Education: our hope, our future...

By James Ojo, UNN

Credit: myschoolgist.com

If there is anything worth fighting for, it could be nothing more than

education. Education is life. Education is everything. It is the
driving force of any development. Talk of humanity and development! Talk
of technology! Talk of freedom from oppression! Talk of equity - talk
education. It is basic, encompassing and a prerequisite to man's
mental and physical growth.

Men, women and government invest in education for the power it gives
them. Today, research powers are vested in the educated ones to find
lasting solutions to the various challenges and disasters facing man.

How come Nigeria's educational sector is falling down the pecking
order? Why do we have endless strikes in our institutions? Why
classes without roofs? Why do we have shortage of facilities in our
laboratories? Why and why...?

Nigeria flaunts many scholars that are celebrated home and abroad; but
our future seemed unclear with our pace towards improving education in
Nigeria. No Nigerian university can pen down her name in the league of  top
three best universities in Africa despite Nigeria being Africa's biggest
economy. We must improve or else we would be left behind!

Perhaps our problems lies in the grassroots. That reminds me of that
powerful biblical injunction, "If the foundation be destroyed, what
can a righteous man do?"  We must borrow a leaf from Lucky Dube's
hit track - "Back to my root"

It is a fact that most Nigerian primary schools cannot boast of competent
teachers, infrastructures and a whole lot of other factors which aid the
growth of education. The situation is even worst with the so-called
 "private school" cropping up like mushrooms.  Little  wonder why our
labour market is flooded with half-baked graduates.

In the recently released WASSCE Nov/Dec result, statistics shows
that out of the 246, 853 who sat for the examination, only 72,522
candidates, representing 29.37 percent, got credits in five subjects,
including Mathematics and English Language. This shows that about
70.63 percent of the candidates failed the exam.

On his part, the Head, National office, the West African Examinations
Council, Mr.Charles Eguridu, said there was an improvement when
compared with last year's  26.97 percent - averaging 80,135 candidates
who obtained five credits in five subjects including Mathematics and
English Language.

Improvement indeed! Success can never be hidden, because it is
worth celebrating. If what we call improvement is  mere 2.4 percent,
then we are still far from it.

What do we need at this point in time? We need education! Not just a
quasi and a dwimdled educational system but a functional, effective
and efficient educational system.

With hike in tuition fees, lack of competent teachers and
infrastructures in our schools, the Goodluck Jonathan's administration
must turn more attention to taking education in Nigeria to the next
level - a move that would evoke a turning point in Nigeria's quest for
development.