Towards Educational Reform in Nigeria
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The word reform means many things to people and it takes different shades in many areas and sectors. The need for any type of reform would not be necessary if everything works right. In Nigeria, many things have gone wrong over the years with the clamour for change and the jingles on change renting the air in all facets. The new political order in Nigeria (political change), must bring along with it, some educational components to save the country from dangers in the education sector, to guarantee a bright future for Nigeria and the unborn children.
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Rationale for Nigeria Education Reform
Before there can be a change in any form, and anywhere, the feeling of dissatisfaction with the status quo must exist. A gap must be felt between ‘where we are’ and ‘where we want to be’. Something must be wrong and indeed something is wrong with the state of education in Nigeria. This is the essence of this call for an educational reform. A reform is not just a careless exercise or meaningless and fruitless pursuit. In a way, a reform is synonymous with change, and in this case for the betterment of education in Nigeria. Education is not just calling for a change, but a real reform in the new Nigeria under GMB.
It is through a thorough discourse that real reform can occur in the Nigerian educational system. While it is pertinent to consider so many aspects of education to include, finance, infrastructure, teachers, learners, administration, certification and licensure, etc, it is also important to institute policies which will be binding on all schools in both the rural and urban areas irrespective of tribes, religious or political affiliations.
Today the rate of pupil dropout in the Eastern parts of Nigeria is very alarming. For example the Guardian Newspapers of May 8, 2015 reported that the Enugu State Annual School Census revealed that no fewer than 6,159 public primary school pupils (3003 boys and 3156 girls) dropped out of school in Enugu State between 2013 and 2014. According to same report, 4,439 students, dropped out of public secondary schools from the 17 Local Government Areas of the state within the period under review.
Before too long, this problem will escalate and spread to other states to such a level that Nigeria’s illiteracy rate will worsen beyond comprehension. This deplorable situation is also applicable and happening to other parts of the country. It should then not surprise us when Universities will be begging students to apply and consequently have to lower admission standards and our graduates remain mediocre at best. Many Universities may unfortunately be forced to shut down.
If a study is conducted throughout Nigeria, one will be shocked at the number of dropouts in all thirty six states and Abuja. A National Educational Reform is necessary to stem the tide and stop this high rate of attrition in the primary and secondary schools level throughout Nigeria.
Educational Reforms
Literature is replete with various types of reforms in Nigeria on the macro and micro levels. Few of these reforms had resulted in significant and meaningful changes over the years. Several reform activities had resulted in zero or very limited changes. Many reform attempts which were capable of resulting in fundamental changes remain as just mere reports, left on shelves to gather the dust in ministries, governmental agencies and parastatals. Many consultants have been employed by Governments and many had done beautiful jobs, however, there had been calculated attempts by clients to sweep the truths under the rugs, this is another form of corruption. The consequence of this is that many of these reports are left on the shelves in offices as decorations, gathering the dust. What a waste of time, human, materials and financial resources.
In Nigeria, there had been many conferences, workshops, and colloquia held over the years. These fora had come up with communiques, reports and recommendations which had resulted in zero actions taken, on the various burning issues for national development and progress. On the smaller scales, many committees had been formed as ad hoc or standing committees.
World over, the value of and the inevitability of committees and committee approach to organizational management is held in high esteem. Deliberations of these had resulted in meaningful and significant suggestions to move organisations forward. In Nigeria, many of these often resulted in futility, especially if results were indictments on some significant member(s) of such organization or if reports were to cause some money to be spent in fixing some immediate or long-term problems. Nigerians take delight in making a lot of noise and saying nothing! Soon as the glamour or hue and cry of the conferences or meetings die down, it becomes ‘business as usual’ and all the money and time expended in the successful coming together of brains become wasted. History would have been made, but with no meaningful outcome (results) of the activities being realized.
