Garba Ahmad, the principal, Masha Allah Group of Schools in Ilorin Kwara State, has said that to make education system in Nigeria viable; adequate attention should be given to the sector, saying education is the bedrock of any developed society thus, has to be prioritised.
Ahmad, who stated this in an interview with BusinessDay SUNDAY on the sideline of Career Day/Quiz and Debate of the school, held at the school premises, noted that teaching as a profession should be given priority in the country.
“I am talking about priority in terms of incentive, welfare for teachers and salary as and when due. If teachers are well taken care of, they will be motivated to train the leaders of tomorrow effectively and efficiently,” he said.
According to him, “Having an education is the bedrock because the certificate is just to certify what you know. For instance, you might be a farmer, if you have a certificate, and you want to get a loan from the government you have to tender the certificate because that certifies you to get that.
“Government should try as much as possible to strengthen the education system right from primary school level and put child right education in place, once we have that; Nigeria will get it right.”
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Speaking on the rationale behind the programme which is the first of its kind since the establishment of the school in 2002, Ahmad explained that Career Day was initiated for primary school learners to have a sense of belonging, adding that “students think of what to become when they get to senior class but we want to orientate the pupils at the tender age for them to build on it as they grow.”
He further explained that the school authority wants the learners to realise that the profession is not only about becoming a doctor or lawyer but there are lots of other professions that are out there for people to engage in and be successful in life. No profession is inferior.
“We have about 11 professions; teaching, farming, engineering, piloting, footballing, nursing, surgeon, law, and the rest. This day is just to let our pupils know that it is not only medical doctor or engineer they keep mentioning when they are asked what do they want to become, but we also have other professions they can choose to become someone great in life. All of us cannot be lawyers or doctors,” he added.
The pupils dressed in different professional attires and had presentations according to their professions which made the event colourful and productive.
The debate between JSS 3 and JSS 2 classes had Ziyadat Abubakar and Abdullah Yahya-Imam as the best presenters, they were recognised and received gifts.
