Reframing how public education is viewed in Nigeria

Almost every successful venture begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present and we have the power to change it. Alternatively, the current state of public education in Nigeria shows opposite beliefs-: the future can’t be better and we don’t have the power to change it.  The greatest resource any country could have is it’s human resource. Yet education, the one investment that makes this human resource valuable is treated with great carelessness.

The sloppiness in the public school education system in Nigeria arises from a vast combination of factors. A few of these contributory factors include, a lack of vision in the sector, policy somersaults, lack of priority, poor funding, weak institutions, poorly trained teachers; corruption and a sleepy population that quietly watched over a 30-year steady decline. But as the law of nature dictates, there are consequences for our actions or inactions and the case of the education sector is no different. The results are in, and should one require a vivid description of what astronomical failure looks like- the public education sector provides a perfect example.

According to UNICEF, 38 percent of Nigeria’s children are out of school-a whopping 11 million, signifying the highest in the world. This is twice the amount of out of school children in Pakistan – the 2nd highest country with 5.5 million. It is indeed a “phenomenal” feat for Nigeria. The standard picture of public primary and secondary schools are decrepit buildings with little or no amenities. Dirty, dysfunctional and overcrowded classrooms are the order of the day. How is this preamble to building a country’s future workforce? The quality of education is largely measured by performance of students, and for the past five years, West African Examination Council (WAEC) taken by all secondary school students has produced results showing 70 percent failing to pass core subjects namely Mathematics and English. Research conducted in a State by the Education Rights Campaign in 2013, provided a quick snapshot of how badly teachers are being trained, with only 7 out of 19,125 teachers tested in Primary 4 level Mathematics attained the minimum benchmark for the test.

The problem is not so much the negative trends highlighted in the sector, but more on how a problem with grave consequences is treated casually at best and actively ignored at worst.  To put in context, Syria, a country that has been engulfed by a civil war, has only 10 percent of its population (represented by 2.6million children) out of school.  So how did we get here and how do we get out?  If by 2030, Nigeria’s population is set to balloon to be the 5th largest in the world with over 270 million people (according to the UN report) then what does the future portend with the current trends in the sector?

The truth is that anytime the majority of people behave a particular way majority of the time, the people are not the problem. The culture and belief that produces such behavior is the real problem. The current culture of failure can therefore be blamed on how basic education is perceived. The idea of basic education being treated as a humanitarian exercise on a social level and as a sunk cost investment on an economic level is counterproductive. The notion that ‘Education is Important’ sounds like heresy when the state of public school buildings shows clear evidence that it is not important at all.

So with the myriads of issues plaguing the education system, where do we begin? Let’s start from changing the thinking that produced the current results. Let’s start with reframing education from a humanitarian perspective to a business one. A business with a value chain that can create an economic ecosystem that uplifts the host communities of these schools. Just as we have competition in the business world, we need competition in the public education system. We need league tables on both the national and local government levels to increase visibility, accountability and productivity.

We need budgets that are tied to performance-based results. We need to fix the financing of education and make schools viable enough to become income-generating ventures. We need systems thinking that connects input to output. We need to rethink the delivery of education and view students as customers and teachers as service providers. All this and more if adopted can change the face of public education in Nigeria.

Finally, it is important to note that government cannot do it alone but a collective, coherent and concerted effort by multi-stakeholders in the business and non-profit sector can reverse the negative trend. So let’s reframe education in a business way. Let’s leverage off the entrepreneurial spirit of the Nigerian and create an owner mindset amongst school authorities. Let’s foster a performance-based culture and treat the school boards and public at large as shareholders who demand annual report on returns.  Let’s boost productivity, capacity and attract top talents that create value because the business of education is big business.

With a business approach, we can radically transform the education landscape from failure to success in the next decade.

Simi Fajemirokun is Founder at Read2Succeed, a non-profit organisation that aims to improve public school education using a business approach.

SIMI FAJEMIROKUN