An International Multidisciplinary Journal, Ethiopia
Vol. 7 (4), Serial No. 31, September, 2013:252-264
ISSN 1994-9057 (Print) ISSN 2070--0083 (Online)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.7i4.15
Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of
Nigeria Educational System
Amannah, Peace Ireju
Mass Communication Department
Rivers State College of Arts and Science
Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
&
Prof. M. J. Ahiakwo
Dean Faculty of Technical & Science Education
Rivers State University of Science & Technology
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Abstract
This paper examines the root cause of the falling standard of the
Nigeria educational system and the rightful solution to these
problems. Education is the bedrock of development, but unfortunately,
education in Nigeria is bisected with myriads of problems. These
include: poor funding and thus poor educational infrastructures,
inadequate classrooms and teaching aids (projectors, Computers,
Laboratories and libraries), paucity of quality teachers and poor/
polluted learning environment. In addition to these inadequacies, our
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school system is plagued with numerous social vices such as
examination malpractices, cultism, hooliganism and corruption. For
meaningful development to take place in the educational sector,
government needs to re-address the issue of funding. Private
educational investors, teachers, parents/guidance and students/pupils
need a reorientation towards achieving the goals of education. Also,
education must be made affordable for all. The current monolistic
approach to knowledge acquisition must be changed. Technical
education and innovation/adaptation centres must be encouraged and
well funded, if this nation must move out of this present technological
and scientific dependence, government and the organized private
sector must as well fund research programmes, inventions and mass
production of invented products.
Key words: Education, Systematic Approach, Standards, and
Development
Introduction
It was with much enthusiasm that the founding fathers of Nigeria
fought for and won her independence from the British rule on October
1, 1960. There were hopes that under self-rule, the country would fare
better and implement policies that would ensure the growth and
personal development of citizens in all areas which would in turn
translate to national development. But today, when the issue of
Nigeria educational system is raised, the first sets of thoughts that
come to mind are: decline in standard, deterioration of facilities,
examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome and the like
before any other thing else. Since independence, there have been 44
Education Ministers working to actualise the policies of 14 civilian
Presidents and military Heads of States. Many of these policies were
laudable. However, faulty implementation has often aborted goal
fulfilment. In addition, frequent changes in government, especially
during the military rule, led to lack of continuation of programmes by
successive administrations. Progress made in various areas were not
necessarily consolidated and in the five decades of independence,
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Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of Nigeria Educational System
there have been highs and lows – the lows representing years of
neglect, misappropriation of funds and poor implementation which
have undermined the investments made in various aspects of the
sector. Elementary Education: The Universal Primary
Education/Universal Basic Education Schemes. This calls for an in-
depth study and analysis aimed at tutoring each and every
stakeholders in the education system on how their actions and
inactions have individually and collectively contributed to the
collapsing state of education in Nigeria. In any case, knowledge and
skill acquisition which education is all about cannot be over
emphasized. According to the World Bank (1999: 25), ―successful
development entails more than investing in physical capital, or closing
the gap in capital. It also entails acquiring and using knowledge as
well as closing the gaps in knowledge‖. Thus, to successfully confront
the challenges of development, a developing country must undertake
three major tasks:
Acquired and adapt global knowledge and create knowledge
locally.
Invest in human capital to increase the ability to absorb and
use knowledge; and
Invest in technologies to facilitate both acquisition and the
absorption of knowledge. Similarly, Fafunwa (1979:26)
defines education as ―the aggregate of all the processes by
which a child or adult develops the abilities, attitudes and
other forms of behaviour which are of positive value to the
society in which he lives, that is to say, it is a process of
disseminating knowledge either to ensure social control or to
guarantee rational direction of the society or both.‖Going by
these explanation as to what education is, in relation to the
state of education and its process in the country today as well
as the attitude of its providers-Government at all levels and
private investors; one with interest will be compelled to ask
such questions as what has actually gone wrong considering
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the enormity of its effect on the output from the system in the
area of productivity and the degree of acceptance in the labour
market and educational institutions, especially outside the
country. Response however, will be its militating factors
stemming from the incidence of examination malpractice –
poor facilities –indiscriminate mass promotion syndrome in
schools. The causes of these could be traced to
1. Government insensitivity to education needs
2. Government and private institutions open encouragement of
low productivity and
3. The lack of the spirit of hard-work among growing number of
students. Attempts will be made in this paper to examine the
aforementioned problems and mitigations suggested.
