“When the purpose of a thing is not know, abuse is
inevitable” – Myles Munroe
Is the fallen
standard in Nigerian schools a result of ignorance of the purpose of schooling?
Is it an abuse? This is just another angle to viewing the problem and a step
forward towards a solution. Perhaps, schooling was crucial years ago and
therefore was approached with seriousness. Knowledge in time past was not
common place; at least not the extent of present knowledge in science,
technology, commerce, medicine, literature and other areas. CNN did not “go
beyond borders”; NOKIA did not “connect people”. At some point, it was believed
that the earth was flat. In the mid 1800s, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis had a hard time
convincing the medical community that thorough hand-washing procedures were
necessary for Doctors. Such ignorance!
The world has advanced greatly. One crucial factor in growth
and advancement is shedding off useless properties. Is schooling in Nigeria
becoming a useless property? Definitely not!
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The young fellows were delighted at my mention of an
interview to be recorded on my android phone. They viewed my proposal as a new
game; I knew this because later in the evening that day, one of them, a sharp
girl called Ify, came to me and in her light, childish voice asked “Can we play
that game again?” It was not a game though; it was a research effort of mine
for this article on eight reasons why schooling is necessary. I had decided to
examine the orientation of my siblings and young neighbours. When I heard them
playing outside, I snapped at the opportunity. At their end, they had run out
of ideas as to games to play and my suggestion of an interview was a welcomed
development. I was not interrupting anything. They were not sacrificing time to
come to my “studio”, I was bringing some fun to their almost boring Sunday
afternoon.
I gave quick instructions and asked “who will go first?” A
happy boy who I have thought to be pressured by the new realms of knowledge and
expectations from him – he had just completed his first year in Junior
secondary school – but from my point of
view, he still has the graces of a primary school pupil. I think he is torn
between both worlds. He stepped happily in front of my phone which I held up.
He became somewhat nervous when the questions rolled in. He claimed he attends
school “to learn more” and citied “introtech” (Introductory Technology, a
subject in the Junior Secondary School Curriculum) and “science” as examples of
knowledge he has acquired in school.
When I asked, “What do you want to study in future?” He dramatically responded “Arts and craft”. He
obviously did not think his response was as vague as I realized it was.
Throughout his turn, he kept displaying various gestures and I saw clearly, the
pressures I had previously identified.
My second interviewee was less dramatic in terms of
gestures. He preferred to keep his eyes lowered and curve his mouth like the
child he is. He said he attends school to “learn about things”. “Social
Studies” was his example of such “things”. When I asked what he wanted to study
in future, he let out a rather thoughtless “science”. I pressed for him to be
more specific and we reached a compromise at “Engineering”. Off camera, he told
me he wanted to be a soldier and later on confessed his desire to be a
scientist (really, inventor is a better word to describe the explanation he
gave). I noticed the influence of action movies and super hero cartoons.
The next one was collected and confident, perhaps because
she was answering questions from her brother. She had no difficulty looking in
the camera, except for occasional outside glances as she thought out her
answers. She claimed she went to school to “learn”. She said the “learn” as if
she meant to add “duh”. When I asked her to be more specific, she said “to
learn things about the world”. What a
shame however, she later said she had learnt that “Europe is a country that colonized many countries.” Thankfully,
she indentified the mistake when I corrected her that Europe is a continent not
a country. She wants to become a doctor and “treat people”.
Ify was next, anxious for the excitement. She was all smiles
and gave most of her answers in single words. Why do you go to school? “To
learn”. To learn what? “Social Studies” What have you learnt in Social Studies?
