Nigeria has been a country we all hope will change for the better. Nigeria is a country I want to look at how children will enjoy the right to education with each having bright smiles on their faces. There are many reasons that made me love my country.
Nigeria has a greater plan for me in terms of education as in the evidence of section 15 subsection 1-7 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Child’s Rights Act 2003 which provides for the child’s right to free and compulsory and universal primary, secondary, and university education. Similarly, section 15, subsection 5 also makes provision for pregnant children before completing their education to be given another chance to complete their education while section 15 subsection 4 spells out that a child should be sent to an appropriate trade after the completion of primary school provided that the child is not capable of continuing his or her education (Federal 2003).
Nigeria is a country that I have loved all my life and as a child, I believe it considers me an orphan who lost the care of motherhood but was picked up by her father. To all these I wish the Ministry of Education to provide free education as a universal compulsory basic education for all children, adequate educational provision for children in rural and urban areas, adequately trained teachers, facilities, free food for the needy and free stationery for poor students.
If the government could fully implement these, it would attract and retain children in schools. Pre-school education should be strengthened by the federal and state ministries of education, in particular, to incorporate dropout children and working children into schools. The project will give more interest in schooling among working children, their parents, and teachers. It is the government’s duty to provide early free childhood education and children should be taught about their rights and duties to themselves and the nation through the curriculum and syllabus.
This project and programmes could not materialise in Nigeria unless those who are in charge of education at the state and national levels are well disciplined, honest, committed, and sincere. So, the government should appoint someone who possesses these qualities to hold the post of minister of education and commissioner for education respectively at the federal and state levels.
There are a lot of encumbrances to qualitative education in Nigeria. These include incessant strikes by academic and non-academic staff in tertiary institutions. These strikes subject students to spend more than reasonable years for a registered programme. The lack of adequate and sufficient facilities is another obstacle. This is seen in inadequate accommodation, classrooms and modern technology and well-equipped laboratories.
Poverty and lack of seriousness of students also contribute to low-quality education. But the major one is the high rate of corruption in the Ministry of Education which has a great negative impact on the low standard of education across the nation.
The percentage of children in both primary and secondary schools in Nigeria is falling by the year due to the internal and external forces that deprive many children of a sound education and becoming committed to their studies.
As the Minister of Education noticed in some attempts to solve the persistent causes and problems of children shunning school, the execution of the project should be properly and judiciously monitored by the ministry if they really want a solution in the interests of the children and the nation.
Finally, I wish to suggest the following for the reshaping, upgrading, and recapturing of the standard of Nigerian education in the interest of Nigerian children and the nation at large.
The government should provide free and standard education with all the educational facilities and good salaries for the teachers. This will attract the best and ensure a high standard of education in the nation. The simple fact is that standard private schools are too costly for many Nigerian parents to afford. As a result of that, many children lack the opportunity to have a sound education due to the financial constraints of their parents and the poor standard of public schools across the nation.
Similarly, NGOs and some external aid agencies can also play commendable and useful roles in reshaping education in Nigeria and raising it to a high standard. There is also an urgent need for governments and individuals to fight all the hindrances that are confronting the Nigerian educational system in order to ensure sound education for Nigerian children.
We must do away with corruption, strikes and other hindrances in our educational system to ensure a sound education for our teeming youth and secure a prosperous Nigeria in years to come.
Jamila Lawal Garba is the Deputy Speaker of, the Katsina Children’s Parliament
Daily Trust
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