Problems of education in Nigeria
1. Poor preparation and malpractices
Experts in the education sector have been able to identify examination
malpractices with poor preparation of students for an examination,
and lack of self confidence. In view of the rising costs of education
(school fees, enrolment fees, cost of books and other materials)
students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held
back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects
hence will go to any length to ensure success. In some cases, some
teachers at the secondary school level are involved by way of
encouraging students to contribute money (cooperation fees) in order
to secure the needed assistance during such examinations because
they, the teachers are left with no other alternative considering the fact
that they are aware of the inadequate preparation of their students as
well as the lack of facilities to get them properly prepared before
examination. Interview with 50 school heads in Benin City, reveals
that more than 50% of our secondary school students on annual basis
choose to enrol and write their final year external examination in
schools in the interior and some private schools where they are very
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Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of Nigeria Educational System
sure of success at the end of the day. In 1996, the military government
in Edo State sent home secondary school teachers that have served 28
years and above as well as those that were recruited in 1991 and after,
few weeks before final year examination. Some schools were left with
one teacher and a security man. And a near replication of same
happened in the year 2000, this time for those that have served
28years and above. This is how the government indirectly legitimized
irregularities in schools that is today unabated. Today the paucity of
teachers in our secondary and primary schools, indicate that the state
is yet to fully recover from this shock (Omofonmwan, 2001).
Between 1999 and the year 2000, the Bauchi State Government
terminated the services of teachers who were non-indigene from its
teaching services, a situation which resulted in acute shortage of
teachers in virtually all schools in the state without a prior provision
for replacement. Same practices have also been observed in some
other states of the federation.
In a similar vein, Zamfara State government in the year 2004 imposed
fees on students that are not only religious and indigene-ship bias, but
also gender discriminatory, such discriminatory educational policy
hampers the quest for goal attainment in both educational and national
development. Efforts of state government like Rivers, Bayelsa and
Ebonyi, towards overhauling and speedy transformation of its
educational system from the primary to the tertiary level as well as
sponsorship of its indigenes for overseas educational programmes and
payment of students examination enrolment fees should be
recognized, applauded and emulated by others.
2. Exploitation and educational standard
A close assessment of activities in schools have revealed that, students
are made to suffer undue amount of exploitation by school head sat
both private and public schools in the name of enrolment fees and
assurance of success in their examination and this they do in
collaboration with the ministry officials who are suppose to inspect
and monitor activities in schools to ensure standard compliance.
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Despite the fact that most of the schools lack basic learning facilities
and a complete set of teachers, in some cases, a school with the
services of an English Language teacher will lack that of a
Mathematics teacher. This is the more reason why one may not have
the gut to quarry the mass promotion syndrome been practice in
schools because the system itself is not balanced.
In like manner, students are being surcharged in a number of ways
in tertiary institutions either in the name of dues that are not accounted
for, force purchase of reading and other learning materials at
exorbitant rate or on services of which staff are being paid for as
assigned responsibility and official provision made by the respective
institution. All these lead to lowering of the academic ability of
students.
3. Orientation and educational standard
In view of the prevalence of examination malpractices and other
related irregularities in schools at all levels this day, the interest and
habit of reading, procurement of books and other skills development
materials have drastically dwindled among students. Interviewing 50
secondary school principals of both public and private schools,
sampled from Oredo and Uhunmwode Local government areas of Edo
State; 30 senior faculty members from five universities namely the
University of Benin, Ambrose Ali Univerisity (AAU), Delta State
University (DELSU), Universities of Lagos and Abuja; a study of 500
students randomly sampled from 50 secondary schools in Benin City
and 300 students from 3 universities reveal that the two areas of main
interest to growing number of students now are: fashion and
influencing of examination results ―Blocking‖, thus, portraying the
educational system as more of glamour to real learning and skill
acquisition by prospective students. This trend is also observed to
have close relationship with rising sexual promiscuity among students.
4. Poor Parenting/Guardance
Parenting entails caring, protection, guardance, provision of basic
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Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of Nigeria Educational System
needs for child upkeep in order for him or her to be properly equipped
to meet with the challenges of life, in accordance with the laws of the
land. In desperation, many parents have decided to bring in additional
innovation by way of not only involving in encouraging of their
wards, but also finance activities in and around examination venues to
effect malpractices in order to brighten the chances of their children or
wards in qualifying examination to higher institutions and some even
progress on this act through the tertiary level of education.
Interview with two sets of university students from different
departments engaged in clustered group discussion revealed that their
parents‘ influence over their choice of course of study has negative
effect on their level of performance.
In early 1998, during the 45th meeting of the National Education
Council (NEC) held in Kastina, the then Minister of Education in an
address stated that the summit was to allow stakeholders in the
education sub-sector and those who do not know then the extent of the
rot in the sector to sit and parley with them in order to understand
what has gone wrong with education in Nigeria. He further stated that
it was his belief that if Nigerians who matter know exactly the trouble
which education is passing through, they would be shocked to their
marrow because Nigeria‘s education has reached a level, which
deserves the declaration of a state of emergency (Birma,1998).
