

    ”The bill also seeks to provide free and compulsory education for all Nigerian children from primary up to secondary education.”

    The statement recalled that the bill was sponsored by Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education.

  • Who’s against free education in Ogun?

    SIR: I am compelled to voice out my observations in the educational sector of the Gateway state of Ogun as it has become incumbent on all residents, sons and daughters to let the world know what parents are passing through in the hands of public school teachers, education administrators and private school proprietors.

    At the inception of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun administration, parents were promised a lot of incentives which include among other things, free education at the primary and secondary school levels, non-payment of WAEC fee, non-payment for  extra mural classes or other levies whatsoever.

    It is however surprising that in public schools, various levies are being collected under the guise of  Parent/Teachers Association (PTA) umbrella that are about equal to what was paid as school fees before.

    It is also glaring that most members of the so called P.T.A. have no children in the schools they claim to represent while some have been in office for well over eight years. These cliques, in concert with some school heads have turned the schools into commercial hubs.

    In some schools in the state, outgoing students of secondary schools pay as much as N7,000.00 before being allowed to sit for the West African School Certificate Examination under the pretence that the money was for P.T.A. and school development.

    Lower classes pay between N1,700 and N2,200 per student per term and yet there is claim by the government that education is free. The difference is based on each school’s demand.

    In public primary schools, pupils are made to pay between N750 and N1000 per term. Aside from all these, parents still purchase lockers and chairs for all new incoming students of public secondary schools even when the state government is yearly supplying same to the schools. School principals unlike in the past now bill the parents for the lockers and chairs.

    The governor should endeavour to investigate the sum of N2,000 being demanded for testimonial and certificate from outgoing primary school pupil in Ado-Odo/Ota, Ifo and other local governments practicing such.

    The state government promised posting pupils into schools near them but the recent development is that aside from the N2,500 being paid for Common Entrance forms, officials of the Zonal Education Offices now hoard the forms. Parents now pay between N5,000 and N10,000 to be able to collect the form. It is so sad that some people are bent on staining the good reputation of this government.

    The private school owners are the worst culprits as they have turned their pupils into commercial goods through outrageous collection of levies that matched that of higher institutions, and unheard of matriculation and convocation ceremonies.

    It is high time the Ministry of Education and Technology see into all these before politicians start using them as tools of destabilization.

    • Abiodun Rauph

    Ijoko Road,

    Sango, Ogun State.

  • How we run free education at IMSU, by VC

    How we run free education at IMSU, by VC

    Vice Chancellor of the Imo State University (IMSU), Prof Ukachukwu Awuzie speaks on the secret of running a tuition-free university and the scorecard of his administration with OKODILI NDIDI.

    How will you rate the performance of the free education programme?

    Impressive. The free education of the Imo State University is a huge success. As we speak Commissioners of Education from other states have been coming to the University to study how we managed the programme so that they can introduce it in their respective states.

    How have you been able to manage the university relying mainly on subvention?

    It has always been my candid opinion that universities should, to a great extent, be self sustaining financially. I have always reiterated my plan to lay a solid foundation, upon the expiration of my tenure, which would ensure that the university would be able to generate a bulk of the resources for its operations through research outlets, endowments, alumni organisations and partnerships/linkages with national and international organizations.

    Upon assumption of duty, I discovered that the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine had been focusing more on theoretical rather than practical aspect of its mandate. To put the Faculty on sound footing and to ensure that it serves not only as an institute for the propagation of knowledge, but also a major income earner for the university, my administration has been able to among other things; increased the number of birds in the poultry section to such an extent that the poultry presently sells eggs and birds to the university community and members of the public. We increased the number of pigs in the piggery and as a result, products of the piggery are now in the open market. We also established eight fish ponds stocked with over 2,000 fingerlings. It is expected that within the shortest possible time, these ponds would prove to be major income earners for the university.

    My administration also resuscitated the moribund feed mill on Campus that was neglected by previous administrations and it is now performing at optimal capacity. Upon the realization of the place of such feed mill in the drive for improved income generation for the university, my administration will remain committed o its continued expansion.

