Stakeholders: FG should tackle challenges to enhance performance
NAPPS: Despite efforts no significant leap

For the education sector, there is yet respite 64 years after nationhood, as it is characterized by failed hope and unfulfilled expectations. Pitiably, the sector is still on the edge due to lack of deliberate efforts, particularly on the part of the government and other critical stakeholders to set the sector on the path of optimal performance, which has remained its bane.

Unarguably, the sector, like other critical sectors of national economy, has over the years been bogged down by challenges ranging from inadequate funding arising from the poor budgetary allocations both at federal and state levels, neglect and lack of proper attention resulting from absence of the right political will on the part of successive governments to reposition the ailing sector, as well as incessant strikes by staff unions, especially the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), SSANU, NAAT and ASUP and other unions leading to closure of public higher institutions in the last three decades.

In fact, except for a few developments in the last few years, the exponential growth experienced by the sector is not fundamental enough to leverage the needed transformation and development of the country. Given the unresolved crises in the tertiary education system ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) last week issued a fresh threat to embark on another regime of strikes.

On its part, ASUU issued a 21- day ultimatum, while ASUP gave the Federal Government a 15-day ultimatum to implement the various agreements and Memoranda of Action signed with the respective unions towards addressing numerous longstanding issues affecting the university and polytechnic systems. Again, apart from the above challenges, the sector is ravaged by the problems of human capital flight, the JAPA syndrome, limited admission spaces in university systems, dearth of facilities and laboratory equipment, poor library facilities, and insufficient qualified teachers in schools.

At the basic and secondary education level, the schools are faced with the problems of dilapidated structures, leaking roofs, collapsed walls, and damaged window planes in most rural schools in some states, forcing children to sit and learn under sheds and dust infested floors.

Also damning is the report of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that over 20 million Nigerian children are out-of-school, which accounted for the highest figure in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This is due majorly to kidnapping and killing of students and teachers, and attacks on schools by Boko Haram insurgents, armed herdsmen and bandits in the Northern part of the country. The sectoral challenges are heightened by the unresolved crises of shortage of infrastructure; low research output; policy summersault; ineffective curriculum.

Meanwhile, other inhibitions such as lack of access to education by the school-age children and poor lecturers’ remuneration and poor working conditions have inadvertently heightened the crises of high illiteracy rate and mass exodus of Nigerian professors, lecturers and teachers under the JAPA Syndrome leaving the system in droves for other countries in search of greener pastures.

Faced with these challenges the nation was greeted with the introduction and hike in tuition fees and other ancillary charges in public universities and other tertiary institutions of learning; high electricity tariffs; admission age limit into higher institutions and the controversial pegging of 18 years age limit for students to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), which stakeholders said, would not only strangulate the institutions and hinder the provision of qualitative education, but worsen the students’ wellbeing in schools.

Besides, the sectoral budgetary allocation is still a far cry in which less than 12 per cent of the nation’s fiscal budget goes to the sector, contrary to about 26 per cent stipulated by UNESCO for funding of the sector by each country.

More worrisome is the high level corruption in the system, especially in the government-owned institutions, which has been blamed on the majority of challenges confronting the system, as less quantum of funds released to the system are being used by the management to enhance the development of the institutions.

Government efforts

However, efforts to grow the sector since Independence, showed a steady growth in the number of schools at primary, secondary and tertiary institution, as well as rapid increase in enrollment.

But, this is not with the crisis of insufficient admission spaces in universities, where less than 600,000 candidates out of over two million that sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) yearly could secure admission. With only three higher institutions at Independence in 1960 – University College Ibadan (UI) established in 1948; UNN (1960) and Yaba College of Technology (1947); other institutions, including the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU); Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, which were both founded on regional basis; and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) were later established by the Federal Government in 1962. Today, going by the record, Nigeria has over 274 universities (public and private), over 125 polytechnics and more than 84 colleges of education (federal, state and private).

Despite the huge number, the higher institutions have grossly been insufficient to meet the educational needs of the Nigerian population, given the number of students that could not secure admission yearly. The sector in the last 64 years has produced 41 Education Ministers and 16 Ministers of States; despite it is worrisome that the system is yet to find proper bearing that will reposition it owing to policy inconsistent and summersault.