In this regard, conscious effort is needed by all the stakeholders in the
educational sector-Government at all level, school heads and teachers,
parents and students to bring this observed abnormalities to normalcy
– poor education breeds indiscipline and indiscipline is the bane of the
Nigerian society today and calls for restoration of a proper academic
culture in Nigeria.
5. Poverty and fall in standard
Acquisition of Education knowledge is supposed to help us fight
against-poverty, ignorance and disease. The process of acquiring this
well desired knowledge has gradually turned money spinning venture
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for many of those in dire need of the knowledge and skill. It is now a
source of exploitation from the service seekers with little or no
consideration for quality of service rendered and facilities on ground,
and made an offer for the highest bidder, a trend which has cut across
all levels of education, from nursery school to tertiary institutions.
The concept, ―poverty‖, refers to a situation and process of serious
deprivation or lack of resources and materials necessary for living
within a minimum standard conducive for human dignity and well
being (NEST, 1992:16). Admission and being in school today is
merely an ability to pay what is demanded in monetary terms by
school operators and not on what could be offered academically. And
this in essence widens the scope of poverty prevalence as well as the
gap between the rich and the poor which education is designed to
bridge. Little wonder the graduates from many of the institutions
exhibit ignorance towards societal realities and lack creativity due to
the inadequacies associated with the learning and training process
which is also observed to be partly because many of those that offer
this service do so with greed.
Prospects of education in Nigeria
The need for research development
Everyone who cherish genuine growth and sustainable development
Government, private and corporate organization, non-governmental
organization and individuals should as a matter of due responsibility
encourage and finance research programmes, inventions and mass
production of invented products as a way of discouraging prospective
students from indulging in any form of academic irregularities, who
may not have seen anything good or meaningful on the part of those
who have be hardworking and creative, research and invention wise
in terms of reward for their effort. Currently research interest by the
government at all levels and corporate organization is nothing to write
home about.
Many who have distinguished themselves in this area of human
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Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of Nigeria Educational System
endeavour got frustrated and discouraged due to lack of assistance and
encouragement resulting in brain drain to other parts of the world,
where such innovations are well recognized and encouraged.
Despite the amount of knowledge and experience claimed to have be
acquired or possess by some scholars, occupying some prestigious and
sensitive units as heads still try to thwart the effort of fellow scholars
and that of upcoming ones as a way of perpetuating mediocrity with
low productivity and underdevelopment of the society as its resultant
effect. Suffice to say, that these sets of scholars have thrown modesty
and excellence (they are suppose to hold on to jealousy) to the wind.
According to Professor L. Erinosho ―There is no doubt that
universities have a pivotal role to play because they, as institutions,
bear a part of the responsibility for the collapse of the academia. There
are a number of challenges facing universities in Nigeria today, the
first of which is to tackle declining standards which, as was previously
observed, is being orchestrated by scholars‖.
This research sub-sector that is grossly neglected in Nigeria and play
upon indiscriminately is the basis for the socio economic, political,
scientific and technological advancement of our most admired
developed nations of the world today. Therefore, conscious effort
towards qualitative and durable educational system needs to be put in
place for posterity in Nigeria. (Its land, mineral resources etc) and the
numbers of its people, their level of skills, altitudes to work and desire
for self improvement (NEST, 1992:8)
Considering these observed inadequacies therefore, one may not be
wrong to say that there is no good and favourable market for
researchers in Nigeria.
Funding /Constrains
There is a gross underfunding of the educational sector in the country
in general and neglect of the maintenance of the physical facilities.
Instructional and living conditions have deteriorated in many of these
schools; classrooms, libraries and laboratories are nothing to write
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home about, all leading to decline in academic standards. Attention
must be focused on these areas too if these educational institutions are
to get out of the woods and this is only possible through adequate
funding.
Since 1986, when the federal military government introduced the
structural adjustment programme SAP, allocation of financial resource
started to fall coupled with the consistent decline in the value of local
currency till date, which have also consistently affected the
procurement of imported technical and scientific equipments, books,
journals and other instructional needs in the educational system.
Education system in Nigeria today, needs a total overhauling and
restructuring; this reform is required to improve the performance of
higher education in the country. The nation entered the21st century
insufficiently prepared to cope or compete in the global economy,
where growth will be based even more heavily on technical and
scientific knowledge (World Bank 1994). It is also a well known fact
that the inadequacies always observed among many undergraduates
and graduates alike is as a result of the inadequacies associated with
the primary and the secondary education system in Nigeria.