    Being a Vice-Chancellor is quite different from being a unionist. In the first 12 months of your tenure as the substantive Vice Chancellor, what have you done to transform the institution?

    Upon my appointment as the Acting Vice-Chancellor by the Visitor to the University, Governor Rochas Okorocha on November 22nd, 2012, I set about putting in place the relevant governance and administrative infrastructure necessary for the smooth running of the university. To this effect, I demonstrated to the Visitor the need for the urgent constitution of the Governing Council for the university. Prior to this time, the absence of a council for the university had been a huge impediment to the development of sustainable and robust governance and administrative framework for the university.

    The advent of the 7th Governing Council has brought in its wake; the commencement of the process for the ethical rebirth within the university community and the process for a comprehensive intellectual values re-engineering among staff and students. No doubt my administration has made tremendous and appreciable progress in this regard as sound moral, ethical and intellectual values have begun to permeate the institution’s environment.

    Also the Senate before the advent of my administration had uncertain days of meeting. Under my administration, our University like other Universities now has a definite date of meeting and a robust calendar for its functions, as each meeting’s deliberations are followed up with action sheets.

    In what other ways have you brought your past experiences to bear in the management of the University in the last one year?

    As a foremost academic and a trade unionist, I understand the need to maintain high standards within the university community. I understand the essence of the proper incentivisation of the workers, particularly through regular payment of salaries and prompt sponsorship of staff and students to international and national conferences, workshops and seminars. My administration has in the past two years in collaboration with the TETFund research fund, sponsored over 16 members of Staff for MSc and PhD programmes at both international and local Universities. This is considered as a necessary step towards the development of a virile and robust University.

  • School where pupils pay teachers’ salary

    School where pupils pay teachers’ salary

    Have you ever imagined a scenario where pupils of primary schools pay teachers’ salary? That is the situation in a yet-to-be-approved Government Primary School in Ijoko, Ogun State. It is usually interesting to hear government officials say that education is free in Nigeria, especially at the primary level and the most important section as it is. How true is this saying?

    For several reasons ranging from Community Development Association’s (CDA) inability to further maintain facilities (rented building and provision of Chairs and textbooks in some cases) and to manage both teachers’ and pupils’ needs, to their inability to erect a structure suitable for government approval, the school has changed locations for about 4 times.

    What now poses as St. Saviour Primary School Olayemi Annex, Oluke Tuntun, Ijoko, Ogun State, used to be United Community Primary School, established in 2005 by the collective effort of the members of Olorundusin (Fadunsin) CDA, area of Ijoko.

    However, the farther the school goes the more or less accessible it became for some pupils, and some hopes to attend primary school were dashed. At Basic (Primary) 6, the pupils are merged with an approved school for placement into Basic 7 (Junior Secondary School 1) at the nearest Government Secondary School.

    Government at all levels calls it Free Education but Pupils of St. Saviour Primary School, Olayemi pay N600 while their colleagues in the yet-to-be-approved annexe pay N1600. This is because, at the yet-to-be-approved annexe, pupils pay N500 for teachers’ salary and N500 for the school building. The other N600 supposedly paid to the government, is N300 for maintenance and N300 for insurance from the government. What then is free? This is obviously not peculiar to St Saviour; it seems to be the culture in Ogun State.

    For new intakes in an unapproved school like St. Saviour Annex, the story is slightly different. They pay N2200. This is the regular levy of N1600 plus N100 for a chair and N500 for government approval of the school. Only God knows how long this payment for approval will last before nature smiles on them.

    The said N600 supposedly paid to the government is per session since its introduction until early 2014 when pupils now pay every term, which now amounts to N1800 per academic session in an approved school and N4800 for the yet-to-be-approved school pupils. Maybe the cost of insuring and maintaining these pupils has increased.