If the new government will investigate or take stock of the reform activities, reports of consultants, communique of conferences and committee reports, (in the last five or ten years), the benefits that have accrued from these will reveal an abysmal shock and disappointment. These represent an annual colossal waste of governmental revenue - employing consultants, organizing conferences and workshops, and forming high-powered committees, whose reports will have no merit or receive zero attention. What a huge waste of money as nothing would have been achieved through the exercise, just mere exercise in futility.
It is comforting that on the micro level, there had been the success stories of the Lagos State Judicial Reform which was credited to Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice-President-Elect, while he was the Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State. The essence of that reform was to curb the widespread corruption in the Lagos State Judiciary. The impressive result of that reform is that the Lagos State reform template which has sanitized the Judiciary system of Lagos State now serves as the template for other states in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Teacher
If we are to tackle the problems facing education in Nigeria frontally, our first point of concern should be teachers and the teaching profession. It had long been recognized that the quality of education is a function of the quality of teachers. For example when teachers are of poor qualifications, badly motivated, poorly paid, with damaged ego, and least appreciated professionally, we cannot and should not expect high level of performance from them.
A careful study of the Lagos State Judiciary Reform template can serve in other areas of the Nigerian economy such as education. The teacher is a whole entity and a significant aspect to be factored into any educational reform in Nigeria. The teachers’ role is pivotal in our educational development. The quality of education in any nation is a function of the quality of her teachers. What is wrong with Nigeria education goes way beyond the teacher but for the purpose of this write-up, we shall make the Teacher, the starting point and our focus.
Next to the parents in a child’s up-bringing is the teacher. It is known in many cultures that the child fears and obeys the teacher more that the parents or guardians. The importance of the teacher in the life of a growing child cannot be overestimated in the formal education of any child. If he/she is that important why then have we chosen in Nigeria to classify them as least important? I do not need more evidences than the newspapers reports of how many teachers are going a-begging for money and food to survive in as many as ten (10 States) out of thirty six, to support my claim. There also could be more teachers with salaries unpaid or irregular in their salary payments, which have not been reported. Can we then imagine how many millions of children (under the tutelage and guardianship of these begging teachers) would be affected by this new trend of not making teachers’ salaries priorities in many states of the Federation? This situation calls for some legislative attention to protect teachers in Nigeria as a whole, private and public schools alike. The conditions for school approval should be based on an undertaking by proprietors to pay teachers’ salaries on the monthly or whatever schedule as per teachers’ contracts. We need a legislation, to protect this basic rights of teachers (public and private schools) at all educational levels in both urban and rural schools.
Unfortunately, teachers’ unpaid salaries have allowed the entertainers/jesters to craft some ‘miseducation’ items as laughing matters, and they are not funny at all. It is a serious matter if children will be allowed to learn the wrong things in schools for any reason.
For example here is a serious teacher pupil dialogue:
Teacher: Who is the President of Nigeria?
Children: (Chorused) Lamido Sanusi!
Teacher: Correct! Who is the minister of Defense?
Children: Asari Dokubo!
Teacher: Good! What is the Capital City of Nigeria?
Children: Enugu!
Teacher: Very good! Who composed the national anthem?
Children: D-Banj and 2Face!
Teacher: Excellent! What do you call people from Moscow?
Children: Mosquitoes!
Teachers: Perfect! What is 2+5?
Children: 25!
Teacher: That’s great! You are all going to remain stupid and dull like this until the Governor (name withheld) pays my salary.
Source: Anonymous
I have gone this length to show that a lot of miseducation must be going on in schools, in both the rural and urban areas of Nigeria today. Some urgent steps must be taken to arrest this destructive and damaging teacher activities in schools.
Quite apart from the non-payment of salaries, their meagre take home pay cannot even take them home! Our slogan in ASUU used to be “My take home pay cannot even take me home”. This explains why many of the primary and secondary school teachers have turned schools into supermarkets, shops and stores for the sales and marketing of their wares to enable them make supplemental incomes to augment their miserable salaries. Turning schools into shopping plazas is illegal in all respects and forms part of the gross indiscipline in our society. It is corruption of a sort. However, if teachers’ ‘take home pays’ will not ‘take them home’, should they not find the means to get back to their homes and families?
