With the suspension of of the nine-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the recent kidnapping and release of Kankara students in Katsina state, one can only imagine the state of education in Nigeria. It is clear that education has not been given the deserved priority attention by those in authority, in terms of adequate funding and security.
The quality of our schools is dwindling. This is unlike when today’s leaders had the best of education in the past; sadly, Nigeria’s future leaders are now contending with poor quality of education. Decades ago, public schools were the only option for quality education, but today only those who can afford private schools can access such quality of education.
For those with resources, leaving the country is their only option to ensure sound education of their children, because even with private schools quality education is not guaranteed. The way education keeps declining will make one believe it is deliberate. Its failure has created a window of opportunity to make money by setting up private schools, giving people the impression of better education, which comes with a higher price tag.
it’s regrettable that Nigeria is believed to have the highest number of out-of-chool children. Some believe it is a problem that is more rampant in the north, but from a general point of view it’s a natiinal problem. The more people lose faith in formal education, the more impoverished we become, leading to frustrations that will manifest in violent crimes, drug abuse and lawlessness.
Since the emergence of insurgency, education has been the prime target; pupils and students have been at the receiving end. They are the ones being kidnapped, raped and killed. Looking back at the Chibok girls abduction, and how it turned out and now the Kankara students suffering the same fate, it is clear that the government is not doing enough.
Though, insecurity is a contributing factor, Nigeria’s education sector has been facing many problems, long before the insurgency started making waves. Schools are poorly constructed, with close to zero facilities, with unqualified and understaffed teachers.
From 1999 to date, ASUU has embarked on strike for about 51 months and counting. This, alone, is a clear indication of depth of rot in the education sector. If an average citizen has no access to proper education can the future of the country be anything to look forward to? Can the future be any better than the past? Can the country achieve any meaningful development?
We all wonder why our country is going up in flames when we have abandoned the establishment of a proper foundation upon which a country is built. Until we wake up from our slumber and fix our education sector, the country will continue to remain the butt of jokes in the comity of nations. Now is the time for the government to salvage our decaying education system. And it is surely not an onerous task, if only we will tell ourselves the truth.
Dangogo, a photo journalist, writes from Abuja.