    Meanwhile, the curriculum at primary school level is expected to provide a permanent literacy for children from ages 3 and 5, including pre-primary. It also extends to the laying of a sound basis for scientific, critical and reflective thinking, inclusive of equipping children with the core life skills to function effectively in the society. It could not have been otherwise, that is what makes it a primary education to human existence anyway.

    St. Saviour Oluke annexe has tried to do just that for about 9 solid years now. This poor to-be-public primary school, in its unapproved form, has continued to produce primary school graduates, laying a questionable foundation.

    After going through hell, the school now has a structure of four classrooms, which is one of government’s requirements to approve a school as fit to offer public primary education. Just as the Basic 6 pupils occupy a classroom that also doubles as office due to the inadequacy of classrooms, the pupils of Basic 1 also occupy a classroom out of the four classrooms available. On the contrary, Basic 2 and 3 share one classroom, while pupils of Basic 4 and 5 also share a classroom. All these are efforts of the children of the masses to acquire education by all means.

    It is, therefore, logical to best describe this kind of education as cheap and not free education. If the government does not know what it is doing, the citizens know.

    It is pertinent for government to want to revive public primary education in Nigeria. If it would remain free as claimed, it does not have to be with bad structures and ill administrative systems. Students of public schools also deserve some dignity and sense of satisfaction for attending government schools. It is expected that whatever government does should be at its best. However, many Nigerians, home and abroad have lost hope in the governmentet, there are few who believe that government can and would attend to the very needs of the citizenry, giving rise to out of school children in the country.

    See infographics below:

     

    Thus, schools should be often rehabilitated and equipped with up-to-date facilities including white boards, markers and library, as well as qualified manpower to mention but few. In the light of that, fresh graduates could be employed in classrooms to both reduce unemployment and rescue government schools. Most of these graduates after National Youth Service often end up teaching in private schools with a stipend in the name of salary. These, undoubtedly will help reposition primary education again in Nigeria.

    As vital as it is to equip and manage schools, it is even more important for government to build enough schools across every settlement to overcome the risk of overpopulated few available schools and or the risks of pupils travelling more than 3 kilometers to school. More so, one of the supposed reasons why private schools seem to do much better is because teachers do not attend to too many students which may bring about a hostile teachers-students relationship. One teacher to 20-25 students is not bad. Also important is the need for re-orientation of teachers about their relationships with students.

    On the whole, rewards and certificates of recognitions or of honours often boost worker’s will-power to do more at work. Teachers should not be left out of such appropriate motivations and reward for extra efforts to improve the learning of pupils. Education is light as knowledge is power. In the voices of the children of Nigerian masses, government should do the needful to boost the ego and will-power of teachers to improve education.

    No sooner than these and many other reforms are effected, education will be revived in the country again and the future can be promising.

  • ‘Free education is achievable’

    Governors in the Southwest zone of the country must keep faith with education philosophy of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said.

    Fashola spoke at the Fourth Obafemi Awolowo Lecture Series organised by the Faculty of Education of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    The governor spoke on Protecting the Nigerian Child’s Rights: Catalyst for socio-political emancipation. Fashola gave insight into the education programmes of the late sage, saying pupils that benefited from Awolowo’s free education had opportunity to be taught in under the best condition.

    He said the late Awolowo entrenched his noble ideals of freedom from ignorance, passion for knowledge and right to know when he was the Premier of defunct Western Region. He said: “For Chief Awolowo, the idea of free education was not the problem; what was the challenge was how to sustain it.”

    The governor said challenges facing free education policy today remained remuneration for teachers and provision of learning materials. If these can be surmounted, Fashola said education would be made totally free at all level.

    The governor said the challenge could be solved if states could improve its revenue and generate funds from its resources.

    Concluding, Fashola challenged the well-to-do citizens to pay pivotal role in the funding of education, saying government should not be left to bear the burden alone.

    Appreciating governor’s commitment to free basic education in Lagos, the organisers honoured Fashola with Life Patron award.

    At the event include Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, represented by his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, the former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Prof Modupe Adelabu, Vice-Chancellor Prof Bamitale Omole and Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof Olu Jegede, among others.