A reform in education, like that of the Lagos state judiciary, which controlled the high level of corruption in the judiciary, and also improved the lots of Judges and those in the judiciary, is needed to stop this illegal practices by teachers and bring some sanity into education in Nigeria. This cannot be realized without improving the lots of teachers in the light of the present economic situation of Nigeria. A reform process will lead to a betterment in the salary structure of teachers. Nigerian teachers should be able to rise to the highest levels of the salary scales.
Another pitiful aspect of the teachers’ plight is the teachers’ ego which has been dented over the years. Salaries aside, there are still dedicated teachers who have the passion for teaching and will still do a good job even with meagre salaries. The papers have gone as far as to report that unpaid workers (teachers) have resorted to begging for money and food for their survival! Who will want to choose to be a teacher in the light of these development?
Before the new teachers’ plights, many parents had openly condemned and humiliated teachers and the teaching profession in the presence of their pupils/children. Teachers’ ego has been severely dented and learners at all levels no longer fear or respect teachers, as it used to be four to five decades ago. Parent look down on teachers in schools. Governments do not honour their monthly salary obligations to teachers. What is then left for the teacher who has been so thoroughly dehumanized? It is a big shame on those who have chosen to mistreat teachers and the teaching profession like this.
During a short visit to some schools at the primary and secondary school levels, I witnessed some unfortunate scenes and behavior patterns which point to the fact that students in many Nigeria schools do not have respect for their teachers anymore. On expressing my concerns to teachers, what they said was that these children have been empowered by their rich parents, many of them the corrupt in the society. Pupils merely look down on teachers and pity them as poor workers! Many parents who can afford to offer gifts to teachers and bail them out of poverty and financial problems, take advantage of the teachers to use them as the under-privileged of the society. Many parents have been known and heard to insult teachers in the presence of their children. Many often boast that they can never be teachers and that their children would never go into the teaching profession!
One then wonders where the next generation of teachers will come from! There is need to embark on a public campaign to repair the image of the ‘teacher’, if people will be encouraged to teach and not be made to continue to hate the art of teaching. The emphasis of the teacher repair campaign should be on the dignity of labour, importance, necessity and the desirability of teachers to man our schools. Teachers’ gains and goodness should not be delayed until death or when they reach the Heavens. It should be realized here on earth! Instituting an encouraging pay structures and appropriate pays for the teaching professionals will correct the peoples’ attitude towards teaching. All educational systems of the world, will forever need good teachers, as long as there will continue to be schools with or without walls.
Corruption in Education
There is no doubt that there is corruption in all sectors in Nigeria. The corruption in education is a frequent occurrence in the Nigerian daily papers. It varies in sizes and shades from one educational level to another. For example, parents will bribe teachers to award marks and or give preferential treatments to their children. We have heard of parents getting teachers to come and give home lessons to their children to prepare them for their normal school examinations and tests!
Teachers and schools have been known to inflict levies on children for projects which are fictitious and never to be executed. Many teachers have been known to tell children to bring to school, certain items for teaching and learning, which end up as sales items at the teachers’ supermarkets. The list of misdemeanors is endless and all these do not augur well for meaningful education of any nation.
In tertiary education the list of corruption and misdemeanors is also endless ranging from undue and unprintable gratifications from students, cultism, illegal sales of books and handouts, examination malpractices of all types, falsification of results, ‘sorting’, buying and sales of examination papers, sales and purchase of admission slots, etc. There is need to find a lasting solution and continued surveillance on the issue of corruptions at all educational levels so that some sanity can be restored into the education sector of Nigeria. We must all cooperate and contribute in correcting the ills of the society, in all sectors for the meaningful change to take place.