It is however pertinent for the government of the day to design a
suitable guidelines for funding education. For instance, UNESCO has
recommended that 26% of the total budget of a nation should be
allocated to education. But Longe Commission of 1991 observed that
the percentage of recurrent budgetary allocation to education in
Nigeria has never exceeded 10%. Though, the system is expensive to
keep afloat, quality however in any form is partly a function of the
total fund made available to the system and judiciously utilized for the
purpose to which it is meant for. Funds are required and necessary to
maintain both the human and material resources of the system in order
to achieve desired goals. Also there is the need for an effective
monitoring of the management of fund presently being allocated to the
sector, as effort should be intensified to improve on what is currently
being allocated to the system.
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Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of Nigeria Educational System
Organizational influence on educational standard
Many viewers have observed that, most corporate organizations today
in the country are fond of employing series of measures which are in
effect bias and unproductive. They indulge in an unfair selective
judgment on applicants seeking employment opportunity into their
establishment, by way of using certificate grades as well as institution
attended as a prerequisite for interview attendance and recruitment. In
some cases, they rather prefer candidates with first class and second
class grade certificate and those that attended the first generation
universities at the detriment of some others with lesser grade who
might be better if given equal opportunity.
This is their own way of encouraging irregularities and malpractices
in the process of grade acquisition by prospective job seekers,
therefore compromising standard and perpetual dependence on the
services of foreign expatriates for both medium and high tech
services.
Suggestions
1. Government and the private sector should pull in more effort
and resources towards the development of education;
2. Educating and re-orientation of teachers, parents and students
on the need to discourage examination malpractice in schools;
3. More vocational and technical education centres should be
established and the few existing ones properly equipped and
staffed;
4. An independent inspectorate committee should be put in place
to regularly monitor activities in schools as the existing
inspectorate unit has seized to function effectively;
5. Government should take over payment of enrolment fees for
both primary six examination and secondary schools external
examinations;
6. Qualitative and affordable education should be made available
for all;
7. Schools should be properly staffed and equipped;
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8. Applicants seeking job placement irrespective of grades
obtained and institutions attended should be given fair and
equal opportunity to compete for placement.
9. More modern learning aids such as computers, internet
websites facilities, overhead projectors, firms etc should be
provided in schools;
10. Online registration should be introduced now for school
examination enrolment by the National Examination Body;
this will reduce the exploitative tendencies by school heads.
Conclusion
In some states excluding Rivers, for the past ten years, not even a
single structure has been added to the existing ones nor has any
significant maintenance, repairs or replacement of learning facilities
and equipment been made. Rather the responsibility of school
ownership and funding is being shifted while playing down on
expansion of facilities to meet with the demand of increasing
population.
The monopoly enjoyed by WAEC as the national examination body
prior to 1999, (when NECO was introduced) coupled with its
consistent broadening of examination syllabus, its overstretched
facilities due to the rapidly increasing number of applicants could be
said to be the basis for examination malpractices in the country. Some
public secondary schools are only known to be functional during
enrolment and examination period while most of the private schools
lack visible structures and any equipment required for science
practical and studies, but enrol students at outrageous charges.
More attention is required on the part of the government in the
provision of vocational and technical education to growing number of
prospective students seeking admission to the few and poorly
equipped centres. The less emphasis on this aspect of education in
Nigeria presently is also an observed causal factor in the decline in
educational standard as it is more of a mono system of education. For
an educational system to be classified as functional and effective, it
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Systematic Approach to the Improving Standard of Nigeria Educational System
must be all encompassing and all embracing. Thus, a well focused and
defined pattern of educational system that is all embracing should be
fashioned out where vocational and technical education will be well
developed and every child given the proper kind of education he or
she desires which must be based on the psychomotor, cognitive, and
affective domain.
Finally, since education is seen as a sine-qua-non to national
development and since no nation can develop above its educational
system, it becomes not only important but also imperative to find
some solutions to the problems of dwindling resource allocation to the
educational sector.
References
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Birma, D. (1998). ―Excerpt of speech at the opening ceremony of the
National Council on Education (NEC) meeting in Kaduna.‖
University System News: vol. 8 No 1, March, p.I
Erinosho, L. (1999). ―The social science in Nigeria in the21st century:
matters arising.‖ Newsletter of the Social Science Academy of
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Omofonmwan, S.I. (2001). ―Declining Students‘ Enrolment in
Secondary School Geography. A case Study of Benin City.‖
IRORO: Journal of Arts, 8(1&2): 173-182.
World Bank (1994). Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.
Washington D.C: The World Bank.
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