[Reference]: "The State Of Education In The Spate Of Change" by Balogun Adeboye

THE STATE OF EDUCATION IN THE SPATE OF CHANGE
(Nigeria as a case study)
By Balogun Adeboye.

Over the years, Nigeria has expressed a commitment to education, in the belief that overcoming illiteracy and ignorance will form a basis for accelerated national development. At the dawn of the year 2017, Nigeria is still uncertain where it's headed and her direction is yet unknown. During the days of Obafemi Awolowo, Education is always readily cheap and ubiquitously available to the masses.

As at the 1955 when Free Education was introduced by Awolowo, Education was not really cheap as described but available to every citizens as it's been depicted in one of its goals that the values of Education should be given to humans in a way that justify their worth, needs and dignity. Education is a inalienable right of every citizens of a country. Nigerians have blamed the woes of Nigeria, and in particular that of the educational sector, to the many years of military misrule. There is the common feeling that the military neglected the universities because of their opposition but with the re-emergence of civil rule today, the nation's educational institutions are still in shambles, with university professors still not being paid on time, with Nigerian students paving their ways in through institutions most especially Federal Universities since the introduction of obnoxious rule introduced by the government of today. Maybe I need to remind the leaders of today that we are in a Democratic society where it's necessary for the elites and the general masses to be involved and informed of any educational and political matters if truly Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.

We all clamoured for change it's appearing. I wonder what a government thinks when they woke up and decided to adopt an unruly system for admitting aspirants into Nigerian Institutions calling it "Grading System". How do we justify the brilliance of a student with O'level results alone? There is a need for government to be reminded that "a standardized test or evaluative measures needs to be administered for a credible candidates to be selected into Nigerian Universities. That's why we would have a candidate who scored 180 in Jamb and will be admitted to study Medicine in a Federal University, someone with D7 in English would be allowed to study a course in a Federal University equally. It's the right of the government to put adequate and proper techniques in place for Varsities to select the best candidates and admit them to undergo a particular course of study. In a state where the leaders are rather autocratic-despotic and not interested in stemming down their shoulders for oversight functions by the entire public. We are been governed by megalomaniacs who extravagantly nourish their pockets and not interested in funding of Education. The fees at both secondary and tertiary levels are too obnoxious and exorbitant, Minimal fees should be paid in our institutions and that is when Education will be progressive. The right of the people are been trampled against by our leaders.

No little wonder why the Nigerians youth and students of nowadays are fully into Politics, They have devout their time for Politics rather than Education. Many are been used by the government as a machinery to distabilize the activities of the nation. We want to produce youths who are fully committed to their studies and not those whose has taken "Politics as the bean of time" and has become a pain in the neck* for the country. In this Democratic society, In terms of social equity, It's NO. The masses are not carried along with the political process of the nation and the role of the ordinary person is not regarded or not known at all, after casting his or her vote. And often the positive contributions of the people who struggled, and are still struggling, for the sustenance of democracy in the society have escaped the eyes of those who managed to rig their way into political offices. This is a terrible deviation from the norm and Nigeria is suffering terribly for that, with socio-political and economic crises strewn all over the society like a straw hut in a typhoon.

As the ugly tradition of corruption persists, the public tertiary institutions have been left to rot away. The Leaders are more concerned about political offices, the whole economy is been littered with political illiterate. Let's be reminded that Article 26 (I and II) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that " Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory, Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and racial or religious groups. The lack of good education, unemployment will contribute hugely to the social ills and edge corruption at large.

To move forward, There is a need for the government to first allow the youths and vibrant students in the nation's activities, allows for partipation at local and international levels and create conducive environment that would enable the educational institutions to engage in healthy competitions. Education should not be free but be relatively cheap for everyone to run. If one is paying for a particular thing, then it worth should be known. University admissions should be based strictly on merit, without ethnically and state-based criteria, which has today colored the system. Funding and maintaining of higher education is a way of fostering and achieving national development any institution that cannot survive should be allowed to wind up. The government should allow overseeing functions by the people and ensure equity is justified. Franklin Roosevelt once said "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely, The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education".

If all these is been done, Education will thrive in this era of change. I'm not against any person/government or associates but I'm only learning to protect myself with pen and not with gun. Nigerian Education will change but let this change begins with you.

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