The Nigerian educational system continues to worsen despite clarion calls from all stakeholders to arrest the rut and the whooping sums of money allotted to and pumped into it to revive the system. It is no longer news that the standard of education in Nigeria had fallen over the years as a result of many factors. Bottlenecks, policy summersaults by successive governments and corruption have given birth to a sector lacking in direction and lagging behind in preparing pupils and students for a successful career after school.
He media, electronic and print as well as social critics and commentators have continued to castigate government’s non-challant attitude towards the educational sector. The relentless criticisms from all quarters have however not had its desired effect, prompting observers to wonder whether government has developed a thick skin against such criticisms.
With the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics which has no indication of ending or a peaceful resolution, it is clear to all that it is the academic ambition of students of those tertiary institutions that will suffer another round of endless delay. While it is agreed that ASUP’s demands, if acceded to by the government would have a positive impact on the sector, the usual trend is that these strikes will drag on and on, the negotiations will progress in fits and starts, and may end up not yielding any fruits worthy of celebration.
There are critical points in ASUP’s observation that the government needs to address immediately in order to salvage a comatose educational sector going nowhere in spite of the thousands of students being churned out of our ivory towers annually. This really shows that the union is working to achieve results but which can never be achieved without the federal government coming to their aid. Fighting against unprofessionalism and other irregularities that has bedevilled the educational sector is something the federal government should have embraced without any form of hesitation.
Appointment and employment of unqualified persons as rectors who lack the basic ideologies to pioneer the affairs of the polytechnics will continue to spell doom for the educational system. Some polytechnics in Nigeria have suffered repeated neglect as a result of maladministration from on unqualified and incompetent administrators.
With this industrial action by ASUP, academic activities have been brought to a halt. Nigerian students have been rendered restless looking forward to see when the strike will be call off. Clearance and other forms of assignments that need to be carried out are all on hold. A good standard of education entails continuity, professionalism, absence of maladministration among others ills.
In order to escape this culture of strikes, many Nigerian parents have sent their wards to other parts of the world to obtain a befitting standard of education devoid of delays and other hiccups.
JUSTICE GODFREY
