The Nigerian Education System

Have you ever wondered
 why the Nigerian educational sector is still backwards and forgive me to say very outdated? Well I have and I think about it on a daily basis, not knowing who to blame. Many Nigerian's blame the Federal Government, some the Lecturers,Others the Students ( to be truthful I don't know how this is the students fault though).
   
Kofi Annan(blessed memory),a Man of peace in a World of war, described knowledge as power, information as liberating and Education as premise of progress. One of the best definitions given by the Greatest Man of Honor. Our Educational sector in Nigeria is not one looked upon with pride but rather with sacarsm;and the most alarming fact is that we are not the only ones that look at it that way,the whole World does too.
 
 Dating back to the year 1948, when the first Nigerian University ( University of Ibadan) was established till the present age, there is only one problem that has and "might" always be associated with Nigeria's Education and that is poor funding from the Federal Government and parastatal's at large. This however has led to unforseen delays and prolongment in academic sessions, causing students to spend extra years in School, doing nothing but wait for the Government and University Academic bodies to come to terms with each other's agreement.
 
  On the 4th of November 2018,We all remember vividly how the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) decided to proceed on an indefinite strike due to the alleged inability of the Federal Government to fulfill the agreement signed with the Union in 2009 . Now, this is a story I do not find funny and I am sure many Parents and Students are not finding humor in this anymore. It has now become the habit of the people who claim to have our interest at heart to embark on unnecessary strikes because of their selfish interest,even if the Students and Lecturers welfare is used as a cover up( too bad). Don't get me wrong,I am not totally blaming the Academic Union,I am only stating a fact.
   
  Now to the Federal Government. It is very obvious that they do not have our Education at heart. Well I am not surprised;I mean, coming from Leaders who majority of them never went to School,there is nothing more to expect because they would never know the value of making Educational budget a first priority. How would you justify the fact that only 7%(#455.41billion) was allocated to fund education in the 2017 budget. The same percentage was repeated in 2018 and only a little increment (#462.2billion) in the 2019 budget just reviewed by the President,which has no difference with the former 7%. How poor this is and very low standard compared to the UNESCO 25% standard required.
 
  I look with pity because our Youths are lost( a sheep without its shepherd is lost!!) We do not have good Shepherds as Leaders. Our Youths are driven to commit crimes because instead of being in School,the Government has forced Us out of School due to the unnecessary strike actions they make the Academic Unions to carry out. So why blame We the Youths Dear Leaders; BLAME YOURSELVES. Listen,not everybody can afford going to the Private Universities they send their Children to,not every Nigerian can afford paying School fees if our Federal Universities are privatised. All we want is for our Education fund to be adequately given and pay the allowances the Lecturers are asking For.
     
 What baffles me the
 most is that they take Us out of School just because they need thugs for their various elections around the corner. And the overall most annoying aspect is that our Academic Unions supports them whole heartedly through their plans. One question I then tend to ask is;WHO ARE THEY PLAYING,US OR THEMSELVES? We  want our Education improved,we want our rights to Education ( and a good one at that) back,we want good Lecturers. Enough of playing with our future, enough of the unnecessary paparazzi because you all want to play politics.

     Education is not a political game and should not be made one; Education is a true deal.

Writer: Vicky AIYERU


You can kindly drop your comments on the comment section or email me at: aiyeruseun@gmail.com. Criticism is allowed.