Is Nigeria’s education system beyond redemption?

The Nigerian education system is not beyond redemption. I think we only require sincerity and greater efforts from our leaders, especially stakeholders in the education system. With sincerity of purpose and commitment, I believe that we can turn around the education system. People talk about funding of education; I agree that education is underfunded in Nigeria, particularly when we compare it to some other countries even in Africa. But how well do we utilise the little we receive? How much of it goes directly into teaching, research and the development of infrastructure? What percentage goes into the payment of overheads? I think these are issues that require urgent consideration by stakeholders in the sector. 9' File image NEWS Is Nigeria’s education system beyond redemption? Published February 28, 2018 The Nigerian education system is not beyond redemption. I think we only require sincerity and greater efforts from our leaders, especially stakeholders in the education system. With sincerity of purpose and commitment, I believe that we can turn around the education system. People talk about funding of education; I agree that education is underfunded in Nigeria, particularly when we compare it to some other countries even in Africa. But how well do we utilise the little we receive? How much of it goes directly into teaching, research and the development of infrastructure? What percentage goes into the payment of overheads? I think these are issues that require urgent consideration by stakeholders in the sector. We also need to take a second look at the issue of quality, remuneration and motivation of our teachers. There should also be a deliberate policy of government to properly fund research for the development of Nigeria What normally obtains in our universities is that (foreign) funding agencies provide funds for only those things they consider their development needs and challenges which may not necessarily align with our own developmental challenges. So, the government must identify our own developmental challenges and fund research in these areas instead of us relying solely on foreign donors. We need to also develop students that can be global citizens. In what environment are we teaching them? An average classroom in a federal university does not have interactive boards like you see in advanced countries. With regard to infrastructure, classrooms in Nigeria should match what obtains in other countries so that when our students go abroad on exchange programmes, they should find something that matches what they have back home. This will help a great deal.