Of the 246,853 candidates who sat for the November/December 2014 West
African Senior School Certificate Examination, only 72,522 candidates,
representing 29 per cent, obtained credits in five subjects, including
Mathematics and English Language. However, while the Head of the Nigeria
National Office, the
West African Examinations Council, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said there was an improvement when compared with last year's 27 per cent, we consider the "improvement" too marginal and a national failure rate of 71 per cent unacceptable.
What is the way forward? Only a return to those neglected details can rescue the nation from the current sorry pass in the education sector. Pre-primary school education, for instance, should be made to function within a well-articulated and enforceable policy framework. The entry and exit into education management at this level should be regulated and standardised. A modern testing instrument should be developed and administered to potential/existing proprietors and staff of early childhood educational facilities to audit the system.
All these can be done through a sustainable partnership arrangement with pro-child organisations and affiliate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of development partners. The many well-meaning associations and groups acting in disparate ways to help in this regard should be properly warehoused and coordinated. Currently, the quality of teachers and other academic infrastructure at the level of basic education is a major challenge. Despite the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme, many states maintain a truly pathetic profile in the form and content of their curricula. The much-vaunted professionalisation of teaching should be pursued with new timelines while the Teachers' Registration Council (TRC) and the Nigerian Teachers' Institute (NTI) may well be merged, to have all matters relating to teachers domiciled in one address. There should be a yearly presidential award for the best three teachers at this level of the educational system, following the 2007 National Teachers Award during which the best three teachers in the country each received a car at the Eagle Square.
Our post primary institutions need a complete overhaul. This should begin with a comprehensive capacity audit of the academic staff. Research capacity should also be strengthened and the criteria for academic promotion made more rigorous. Above all, the reward system and the eligibility criteria for leadership of the trade and academic unions should be reviewed to favour serious academics. Those who want trade union platforms as springboard to political visibility should be subtly distanced from such platforms. The government should also always honour its agreements with the teachers so that attention can move from trade disputes to exchange of ideas for the development of the system.
The governing boards of our universities and polytechnics should be populated with people whose relevant exposure will add value to post-secondary education. The federal government only needs to pay attention to the mistaken assumption that an appointment into the governing board of any institution is an opportunity to confer political patronage. The Federal Ministry of Education should reduce the excess luggage it now carries by merging some of its agencies. For instance, the continued retention of the staff of the Unity Colleges as staff of the ministry promotes inefficiency and nurtures abuse in the system.
All said, the federal government can begin dealing with the emergency in education by not convening another national summit on education. Not only have there been many of such, there is already a road map adopted by the last Federal Executive Council. The many insightful suggestions can be structured with timelines and an implementation template so that specific action points are isolated and treated. For as long as education is in the doldrums, for so long shall the future of the country be there with it.
- Thisday News
West African Examinations Council, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said there was an improvement when compared with last year's 27 per cent, we consider the "improvement" too marginal and a national failure rate of 71 per cent unacceptable.
What is the way forward? Only a return to those neglected details can rescue the nation from the current sorry pass in the education sector. Pre-primary school education, for instance, should be made to function within a well-articulated and enforceable policy framework. The entry and exit into education management at this level should be regulated and standardised. A modern testing instrument should be developed and administered to potential/existing proprietors and staff of early childhood educational facilities to audit the system.
All these can be done through a sustainable partnership arrangement with pro-child organisations and affiliate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of development partners. The many well-meaning associations and groups acting in disparate ways to help in this regard should be properly warehoused and coordinated. Currently, the quality of teachers and other academic infrastructure at the level of basic education is a major challenge. Despite the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme, many states maintain a truly pathetic profile in the form and content of their curricula. The much-vaunted professionalisation of teaching should be pursued with new timelines while the Teachers' Registration Council (TRC) and the Nigerian Teachers' Institute (NTI) may well be merged, to have all matters relating to teachers domiciled in one address. There should be a yearly presidential award for the best three teachers at this level of the educational system, following the 2007 National Teachers Award during which the best three teachers in the country each received a car at the Eagle Square.
Our post primary institutions need a complete overhaul. This should begin with a comprehensive capacity audit of the academic staff. Research capacity should also be strengthened and the criteria for academic promotion made more rigorous. Above all, the reward system and the eligibility criteria for leadership of the trade and academic unions should be reviewed to favour serious academics. Those who want trade union platforms as springboard to political visibility should be subtly distanced from such platforms. The government should also always honour its agreements with the teachers so that attention can move from trade disputes to exchange of ideas for the development of the system.
The governing boards of our universities and polytechnics should be populated with people whose relevant exposure will add value to post-secondary education. The federal government only needs to pay attention to the mistaken assumption that an appointment into the governing board of any institution is an opportunity to confer political patronage. The Federal Ministry of Education should reduce the excess luggage it now carries by merging some of its agencies. For instance, the continued retention of the staff of the Unity Colleges as staff of the ministry promotes inefficiency and nurtures abuse in the system.
All said, the federal government can begin dealing with the emergency in education by not convening another national summit on education. Not only have there been many of such, there is already a road map adopted by the last Federal Executive Council. The many insightful suggestions can be structured with timelines and an implementation template so that specific action points are isolated and treated. For as long as education is in the doldrums, for so long shall the future of the country be there with it.
- Thisday News
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