Other interventions

Recently, to address these shortcomings in the sector, and reposition the nation’s education for optimal performance, the Federal Government-led President Tinubu introduced the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), under the Student Loans Act, 2024 for students at government-run universities in the country.

As of August, NGN2 billion (US$1.271 million) has been disbursed to six federal universities, according to NELFUND. The loan facilities that are interestfree and payable two years after beneficiaries’ National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, is to cushion the effects of the present harsh economy and to ensure, according to the government, that no student is dropped out of the system.

The Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023, was signed into law in June 2023, to offer interest-free education loans and provide easy access to higher education for Nigerians in the drive to providing education for all Nigerian children.

Added to this, is the efforts of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to address the challenges facing girl-child education in the country, as the Forum planned to hold an international conference on girl-child education on October 10 and 11 to align with the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 66/170, which was adopted on December 19, 2011, that established the International Day of the Girl-Child.

Similarly, the Federal Government established the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Universities Commission (NUC) and introduced the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme to address the needs of basic education; the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TCRN) to midwife teachers’ quality and teaching professionalism; as well as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to midwife matriculation examination into higher institutions; and the National Examination Council (NECO); and other commissions; agencies and parastatals to address the needs of the sector.

But, with the establishment of UBEC, many states over the years are not paying their counterpart funds to access the Commission’s matching grants for the development of basic education in their states.

Today, according to a report, an estimated 56 million of the nation’s population cannot read and write, as declared during this year’s International Literacy Day that only 62 per cent of the Nigerian population are literate.

Worried by this development and the need to tackle the slow pace of education, the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman (SAN), has said the fight against illiteracy in the country is a battle that “must be won” given the commitment and directive of the President that illiteracy must be eliminated in the country.

On the challenges of Out-of-School Children (OOSC), which has been described as daunting and a call for concern, the federal and state government were said to have committed efforts at reducing the staggering figure, while calling on government at all levels, and private sector to drive an intensive enrollment to reduce the phenomenon. The government has also initiated reforms focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), vocational education, and teacher training.

Stakeholders

Piqued by the low pace of the education sector, a retired Professor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Ademola Dasylva, called for the need to have a peep into the Late Prof Briggs’ Panel Report and recommendations on the way forward for public universities in Nigeria. This was as he said that the report of the panel appointed by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration has addressed virtually every area of concern, and the possible way forward.

Specifically, he lamented the education sector quagmire, especially in public universities resulting from years of unresolved crisis, saying: “I expect a responsive and responsible government to embrace the report and implement the recommendations.”

Unfortunately, he stated, after the intervention of former Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s government to improve the funding situation, and the wellbeing of the staff everything about public universities has since steadily nosedived, and getting to its worst abyss under the present administration. He described this administration as anti-intellectuals, which has no much difference from the military government as it demonstrates lack of interest in the public universities.

The retired don said: “I suspect they are intentionally trying to ground public universities completely to pave way for the private universities some of which are owned by some characters in and out of government. “By implication, it is a bloodless war against the oppressed masses.

The public universities are the only hope left for the masses, now that the universities are being wickedly stifled from functioning; where else does the predatory ruling class expect the children of the pauperised masses to run to. “Already, ASUU is spoiling for another showdown with the government, but unfortunately that is not on the priority list of the present government.”

Also, a don at School of Transport and Logistics, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Samuel Odewumi, however, referred to the Students’ Loan Scheme as the flagship education programme of the present administration. According to him, the effects of the programme would only be visible in years to come when the geniuses of the poor bloom and when there would be a great reduction in girls’ hustling and boys’ venture into crime.

Odewumi, who pointed out that as members of the university system they know what poor students go through to pay school fees, accommodation, and food, regretted that many girls engage in unsavoury activities, while the boys join Yahoo Yahoo groups for sustenance.

While lauding the administration for the students loan scheme, he urged the managers to ensure proper administration of the loan, saying: “I have heard people underrate this programme and demand student grants instead, but they are missing the fact as sustainability is key, and will continue to be available ad infinitum if properly managed.

