As a result of the drastic decline in Nigerian educational sector, ALEX, a full service commercial and litigation law firm held its 12th annual lecture themed, ‘schooling without learning’ where it expressed its law firm’s thoughts on the drastic decline in the educational sector as well as poor products of the schooling system and how it will contribute its quota to making the system better.
Speaking during the event, Funke Adekoya, Partner, ALEX said, Schooling without learning came about as a result of the pitiable state of the Nigerian education system, where people go to school, but the product of the education is not commendable and the graduate lack sufficient skill.
According to Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe professor and speaker of the even, the recurring issues of Nigerian development ranges from the abuse of our diversity and national character which manifests in an unholy federal character principle, state of origin, local government and wards of origin, poverty and neglect resulting in hunger and human insecurity, non qualitative and non-functional education, health and welfare.
“Sometimes we see some flickers of hope such as the one-meal-day plan for pupils, N-System, CBN-Anchor Programme etc., geared towards self-employment and useful contribution to natural development that is soon dimmed because of the various abuses of our diversity. Diversity should be positive as it breeds stronger and more versatile offspring if competition is encouraged.
“More so, our economy that is just emerging from depression of negative growth from a predicted 5.8% growth in GDP (2010) is the resultant combination of corruption and zero productivity that made it impossible for Governments to balance the income and expenditure accounts. With zero productivity – no new jobs were created and the school graduates are unable to ‘fit-the –bill’ because they went to ‘school-without-learning,” Ibidapo-Obe revealed.
Speaking also at the event, Dr Adamu Jatau Noma, director UBE Board, said, “areas in which these issues can be sorted out is for the president to lead massive, intensive and sustained nationwide awareness campaign to remove negative socio-cultural perception of education especially among parents and to project the value of education of self and societal development.”
Noma added that there is a need to implement the provisions of the UBE Act, 2004 on compulsory attendance of children in school, applying relevant incentives and sanctions, give utmost priority to safety in schools, and Increase the Consolidated Revenue Fund for UBEC. He further said.
According to Folake Solanke, the chairperson of the event, “apart from the issues of funding, infrastructural provision, public perception of teachers, students’ enthusiasm to learn-in-schools amongst others, to exit the emergency situation, we must focus on some other salient issues such as the Teachers, school environment, home environment, assessment system among others.
“Therefore, a primal remedy is massive teacher training and retraining to equip teachers with methods and skills that will foster teaching for understanding and application. This needs planning, implementation and monitoring to be supported by adequate funding in an open and transparent manner,” she added.ww
