Ministerial Screening: Education is poorly funded – Prof. Adewole

As the screening of Ministerial nominees begins, the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume at plenary moved that the Senate resumes the screening of the nominees billed Tuesday’s screening as appeared in the Order Paper. This, he said was in accordance with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

The first to be engaged was the foremost Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Adewole Isaac Folorunsho who, while responding to questions, disclosed that Nigeria educational system was poorly funded in the past. He said the development had affected the standard of education negatively. He however, described such as very unfortunate in all ramifications since education was next to nothing when you talk of development.

“Distinguished Senators, there is no doubt that in the past, education in Nigeria was poorly funded and that has affected the standard of education,” he noted.

He described the World Bank rating of Nigeria’s education system which has only 3 African countries behind it as not a true reflection of the system.

“Though the World Bank rating of Nigeria’s education that it has only 3 countries in Africa behind it and that is Sudan and two others is a an unfair rating, as it lacks the needed parameters,” he said.

Speaking on cancer, he disclosed that the ailment has been on the increase in the recent past, but regretted that there were no single cancer centres in Nigeria, save for few which are owned by private individuals, while stressing on the need for establishment of cancer centers across the federation.

“There is need for establishment of cancer centres and development of regulatory frame work that would harmonise and enhance operations of cancer treatment and handling in a professional manner”, he posited.

Adewole submitted that Nigeria spends a staggering amount of N3 billion annually.

“To confront these challenges, it is needful to have proper regulatory frame work of public and private hospitals so that they can offer global best practices in Medicare,”he said.

In response to Senator Samuel Anyanwu on challenges of brain drain in health sector , the nominee posited that medical doctors were driven by greener pastures after medical school, while opining that to halt this challenges, medical practice policy should be directed to good pay, manpower training and all forms of repatriation. 

He added that those going abroad for schooling in various fields including Medicine, don’t come back home, while explaining that as a University administrator, he would encourage the system to evolve solutions to poor funding of education and dilapidated infrastructures.

source Daily Post.

Zuriel Oduwole expands education MDG, meets Cuba’s Ambassador to Nigeria

THE United Nation’s (UN) Millennium Development Goals set globally in 2000 to accomplish eight specific targets by the year 2015, has almost reached its deadline.

Some of the lofty goals set include ensuring Universal Primary Education, Healthcare, Poverty Reduction, and Gender Equality (including Girls Education) among the core areas.

In her understanding of this mission and as part of her own contribution towards reaching this goal, Zuriel Oduwole held her maiden “First Lady’s Colloquy” in Lagos in April 2014, where she invited First Ladies and Gender Ministers from Africa, to explore the issues of girl-education, from a simpler perspective, through the eyes of a 12- year- old.

A few weeks later in London, she gave her first policy speech on Prime Time TV, where she identified three basic areas, she believed if properly combined, the MDG issue of Universal Primary Education would be much closer to its objective.

They are: the Human Resources willing to teach, the technology we are willing to share, and the relevant software to power all these. Zuriel currently learns with a modification of the above three tools.

For the Human Resources willing to teach, she met in Washington DC with the Director of the United States Peace Corp, Mrs. Carrie Hessler-Radelet, because the Peace Corps since the 1960’s has sent volunteers across the globe to share teaching foundations – an army Zuriel hopes to tap for her education programmes.

Zuriel also met the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria – H.E. Carlos Sosa, because Cuba has, for decades, sent teachers to African countries, to help develop and strengthen the region’s education system.

Her next focus is technology companies, to explore partnerships with her DUSUSU (Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up) project as she moves that closer to developing her practical and simple educational model.

sourse : nggaudian news 

Lack Of Incentives For Teachers Weakened Nigeria Education Sector- Varsity Don

The Dean, Faculty of Education, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Professor Taiwo Edun speaks with TAIWO OGUNMOLA-OMILANI on why the education sector must be reformed, while noting that the Nigerian education system has witnessed growth without development.

Can you give an overview of the present state of education in Nigeria presently compared to what it was in the past ?

If you want me to describe the present state of education in Nigeria, I will say the Nigerian education has witnessed a tremendous growth without development and what I mean by that is growth in terms of share number; I mean number of universities will run to 150, the same for secondary schools but private and public and several primary schools here and there. Especially, primary and nursery schools are springing up everywhere. Most shops have turned to schools claiming to be training children. So there is tremendous growth in terms of enrolment and in terms of population of children we find in our schools. There are several graduates roaming the streets without jobs, so that is what I mean by growth without development.

Can you say we are in the right direction in that regards ?