With increase in the revenue of states as a result of subsidy removal and forex reform, he said the state government should take up the grant. Apart from the loan scheme, Odewumi wondered that no other notable educational step had been taken by the Federal Government, except the unnecessary plan to enforce 18 years admission age in the tertiary education system.

As part of the way forward, the don spoke of the need to immediate reactivate the Higher School Certificate (HSC) at the secondary level to solve the problem, if the government does not want to inflict maximum pain on the students by ambushing their smooth academic advancements because of the sins of their parents and the laxity in the system.

In fact, he insisted that such a policy ought to be enforced from the source so as to prohibit and discourage the jumping of classes at the primary and secondary levels. Odewumi, however, asked the government to faithfully implement the gifted-child education, which has been messed up, even as he appealed to the Education Minister, Prof Tahir Mamman to work on this rather than stalemating the progress of these children.

On industrial harmony in the system, following strikes in the university system, he advised that President Tinubu should continue with his hands-on industrial management tactics and strategies, saying if the government should persist in the use of no-work, no pay policy, the unions would adopt alternative methods of drawing attention to the utter neglect of education, which may be good for the system in the long run.

In his sectoral appraisal, the Vice-Chancellor, African School of Economics, the Pan-African University of Excellence, Abuja, Prof Mahfouz Adedimeji, stated that the major highlight of the past two years is the renewed hope through the DOTS policy of the Federal Government, aimed at connecting the nation’s fragmented education sector.

Unveiled on April 18, this year, the agenda of President Tinubu’s government on Education, tagged: ‘DOTS,’ according to him, represents Data Repository, Out-of-School Children Education, Teacher Training and Development as well as Skills Development and Acquisition, which the identified and detailed the significant and relevant areas of intervention.

This, he said, should vigorously be deployed to actively connect the DOTS agenda to have a pattern that would engender quality, access, proper funding, transformative policies and systemic stability. Describing education in Nigeria as “work in progress,” the Vice-Chancellor noted that there is room for improvement, even as he hailed the policy to limit the admission of undergraduates to 18 years from next year.

Adedimeji, who further explained that without reinventing the wheel, recommended that the government at all levels should consider and prioritise education as a national security concern and not a mere social matter. Subsequently, he said the implementation of the recommendations in a book written in honour of Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, titled: “Pivotal Issues in Higher Education Development,” written by the JAMB Registrar in 2022, would be relevant in this direction.

That chapter in the book referred to as “Synchronising Cacophony: Interrogating Some Issues of Concept and Perception in the Nigerian Higher Education Topology,” Adedimeji said, has policy recommendations for the entire education sector.

While reviewing the sector, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Nigeria, led by Mr Yomi Otubela, as national President, recalled that Nigeria’s education policies over the decades have been geared toward national integration, human capital development, and economic growth.

But, unfortunately he stated that inconsistent implementation and weak monitoring frameworks have often undermined these noble objectives, and as a result, the education sector has not yet reached its full potential in driving sustainable development, despite the significant strides made.

It listed some of significant reforms in the sector since independence in 1960 aimed at national growth, to include key policies such as the Universal Primary Education (UPE) introduced in 1976 and later the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in 1999, which laid the foundation for expanding access to education and ensure that every Nigerian child received basic education. According to the association, the policy has since contributed to improved literacy rates and a more educated populace.

Way forward

Despite the taunting challenges, stakeholders, particularly NAPPS stated that it was high time the challenges were turned into opportunities to move the sector forward. To do this, the government must increase funding by prioritising education funding and invest in modern infrastructure, digital tools, and resources that will enhance the teaching and learning experience.

Again, there is the need to strengthen public-private partnerships so as to foster collaborative efforts between the government and private education providers as an essential index for addressing systemic challenges in the sector.

Also, the country should focus more on Technical and Vocational Education to align education with national development goals, as this will equip students with practical skills that can directly contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth, reducing unemployment and fostering entrepreneurship.

There is the urgent need to enhance teacher welfare and professional development, particularly in public schools, by providing better incentives and more opportunities for professional growth as this will also improve educational outcomes.

The government should develop a framework for resolving industrial disputes in the education sector to ensure that strikes do not continue to disrupt learning, and this requires a proactive approach to address the concerns of staff unions regarding remuneration and working conditions.

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