SUCCESS ADEGOR…THE FATE OF A NIGERIAN CHILD

In this age and time when proactive nations of the world are thriving on a knowledge-driven economy and have successfully given sustainable and lifelong education a place leveraging on technology, Nigeria as a nation still struggles with providing education at the basic level. It is pathetic to note that issues such as corruption, inefficiency, and lack of accountability have perpetually placed the nation backward. A nation sits on gun-powder when such a nation loses her sense of manpower development and is unable to cater for the basic education needs of her citizens who become her supposed youth of tomorrow. Little wonder, there is an exponential increase in kidnappings, buckets of insurgency activities in the country. We can only have more social vices.

It might interest you to note that education according to the United Nations’ Child Right Act, stipulates that every child should have access to free basic education and be prerogatively secured while at it. This global law explains the participatory involvement of the likes of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as wrapped in early childhood education program, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the Education for All (EFA) goals. These global bodies are represented even at the local levels, so as to ensure compliance and provision of funds for less developed nations. Nigeria as a participant and a beneficiary has mandated that basic education be free and compulsory and with the 9-3-4 educational system currently in place, the first nine levels of education is free and compulsory for every Nigerian child under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Law. Very typical, this seems to be only in principle because the reality on ground explains the now celebrated Warri girl, Success. Unfortunately, Success Adegor is only but one from millions of the Nigerian children trapped in the mess in the educational sector.

Politicians in Nigeria always use education as a campaign tool to win elections but the true picture is that many government-owned institutions are a shadow of themselves, with dilapidated structures, outdated instructional facilities and indeed, poorly remunerated and unmotivated teachers. Basic education is supposedly left in the hands of the state governments who more often than not are sparingly involved, pushing and leaving such foundational, capital intensive project to the local government, just as the federal government smartly pushed it to the individual state governments. This explains why basic education in government-owned schools is as good as dead in many states of the federation while those surviving survive on Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and Alumni collaboration in developed environments. Peradventure, the rationale behind private schools proliferation, since more parents have lost faith in the so-called government provided free basic education. It becomes worrisome because some indigent parents who cannot afford or struggle with household involvement and school-initiated fees of public schools may not readily key into the trend. What becomes of them since the government seems to largely present a hypocritical face? The future is quite bleak with the status quo!

Hypocrisy is a deceptive disposition that impedes growth and institutes abnormality as a norm. Success Adegor became an overnight celebrity, sought after by the elites and those highly placed in political offices and gave her scholarship to the University level even when they failed to add value to the state of affairs, in the first place. This is what we do – our politicians use education as a political tool and hypocrisy is a lifestyle for many people. The bad news is, there are so many more children in the same shoes as Adegor who go to school on empty stomach; whose schools are structurally dilapidated and have no access to instructional materials. Who will give them scholarships?? Success Adegor’s school’s state is a reflection of what has become of public primary education in Nigeria.

In 2018, I interacted with two children of basic education school age who were out of school because they had neither chairs to sit in the classroom nor tables to write. It happened that all children were mandated to come with their chairs and tables before they can be in school and those whose parents were unable to construct theirs were sent home. One wonders if education is really free if the government is unable to provide basic infrastructures in a state that claims to run free basic education and perhaps for a governor who must have enjoyed a luxurious basic education fully funded by the government and probably have his kids schooling abroad? Aren’t we our own demons?? 

Whichwaynaija believes there is a need to go with the drawing board and overhaul things if Nigeria would truly ever join the league of progressive nations. No nation can grow beyond the education it has in place. It is a problem that has a multiplier effect on nation-building. The ways forward therefore include:

Commitment: Education at every level in Nigeria needs to have the ‘’State of Emergency’’ declared beginning from the foundational level. There is no quality in the quantity. The UBE Law should be implemented to the letter and if need be, the National Primary Education Commission (NPEC) of 1993, which was replaced with Universal Basic Education Commission(UBEC) in 2004, may be a good point of reference. NPEC was well-coordinated and efficient and basic education thrived because there was funding from the federal government and quality control both from the federal and state and most important of all, it was a very transparent structure instituted by the government in managing the basic crises as traced to the pre-independence days. The local government managed the primary education but the state and the federal government had clear involvement of quality control, among other functions. There was synergy, proper roles coordination, and accountability. If it worked then, then taking a leap from it may be a way to go.

Development: A nation that progresses is a nation that takes a deep interest in manpower development through action and in deeds. Education in Singapore is run on the exclusive list of the government and today Singapore is a developed nation of the world. Singapore believes in human capital investment and though does not have crude oil, has leveraged on what it has to become a world- known nation. Little wonder, they rank as the 4^th best according to a world ranking on education and their economy waxes stronger by the day. Whereas, Nigeria as a counterpart nation whose independence came at about the same time, is day-dreaming and acting as the giant of Africa with a staggering and bastardized economy. There is a need for the leaders of this nation to show sincerity in really making a difference. Running a knowledge-based economy, as embedded in human capital development, is the way forward. The Nigerian government must invest in her citizens and it must begin from the basic level of education. That also seems like the easiest way to checkmate certain social vices.  Even the US as a capitalist nation has options that make quality education accessible to her citizens regardless of their social status. Again, an explanation of why the US remains a World-Power nation. Progressive nations of the world have migrated to knowledge-based economies and lifelong education. Whereas, Nigeria has millions of her youth left in the cold with a high rate of push and pull migration factors. That situation can only be changed by a system that has the interest of the nation at heart.

No doubt, education is capital intensive and requires the active involvement of the organized private sector. Corporate bodies should do more for the education sector as their CSR and economically buoyant individuals and groups should equally endeavour to truly give back to society. Only a collaborative effort and participatory involvement of all stakeholders can redeem this endemic situation.

There are many of the ‘Warri Success Girl’ out there and guess what…they all deserve to have quality education. Make a difference when you have the chance to.