The quality of education
in any country is one of the major keys to national development. The decline in
the quality and standard of education in Nigeria is alarming. We’ll try to
highlight the leading causes for poor state of education in our country and
possible ways out.
Public education problems in Nigeria are so many but we’ll
try to highlight the major ones. We have prepared a list of problems in
education for your attention.
Poor
Funding & Neglect Of The Education Sector
Education in Nigeria is poorly funded. United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommends that 26%
of the nation’s budget should be allocated to the educational sector. This way,
the educational sector will have a good impact on the national development.
According to the analysis done by a leading media outlet “Daily Trust” in 2016,
the joint expenditure of the federal and 33 state governments on education is
8.44% of their total budget for the year. Also, there is a huge gap in the funding
of education at the different levels of the government.
Poor Governance And
Management
One thing that has crippled most sectors in Nigeria
today is poor governance. The educational sector is not an exception. The
government's attitude towards crucial problems of education, especially its
quality, is lackadaisical. This situation can be noticed on every level of
government. Basic universal education suffers most because primary education is
neither fully controlled by the federal government, nor by the state or the
local government.
Poor
teacher’s welfare
This is another major problem affecting the level of
education in Nigeria. It is one of the consequences of both poor funding and
corruption. Poor salary scale and bonuses, as well as irregular payments of
salaries, are the problems that teachers face in Nigeria. It is a sad practice
that teachers have to take industrial actions before they get their salaries.
Lack of
dedication of teachers
This is a direct effect of the poor welfare of the
teachers. Teaching is not seen as a lucrative job. So, not many people want to
become teachers or to stay in the profession. The ones that are teachers now in
most cases are not dedicated, some even hate their jobs. Most of the teachers in
Nigeria have another businesses to support them and their families. This way,
they spend more time attending their businesses than they do in class. Some
even do their businesses in schools like selling of clothes and other things.
Lack of high
performers
It is not a secret that there are teachers in Nigeria
schools especially at the primary education level that are either unqualified
or underqualified. There have been cases when teachers can't speak English
properly. Also, most teachers lack the proper training in order to pass across
quality education.
High
level of exam malpractices
There is an alarming rate of exam malpractices in
Nigeria. They are practiced both by student and teachers. The inability of the
government to curb this has caused a serious decline in the quality of the
Nigerian education system products (level of knowledge).
Possible Solutions
The first step forward towards reviving the educational
system lies in the hands of the government. Necessary steps need to be taken in
order to restructure and save the sector. The government at all levels needs to
commit to the delivering of a competitive standard of education across the
country and with other countries.
Also, the right investments need to be done in order
to get the desired results. Adequate funding with good management will provide
high-quality education in Nigeria. Funds for renovation of schools and
institution, acquiring quality training facilities, research grants, decent
teachers’ salaries and welfare, etc. are the things that need to be increased,
released and spent appropriately. Young adults
The level of corruption in education ministries and
regulatory bodies needs to be taken seriously and tackled.
The level of exam malpractices needs to be curbed by a joint
effort of the government and examination regulatory bodies.
The teaching curriculum needs to be reviewed and updated. It
needs to be more practical and research based.
Teachers salaries must be reviewed and improved. Fair wages
will also motivate teachers to do their job on a high-quality level. Also,
there should be regular payments of teachers’ salaries. This will attract
qualified and dedicated teachers to public schools and will change the attitude
of young people towards the teaching profession and youth will study to become
teachers.
Proper training of teachers with current and up to date
materials and technology also will improve the condition of education in
Nigeria. Necessary vetting measures should be taken to make sure that only
qualified teachers are employed.
Admissions into tertiary institutions should be based solely
on merit level.
In conclusion, we will be able to see real changes in the
level of education in Nigeria, when power will belong to visionary and selfless
leaders who understand the importance of quality education. Our future is in
our hands. Turn the flashlights on yourself!
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