Education is giving intellectual and moral training to persons, bringing up the young, helping the young to develop, to lead out the best in them, and to evolve an integral personality” – Obafemi Awolowo.
The educational system in Nigeria is such that one goes through kindergarten, Nursery, Primary, secondary schools and then may choose to further in a tertiary institution.
It’s a matter of concern however, that the Nigerian Youth spends between 15-20 years (top that if you include the infamous ASUU strike) and still leave school either looking for a job, or working in a bank as a teller even if he studied engineering.
The turnover of graduates in Nigeria is impressive and has been for many years but the success story for Nigeria is to be questioned in terms of addressing the “Nigerian Situation”. In other words, regardless of the fact that many Nigerians are graduates, Nigeria is not halfway where it’s supposed to be.
Is the Nigerian Youth learning the right thing? Available courses of study in Nigerian institutions include Engineering, Mass Communication, Computer Engineering, Biochemisrty, Architecture, Medicine, Sociology, Law… to mention but a few but is the Nigerian Youth learning the right thing?
Flip through the text books used in many schools… you will discover that Nigerian teachers spend years teaching children western theories and western ways of solving problems. This is in no way a bad thing until the question of application comes up. Can we apply the western methods in the Nigerian Situation? If yes, why is Nigeria still where it is. And it is acceptable to have a Professor in Nigeria author books where he uses western examples and methods to explain theories and practices to the Nigerian student? Does the student learn this way?
Singapore is a very good example for national transformation. Social unrest and disputes led to Singapore’s transformation from Malaysia and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965 (five years after Nigeria).
Severe unemployment and housing crisis pushed Singapore to develop manufacturing industries, develop large public housing estates and invest heavily in Education.
How does Singapore invest in education? Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education. As at 2013, the budget for education was $11.6 billion, which is about 20 per cent of the annual national budget. Primary and secondary educations are compulsory and free – allowances are made for those who are home-schooled, attending religious institutions full-time, or those with special needs.
Civic education and morals along with other courses are an integral part of the Singaporean education because they believe that everyone must know the laws and ethics set by the constitution and society. Due to the number of years Singaporeans learn morals and civic education they develop habits that truly make them civil and their country, desirable. Children between 4-14 years are taught to be law abiding, loyal and economically useful to their nation. Education in Singapore carries the progress stamp of total public advancement in Singapore.
Back to Nigeria, you cannot not work on the mind set of Nigerians, not teach them how to be civic, not imbibe in us the laws and ethics of society and expect us to automatically know what to do.
According to Dr. Nnamdi Ekeanyanwu, an ex-head of department of the department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ota, “Education is what you remember best, when you are no longer in the classroom”.
Over 93 per cent of the Singaporean Population is educated, which means, over 93 per cent know the laws and ethics that guide their society which is why they were able to transform into a first world nation from a third world nation.
Maybe it is time the Ministry of Education in Nigeria made some changes in the educational system of Nigeria because according to Ayo, a bus Conductor “change cannot be given to you all the time; you must bring your change next time”. The quality of education, the quality of instructors, the relevance to the economic and social systems of the society have to be deeply considered especially for the “Transformation Agenda” of the Federal Government.
Education shouldn’t just stop in the classroom, we should recognize it when people interact in public places, in how people keep laws, in the respect and consideration for others, in how people dress, and how they dispose of waste, to mention a few.
Singapore’s education system is often described as “world leading”, we as a country can pick a thing or two.
0 Response to "Education: Beyond The Classroom’s Four Walls"
Post a Comment