By: Emeka Oparah
Yesterday, during lunch at The Nation Abuja City Editor, Yomi Odunuga’s 53rd birthday gathering, in his humble but lovely home in Abuja, we (friends) got into the usual sad reflections about the state of affairs in Nigeria. From East to West and North to South, we came to the unfortunate conclusion that all is not well with the country.
We did not come to a final conclusion on how to solve the problems, but we were aligned that something must be done and urgently too. One of the areas we dwelt on was education. That is what I’m about to discuss further, as time didn’t permit me, yesterday, to say all I had in mind what with the array of delicious food and assortment of choice “poisons” staring me in the face. Lol.
First off, all those who are close to the National Council of States, which features the president, governors, past presidents and others, should beg them to expeditiously declare a State of Emergency in Education. And I mean education at all levels. I am not even talking about the tens of millions of out-of-school children, but those who are supposedly in school and learning absolutely nothing! You do not need to consult an oracle or a seer to know how bad the situation is: check social media and see for yourself!
Some years back, as part of a fact-finding mission to assess the state of primary education in Nigeria, I embarked on a tour of the 6 geo-political zones. My employers had felt that primary education, being the foundation, must be taken seriously, and asked me to go and check and report back. The story was the same everywhere I went. Decrepit schools, horrible teachers and more horrible pupils. In some schools, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Chicken pens and pigsties were better than some of the things called schools.
Most of the buildings had leaking roofs, cracked walls, broken floors, damaged furniture or none at all. The teachers looked as ghastly as the pupils. There were no materials or inspiration for teaching and learning. Some more conscientious teachers gathered their pupils under the trees and taught them, mostly nonsense. It was during the same period the then Gov. Adams Oshiomole of Edo State conducted tests for teachers, using the same questions the pupils answered in Common Entrance, which most of the teachers failed woefully.
Our response, at the time, was to adopt six (6) out of the over 5000 primary schools. Let me not annoy you with the challenges we faced in the process of adoption but here’s what we did: We renovated the schools (in the case of the Lagos State School in Ajegulne, we built a brand new block of 6 classrooms because there was absolutely nothing to renovate!); we provided furniture, including desks, chairs, white boards and markers; we gave the pupils school uniforms, sandals, text books and exercise books and also built toilets for boys, girls and teachers. Then, we organized training sessions for the teachers at least to re-orientate them.
But what is 6 schools out of thousands? A drop in the ocean! So, across the country, most of our primary schools are still in very terrible shape. Thank you. This situation has led to the emergence of hundreds of private primary schools, which, by the way, charge exorbitant fees, and, therefore, further alienates and excludes children of the underprivileged. The result is that we have mostly poorly prepared children who are admitted into the equally disastrous public secondary schools.
The secondary schools have now deteriorated beyond producing half-baked and ill-prepared young adults to moulding young criminals! Of course, the level of teaching and learning is, like the primary schools, very much below standard. The more unfortunate issue is that the secondary schools have literally become breeding grounds for immoral, sexually perverted and criminally minded young men and women. If you are in doubt, visit a nearby public secondary school in your village. Or better still look at the photos and videos that litter the social media. Scary.
I know a school, where there are only 9 teachers for the student population of over 800! Teaching has become a job for people with no future plans or ambition. Even those who agree to teach augment their poor remunerations with whatever they make from the sale of pure water, recharge cards and all sorts of groceries. The students are either playing football and other games or wandering and loitering all over the nooks and crannies playing lottery, dancing shaku-shaku, drinking alcohol, doing drugs or organizing orgies. And this is no exaggeration. The more “courageous” ones are being recruited into secret cult groups-and they in turn initiate their younger friends. They “run things” now in the villages and towns and you dare not challenge them. They are also the ones who work for politicians as thugs and ballot box stuffers or snatchers.
I need not waste your time on the disaster currently happening in our tertiary institutions, including some of the private universities. Most of the graduates are NOT (in caps) prepared or ready for anything, except to make money. In addition to cult activities, many are now involved in the Yahoo-Yahoo business of getting rich quick by all means. They now combine Advanced Fee Fraud with outright robberies and ritual killing. They are the ones stealing women’s pants all over the place. The lecturers are mostly on strike, anyway.
Look, my dear friends, we are well and truly snookered! One of the consequences is that we do not have a ready reservoir of future leaders and managers made in Nigeria. The few job opportunities from the few corporations seeking employees are going to either those returning from the diaspora or expatriates. If this is not a calamity, then tell me what is.
I think, and you can correct me if I’m wrong, that the President should convene a meeting of the Minister of Education and Commissioners for Education and all stakeholders in the Education sector including policy makers, lawmakers (NASS and State Legislatures) to brainstorm for a week or two and propose a way or ways forward. Otherwise things are are going to get worse than it is.
Additionally, old students/pupils must urgently organize themselves and return to their alma maters to help rescue the dire situation. I know of some Alumni and Old boys/girls associations, which have done great things in their schools. Others must emulate them as a matter of sacrifice.
Also, corporate organizations and NGOs should emulate Airtel Nigeria, adopt some of these primary schools and offer other forms of support for the development of primary, secondary and tertiary education in the country. At the end of the day, these institutions should be the main source of manpower for these organization. So, even if for selfish considerations, they should do something.
The Federal Government should, however, lead the charge by immediately declaring a state of emergency in Education. The situation is really really bad. Very bad. And that is still an understatement of the problem.
Oparah, Director of Corporate Communications & CSR at Airtel Nigeria, writes from Lagos.