Education must occupy one of the top three agenda of any government that wants to thrive successfully in any country of the world, and if only genuinely good intents can be translated into action, Nigeria should not be left behind in securing quality education for her teeming population of youths.

It is very true that the successive governments (all tiers) of Nigeria have not been able to give adequate attention to the education sector, maybe because its benefits cannot be derived instantly, however, that is not to say that nothing has been done at all; a lot has been done but we have not hit the minimum standard benchmark yet. It seems that literacy rate is not getting any higher; that more and more students are underperforming in national examinations like WAEC, NECO, JAMB, NABTEB etc, in short, it must be agreed that the standard of education in Nigeria has fallen, and it is falling.

Education must occupy one of the top three agenda of any government that wants to thrive successfully in any country of the world, and if only genuinely good intents can be translated into action, Nigeria should not be left behind in securing quality education for her teeming population of youths.

It is very true that the successive governments (all tiers) of Nigeria have not been able to give adequate attention to the education sector, maybe because its benefits cannot be derived instantly, however, that is not to say that nothing has been done at all; a lot has been done but we have not hit the minimum standard benchmark yet. It seems that literacy rate is not getting any higher; that more and more students are underperforming in national examinations like WAEC, NECO, JAMB, NABTEB etc, in short, it must be agreed that the standard of education in Nigeria has fallen, and it is falling.

These days, it is common to find undergraduates who cannot read and write properly, miraculously, some of them eventually graduate with certificates, much worse, are primary six pupils who can neither read, not write. I am not looking at them, I am looking at the bleak future. The good news is that we can salvage this imminent gloomy future; but the sad news is that nothing is being done about it. Many times I imagine what President Goodluck Jonathan’s scorecard on education would be like; would it record a transformation in the educational sector, or what?
Being the first President to have a Ph.D, no other president should understand the value of education than Goodluck Jonathan, however, it would appear that, in his tenure, the educational sector has been marred catastrophically by insurgency, incessant strikes, and appointment of inept individuals to head the educational sector. Candidly, the education sector has not been given the needed attention it requires, perhaps it is assumed that the private sector can take care of education of the citizens, but not at these cut-throat prices. It is the responsibility of the government to educate its citizens. Most State governments, particularly in the North (where the education problem is most critical), do not take education seriously. Sometimes, I am compelled to believe that there is a subtle conspiracy against education by our government because they have perceived that an enlightened populace will not enthrone them.

In a report by the PUNCH newspaper of 6th October, 2014, Governor Shettima lamented that about 900 schools (supposedly Primary and Secondary) have been destroyed by Boko Haram , and over 176 teachers have been killed by the same insurgents in the last three years in Borno State alone. Insurgent activities in Yobe and Adamawa States combined may produce almost the same figure. In general, over 15,000 students have stopped schooling owing to insurgency in the Northeast. This adds up the myriads of the almajiris that scattered all over the North. At the snail-slow speed at which President Jonathan is tackling Boko Haram, by the time normalcy would have returned to the Northeast, a large void would have been created as regards education.

Virtually all unions of educational institutions in the country have gone on strike, with some spanning close to a whole year while others enduring for only a few months. Given that public primary schools are on the executive list, they would have gone on strike too, even at that, available records show that they have embarked on strike in most Northern States. As I write, all Federal Government Colleges, also known as Unity Schools are also on strike, which was embarked upon since Monday, 22nd September, 2014 over non-payment of arrears and entitlements estimated at 1.8 billion naira among other issues – this strike could have been avoided. Almost all unions of tertiary institutions are on the brink of another strike, maybe after the hangover over their marathon strikes, because it is obvious that most of their demands have been met only on paper, ostensibly to save the political image of the transformation agenda. A number of the agreements have not yet been implemented.

It also seems that the President lacks discretion in the appointment of professional hands who could assuage the plight of the education sector. From a Professor of curriculum, Prof. Ruquayattu Ahmed, to the incompetent yet arrogant lawyer, Nyesome Wike, to the redundant teacher who once opposed polio vaccination campaigns even as a Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, it may seem, for political reasons, that President Jonathan has traded technocrats for power brokers at the expense of the common citizens’ education. The results will definitely include; misappropriation of funds, misapplication of policies, ill-advised decisions, and a general decline in the education sector. If sectors like Finance, Oil and Gas, Energy and Power, have pivotal Ministers, why can’t Education be given same?

Already, the President has announced his achievements in power, oil and gas, transport, health, agriculture and other sectors. Most Nigerians are curious about the education sector which deserves the largest chunk of national attention, and if transformation does not include education, then it is no better than a shallow renovation.

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WHILE WE AWAIT JONATHAN’S SCORECARD ON EDUCATION – By Bizum Yadok