We found that people are going to school but the quality of education they are receiving are questionable to the extent that there is a lot of emphasis on paper qualifications. Many people go to school today to acquire certificates and people parade it that I have HND and B.sc but in terms of the skill which is very important that makes the individuals useful to themselves is not there. In this respect, we are very far behind in terms of our ability to make our graduates contribute significantly to their personal welfare as well as overall development of the nation. We need to reflect on the education sector and see what we can do because parents have invested so much on the children. Education in Nigeria has been the largest industry and we are thinking that if we want to invest as must as this, for developing nation such as ours, we still need to develop in education. The question is how much dividend are we getting from the investment?

What can we do to improve the situation ‎and the problems you highlighted so far?

The problem we have in the Nigerian education sector presently is large chunk of personnel ‎that we have in the teaching profession and it is what I call unwilling teachers and it has to do with the pattern of recruitment. You will discover that in many universities today, many people go to faculty of education as a last resort. So most of them are there reluctantly and if you look at the pattern of admission in our faculty, you will find out that our social faculties have more discipline. I am always advocating that universities should not admit anybody that did not take education as his first choice into the faculty. It is better we have fewer teachers who are committed, dedicated and willing to do the job than to have millions of them that are not willing and going to the profession as a last resort. I wonder at times why our policies are counter- productive to the profession. The first problem with the education sector in this country was the cancellation of teachers training colleges because those who had passed through the college have been prepared and they know what they are going into. By the time somebody has a grade two certificate and proceed to earn admission into the university to study more, such a person would know that he’s ready for the profession and therefore he knows it is a calling. You will find out that few people that are committed were the product of the teacher training college but now that it has been cancelled, people just apply into university and because they cannot get admission into the first choice of their courses, they change to education because they want a certificate. Their attitude from the out-set is poor towards the teaching profession. The image of the profession needs to be reformed. Little wonder, today, none of our children wants to be a teacher.

Where exactly can be said to be the reason behind the poor attitude of people to the teaching profession?

To some extent, this has to do with remuneration of teachers and public attitude to teaching. I have reflected over this, it is the corruption in the system because people prefer to be custom officers, police officers, civil servants rather than becoming teachers because they know there are means of corruption in such areas. You will see custom officers who have houses and exotic cars but teachers are not known to be driving expensive cars. Teachers must support anti-corruption war. A graduate teacher today gets level eight, step three but others get level eight step two. If we can curb corruption in this country, people would learn how to leave within their means. Then we can now collectively fight for improvement on the civil service of all public officers including teachers. The resources that have been wasted through

corruption and money laundering should be pumped into the system to ensure that people are paid leaving wages. It is important to encourage those that are in the teaching profession and other things will follow.

Is it all about the teachers? What do you think of the willing students?

The problem is across the board right from basic education. It is the teachers that taught them at various levels and that is why most parents have lost confidence in schools but this is not solving the problem because what some of the private schools have is the benefiting building. What they want the children to do is to memorize and regurgitate. There is the need to look at the licenses of these schools to ensure that they have the quality teachers that can build the foundation.

In a specific term, what area in the education sector would you want Federal Government to address first?

There must be a holistic approach, this is not a matter of tackle one first and leave the others. We don’t want the system down, we should fight corruption first because this has destroyed everything and the resources meant for education system has been wasted away. That is why some people agitated for total overhaul of the education system in Nigeria. We should restore hope into our primary education system. Then we can rekindle public interest back into the public schools. The responsibility of primary education is on the government, the failure in this area led to the proliferation of private schools. We should ensure we invest in infrastructure at the primary school level in order for the children to learn in conducive environment. Teachers must also be motivated in all areas. Some of them are dead woods because their salaries are poor and they find it difficult to meet their basic needs and as a result, they engage in a part time job which has implication on the productivity. We are just hoping that government will address the problems in the sector.

How will you describe teachers in Nigeria today?

The Nigerian teachers today fall in the group of the oppressed and their fate has been jeopardized over the years. Their rights have been denied and the nation as a whole suffer for it. It is very apt that we should empower teachers because UN is now talking about sustainable development growth and we have not had this without education. If we want sustainable society, education is key. Teachers should be trained and retrained. Minimum of 26 per cent budget must be given to the education sector. It means education is very expensive.

Source : Leadership.ng 

For quality education in Nigeria

By Sunday Onyemaechi Eze

“One of the most powerful tools for empowering individuals and communities is making certain that any individual who wants to receive a quality education can do so.”
– Christine Gregoire.

Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.  The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead. Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment, says Barbara Jordan. Quality education is the best and priceless legacy parents could bequeath to their children. Nigerian parents, despite their social or economic status, have done all within their reach to meet up with this parental responsibility.

Before going to work every morning parents take kids to school and in the afternoon abandon whatever they are doing to pick their kids during school closing hours in what is commonly known as “school runs.” In fact, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world – Nelson Mandela.”

