The need for reforms in our schools

Mayowa Amoo

Nigerian graduates are functionally illiterate.” “Nigerian graduates are unemployable.” “Nigerian graduates are…” I’ve read or heard such recurring negative comments in the media over the past five years and each time, I shudder.

Out of curiosity and displeasure, I set out to find out for myself what may be wrong. I had long perceived that our state run schools could be at the root of the problem so I started to volunteer my time and resources, also supported by friends and colleagues, at a neighbourhood junior secondary school. What I have learnt is instructive and as I pen this article, it must be 14 months since I first stepped into the school to the warm reception of the school leadership.

Literacy and numeracy are in my opinion at the core of every intellectual pursuit; from cradle to grave. I even consider literacy as the foundation for numeracy which is why language is what the child first learns before all else. The students were in JSS1 at the time and after introductions, I made each person write a simple essay about her or himself and this gave me insight to their backgrounds. You’d imagine that many of them are from economically challenging environments, rightly so. Notwithstanding, I came away with a strong impression of their enthusiasm and high aspirations – Musa Yahaya had long adopted Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his business acumen, as his role model.

In order to succeed, preparation must match or even exceed aspiration. Can state run schools as they are today, therefore be said to equip students with tools they need to succeed in life? I dare say no. As I corrected the essay scripts, there was no content, neither was there good structure or organisation. Many sentences were poorly constructed and the grammatical flaws were shocking. Some students could not even write their names properly. The Vice Principal rightly pointed out that things were in a sorry state and that her students will be expected to compete with others from private establishments within and outside Nigeria!

Over the past months, my friends and I have organised motivational sessions, mobilised supply of learning materials and actively sought to impress on the students the need to take their studies seriously. But it’s not only the students that need to sit up. I have at some point had to teach the students under a tree in the school compound because the dilapidated classroom block was being refurbished. I had my fair share of experience in the poor classroom infrastructure. While delivering a “Brighter Grammar” lesson one morning, a ceiling square almost fell on my head.

The school lacks discipline. Students stroll in leisurely at 9am sometimes later (I hear the “elites” may be complicit because some of the students are domestic hands who are not allowed to prepare for school until “madam’s” children have been picked by the school bus). Teachers look de-motivated, distracted even uninterested – for good reason? I was in class one day and I asked the students “why do you all speak pidgin English?” One of them – a young, bold girl stood up and said rather angrily “The teachers teach us in pidgin.” Most of the students agreed with her but at the same time out of fear, queried why she would say such a thing! The school environment is not conducive for learning. The Vice Principal whom I respect for her long years of service and ability to roundly motivate the students, once said that if she had her way she would ask the many food sellers to stay out of the school premises at least until break/lunch time. This is because she finds that students eat rice, beans, plantain and so on in class while teachers deliver lessons.

It is useful at this juncture to present the outcome of an analysis I did using average scores for vocabulary tests that I dispensed. 270 students were tested over five (5) class sessions using 50 words each time (I came up with the test words from a pool of about 10,000 words which the students themselves drafted). From the population of 270, I selected a sample of 81 students – those who had record of at least 3 scores out of the 5 test sessions. (70% did not qualify for the sample) 32 students scored average of 50% and below while the remaining can be said to have passed. 40% failure rate is still “positive” when compared to the over 98% failure rate in 2009 SSCE. However, if I analysed the scores of all 270 students, about 70% would have failed – failed simple vocabulary tests for which the students had at least one week ahead to prepare!

There’s no gain saying that with an ill-educated, ill-prepared population, Nigeria’s internal security and its economic growth and development aspirations are gravely threatened and our country risks being relegated to the background in the comity of nations. Certain measures need to be urgently taken and I would advocate as follows:

1. The Federal Government should henceforth take 100% responsibility (policy development, funding, implementation, evaluation and monitoring) for the first nine (9) years of school education and work with or through rigorously accredited private, Non Government Organisations to effectively and efficiently deliver on this crucial universal requirement of basic education for the greatest majority

2. At commencement of the 2010/2011 session in September, conduct one-time oral and written assessments for Primary 3, Primary 6 and SS1 with a view to re-evaluating the students and subsequently determine their fit for the educational level they are. On a 60% – 65% pass basis, students will be allowed to continue on their current level while others will be asked to revert to lower, more appropriate levels. This will address the decay caused by years of mass student promotion without reference to individual examination performance

3.Either extend school hours during the week by at least one hour a day or make Saturday schooling compulsory for a specified interim period like five (5) years so as to cover lost ground

4. Conduct one-time oral and written assessments for teachers across all primary and secondary schools and on a 65% – 70% pass basis, qualifying teachers should be retained while the remainder should be asked to proceed on self employment or embark on re-training and subsequently seek to rejoin the teachers’ corps. Education inspectors should also be made more directly responsible for establishing, promoting and maintaining educational standards in our schools.

5. Launch a 5-year programme, a call to national duty, to bring back retired teachers, retired civil servants, retired business people, retired professionals in private and public sector (particularly those who in the 1960s or earlier or later, attended the popular Teachers’ Training Colleges) to actively partake in the renewal of our nation’s educational system

The above measures are presented in no particular order and will have constitutional, financial and operational implications but they are surmountable if there is firm, resolute commitment. Musa Yahaya and others like him across the country look to us for leadership and the time to act is now.