“Drugs” What do you want to study in future? “Doctor”
My final interviewee in the session did not wait to be asked
before she introduced herself. The three
year old called Ifuanya played with her hands and said she attends school
because “I want to be a nurse”
I believe my interviews with these young fellows reveal a
wide gap between positive and normative reasons for schooling in Nigeria. “What
is” is miles away from “What ought to be”. I decided that if I went on with
interviews, I would end up with who knows how many gigabytes of clichés, vague
responses and camouflaged ignorance. In finding my “eight reasons” therefore, I
ditched the pupils and others I hoped to interview, and went in search of what
ought to be the reasons for schooling in Nigeria. I came up with the following:
Human Capital
Development
Nigerians are more valuable than crude oil. As obvious as
this statement might sound, the truth of it needs to reflect in Nigerian
education. Human Capital refers to the pool of skills possessed by Nigerians.
It entails their skills and fitness. This means human capital development will
require quality education, adequate health care provisions and services, proper
nutrition and other factors that affect the soul and body. Education is in the spotlight, and I don’t
intend to digress. The acquisition of
reading, writing, listening, thinking and speaking skills should be a key
factor why Nigerian kids attend school. Another reason in this line should be
for training in specialized disciplines.
When Nigerian children who attend school still possess a poor command of
English or when Nigerian graduates are qualified with adjectives such as
“half-baked”, “incompetent”; then we should know that human capital development
is no longer a reason for schooling.
To transform
Nigerians into informed critics
Presently, any policy of government that brings immediate
gratification to the people is warmly received with little thought on its
future impacts (positive or negative) and any policy of the government that will
bring discomfort to the people in the short run will be staunchly opposed with
little thought as to its long term benefits. Ankara material and a bag of rice
is enough to get people to vote for an inept public officer. They count his
gesture as a kind one and a proof of the greater things he will do. Only his opposition cares about the source of
his finance and the outrageous content of his manifesto. This is a problem I
strongly believe schooling can be used to correct in Nigeria. Cognitive skills should be taught in school,
to ensure we have a smart populace that weights cost and benefit, and would not
snap at Sanusi Lamido Sanusi for proposing five thousand naira note.
To ensure unity in
diversity
No one should escape school in Nigeria without being made to
realize that his or her country is a multi ethnic one whose continued existence
would depend on a collective effort by Nigerians towards maintaining peace and
unity amongst ourselves.
To equip Nigerians
for Global Competition
The free market economy is wide spread across the globe and
competition is the order of the day. With the emergence of globalization,
borders have been broken down and the world has turned flat. A Nigerian graduate therefore no longer
competes with just other Nigerian graduates but with every other graduate in
the world. The same applies to products; competition is global. Our schools should therefore fortify school
goers for global competition.
Because Leadership has
been a challenge
A quick poll and ‘bad leadership’ would be the most blamed
for any of the problems Nigeria faces.
The majorities of school goers in Nigeria falls in the age bracket of
children and youth, and are consequently addressed as the ‘leaders of tomorrow’.
Leadership training should be a core reason why we attend school in present day
Nigeria, so as to equip our future leaders for the crucial task of leadership.
This way, we would not reinvent a shameful wheel.
To stimulate local
production
Imported goods currently flood Nigeria markets and though
importation is not totally bad, when a country rich in timber and arable land
begins to import toothpicks and a large proportion of its food needs, the alarm
should go off. Again, I smile before the
Headmasters, Principals and Vice Chancellors; and tell them what they must do
to retain relevance. They must prepare school goers to be producers and
consumers of Nigerian made products.
For Exploration and
discovery
It is a vast world we have around us and though a lot has
been discovered about it, there remains yet more to be unraveled. Research
efforts should not be mere talk in Nigerian schools. Our citadels of learning
should engage in a diligent quest to explore and discover more. Those at Stanford don’t have two heads.
To cultivate a
Nigerian society
Schools in Nigeria should impact their attendees with the
Nigerian culture, the Nigerian norms and values, the Nigerian dream (if such
exist). They should ensure their products come out as Nigerians, equipped for
an ideal Nigerian society.
I strongly believe
the above reasons should be reasons for schooling in Nigeria and
consequently should reflect in our curricula and the general way we go about
the business of education.
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