Eminent scholars have made spirited efforts at defining education. One strongly maintained that “it is the act or process of imparting or acquiring knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life,”  The purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill and or character of students.  Education, in all its inclusive form goes beyond what takes place within the four walls of the classroom. One gets education from one’s experiences outside the school as well as from those within, on the basis of these factors. There are mainly three types of education, namely formal, informal and non-formal education. Formal education is obtained in school established for that purpose. It is in the form of systematic, planned, and guided instruction. Informal on the other hand is an educative activity, habit, manners and patterns learned while living with others or moving in different spheres of the society. Non-formal education includes adult basic education, adult literacy education or school equivalency preparation. In non-formal education, an adult or youth who is not in school can learn literacy, other basic skills or job skills.
Education strengthens the economic growth of countries. It is said that when you educate a child, a nation is totally educated.  However, the collapsed standard of education in Nigeria has forced many parents to seek this priceless legacy for their children outside the shores of Nigeria. At the moment, it is mind boggling the number of Nigerians studying abroad and the huge capital flight to these learning centres. This craze to study abroad has posed enormous detrimental challenges and has taken a dangerous dimension too.

It is estimated by UNESCO Institute of Statistics that more 39,000 Nigerians presently study in United Kingdom. Countries like Malaysia, Singapore, India, Cyprus, Dubai and USA etc. are also popular destinations to numerous Nigerian students offering different courses of study.  Exam Ethics International, a Nigerian non-governmental organization, said the nation spends over N1.5 trillion on students abroad annually. In West Africa, the educational shoulders of less endowed nations of Ghana, Niger, and Benin Republic have become a convenient place of rest for Nigerians in search of quality education.  Some of these universities especially those in West African countries, are not approved. Others have turned out to be huge scams or at best glorified secondary schools.  Cases of untimely deaths of Nigerian students in these institutions have remained likewise unresolved.

Any nation without good and functional educational system; be it in terms of structure and substance, is doomed to fail in all its developmental endeavours. Education and knowledge acquisition have played a vital role in the overall development of so many advanced countries of the world. The various potentials of nations are unlocked through education.

Educate a child and the nation is educated. India, China and Japan are known to have invested heavily in the education of their citizenry. Many were on government scholarship to the best Ivy universities in the world. That investment has paid off especially in Asian countries after they brought back and invested their wealth of experiences in the development of their countries.

Educated citizens, for sure, have better chances of contributing meaningfully to the growth and development of their countries. The benefit of education cannot be over emphasised considering the level it has helped nations that applied it wisely. Poverty and illiteracy in countries are eradicated through knowledge acquisition.  The application of knowledge acquired by citizens in different fields of academic endeavours, ends up  improving different sectors of the economy – a sure way of attaining national growth and greater heights.

The Nigerian educational sector has gradually deteriorated and came to a halt due to long neglect of the sector by successive governments. The budgetary provision for education is abysmally low. The nation has failed to meet the UNESCO recommendation of allocating 26% of its annual budgetary provision to education. In fact, Nigeria has not allocated more than 8% of her total annual budget for education. Ghana, which serves as our educational solution ground, currently has a huge budgetary provision of 31% for education.

Our educational system lacks quality teaching personnel. The recruitment processes is skewed against competence and merit. Compensation packages other than passion for the job drives some teachers found in our class rooms and lecture theatres. Conducive learning environment and facilities are evidently lacking in Nigeria. Most universities, we must agree, lack requisite educational facilities to aid studies.

In the light of above, sticking to implementable policies and adequate investment in education, is the only way out for Nigeria to fully realise her educational potentials. Individual needs of every student must be considered in policy formulation. Nigeria should hear the words of Aristotle, “Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those art of living well.”

•Eze writes from Lagos via sunnyeze02@yahoo.com

South Africa: Varsity, students agree to freeze fee hikes

South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the Students’ Representative Council have reached a resolution on a series of proposals, including an agreement to freeze the hiking of academic, residence and any other fees, Wits said on Tuesday.
According to the deal, the university committed to establishing its own internal commission to investigate the effects of outsourcing services on the university, the cost structures associated with in-sourcing and possible alternative models.

In addition, there will be no disciplinary measures taken against students who were involved in legitimate forms of protests. As a result of the resolution, the academic programme and all university activities will commence on Wednesday, the accord said.

“We have agreed to postpone the examinations and a new examination timetable will be shared with students before the end of the week,” a statement from the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Adam Habib, said on behalf of the senior executive team at the talks that took place Monday evening.

The statement said the two sides had recognised the achievement of the student movement to place on the national agenda the issue of affordable and quality higher education in the country.

Students at Wits three weeks ago were the first to rise up against a proposed 10 percent increase in university fees for the 2016 academic year, which sparked off mass protests by students from higher education institutions across the country.

Meanwhile, the University of Cape Town campus will remain closed until 30 October. But UCT Vice-Chancellor Max Price has made a commitment to bring a proposal to the students’ council on the question of outsourcing and in-sourcing by 1 November 2015.

The exams scheduled to be written from 27 October to 13 November have been postponed, pending a new date.

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