Debilitating Effects of Trade Unionism on Education
The proliferation of trade Unions in the Nigerian education sector is perhaps the worst in the world! There is nothing basically wrong in having or belonging to trade unions. What is unusual and counter-productive in it is having so many unions fending for itself. How nice would it have been if they can be shrunk under two or three big umbrellas and run with the interest of workers at heart?
The genesis of trade unionism ab initio was that employers did not care enough for their employees and that was what originally led to the formation of a special core of people designated to fight for the welfare of employees. In education for example, if Governments had been fair enough and shown concern for workers (employees), perhaps there would not have been any need for ASUU, NASUU, NUT etc, etc. With the trends of broken promises and governments not living up to their words, not honouring agreements workers were made to learn the hard way to demand for their rights. One of the ways they found most effective in bringing employers (Governments) to their knees was through the strike actions.
In the last twenty years or so many problems associated with workers and teachers’ strikes dominated the teaching learning scenes and has virtually ruined the Nigeria education system. Our degrees are being down-graded by Universities in many other parts of the world. Transcripts coming from Nigeria are being properly scrutinized and down-graded and this is unfair to our prospective students looking for opportunities in schools in the UK and USA.
If and when Governments show evidence of honouring its own words as per agreements, many Unions will die a natural death and Tertiary institutions will function to promote academic excellence instead of academic indolence caused by the incessant strikes. Our Academic year is not in synchrony with the normal academic conventions, it varies from one university to another. Our educational system is in total disarray. Nigeria education definitely cannot accommodate as many trade Unions as it currently has. Government and Employers should from now on, honour their words so that employees will have no cause for conspiracy or need for disruptive behaviours of teachers and workers in general. The losses through strikes are often colossal and the effects do not manifest immediately. The effects are slow but devastating on the long run. When those Governments who reneged on agreements are gone, Nigeria continues to feel the ripples of their inaction or misbehaviours for years to come!
Suggestions for possible Educational Reform Approach
Constitute a powerful National Education Reform Committee - With membership from the six geo-political zones, Representative from - National Union of Teachers (NUT), Universities, Federal Ministry of Education, Industries, Parents/Teachers Association (PTA), the Judiciary, Teachers’ Representatives from Primary. Secondary, Teacher Education Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities, etc.
Terms of reference to span all areas where Nigeria Education is lacking Financially, Academically, Structurally and Socially
Legislative, legal and monitoring backup and punishments for defaulters
Salary Review and restructure to make teaching attractive/lucrative
The product of Educational Reform exercise shall be implemented on acceptance by Government. This is the only way to change the Teachers’ attitude to work and for the Nigerian society to rethink and change its attitude towards the teacher and the teaching profession. No society can do without schools, no matter the technological developments. The teacher will continue to be needed in teaching in Schools. No matter our sophistication and affluence as a nation, parents are never going to be equipped enough to teach their children in all school subjects like a trained and qualified teacher will do. Teachers occupy a pride of place in the scheme of things and should be given their due respect and entitlements instead of debasing and ridiculing them with insults from parents and children, who really need these teachers. Governments should be made to honour their salary obligations to teachers by making their monthly salaries a priority among competing items on the budgets. Teachers and teaching deserve more from the Nigerian society.
The public schools need some enhancements in all sectors since the private schools are out of the reach of the masses. This is just one of the ways for our politicians to return and give back to the grassroots, who have elected them to serve. The public school system is looking for the era of change to spill some benefits on them through the wind of change that is now blowing. If the public school system can be given its deserved attention, by improving their infrastructure, improving the quality of teaching and learning, and improving the lots of teachers, the state of education would have improved and the effect of ‘change’ would have reached the grassroots level indeed.
Professor Adekunle Akinyemi, President/CEO, Ceezek Foundation Inc. in Pikesville, Maryland, USA, and former Director of the Institute of Education, University of Ilorin, and Former Director, Centre for Educational Technology, University of Botswana, Southern Africa. Email - [email protected].
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