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Facing the real education crisis 03 Aug 2015

We just had a furore over the cut-off point for university admission. In less than one week, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had to reverse itself on its tweaked admission policy, which shows lack of necessary rigour in the determination of the policy in the first place. Should universities not be able to screen out applicants who don't make their pass mark? The answer is not as straight forward as some would have us believe. If we say “yes,” the question becomes where do we screen them to, since we all merely pay lip service to technical education in Nigeria? If we say our children are entitled to university admission with below average entrance exam score, as some parents insist, what kind of society are we building and what contributions would universities be able to make towards the much-desired technological advancement in Nigeria?
    
In the final analysis, there is no question that we have a dysfunctional education system that fails to thoroughly prepare young Nigerians to transition from school-age to work-age. One would not be wrong to say that one way to address the governance and socio-economic challenges of Nigeria is to fix our educational system. I like to think that even the dearth of rigorous debate on national issues is a reflection of our broken educational system. However, with recent developments like the mass failure in entrance examinations and the university admission saga, it is high time the government took sweeping reforms in this critical sector.   

It goes without saying that there is no advanced nation that has reached that level of development without enthroning an educational system that is governed by meritocracy. While various countries adopt different models, one underlying attribute of the best education systems in the world is a culture of hard work or rigour. South Korea, with 100% literacy rate, best exemplifies this. Part of why I like the exemplification of South Korea here is that less than 40 years ago, it was a much smaller economy than Nigeria. But South Korea overtook Nigeria and joined the OECD in 1996. And today, the country is 100% literate; while Nigeria's literacy rate is at 61%.

As the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari sets its agenda and takes on recommended reform initiatives for the education sector, a new model for our educational system must emerge. It cannot be simply about opening new universities under a retrograde system, or something in the piecemeal fashion of the Almajiri system that its predecessor introduced for political expediency. It has to be about a holistic approach that ensures we create a system that teaches our children sublime problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
    
Even as critical funding mechanisms are formalized, we have to explore ways to plug the cracks in the system. There can be no room for rampant examination malpractices – with the complicity of parents – if we have a culture of meritocracy. Our higher institutions can become attractive to international students and draw collaborations on research projects with institutions abroad. This is one of the key performance indicators for ranking universities.
    
A sound education system in Nigeria can become the cradle of the country's technological advancement. And we must understand this imperative for our economic development. Nigeria should not have to rely on macroeconomic data on Nigeria from external bodies like the World Bank etc. Without a doubt, any research that is worth its weight in gold must to be adequately funded. There are organizations in Nigeria that have the resources to fund such initiatives in our schools but it is part of the crying shame of our society that major corporations would rather expend big bucks on sponsoring entertainment extravaganzas, than fund a research project or educational programme. One is not surprised there is not one tertiary institution in Nigeria that is known for research excellence.
    
Tertiary institutions exist as innovation grounds for industries. Our polytechnics, colleges of education and universities can form mutually beneficial partnerships with various industries of the Nigerian economy to provide new innovations for respective industries and organic solutions to industry challenges. In an increasingly competitive world, companies must constantly evolve to survive, which is why companies are no longer averse to forming such partnerships, while providing funding to schools.
    
In building institutions that develop world-class human capital, everyone wins. In that realization, we must resolve to give every Nigerian child the freedom to not only dream but to also fulfil their potential by affording them the opportunity to acquire the good quality education they deserve to have.  
    
The world is waiting for the next superpower to emerge. The United States of America is a diminishing superpower. China does not only have the potential, but the Chinese also do not hide their aspirations to become the next superpower. The sooner we are determined to change our education culture, the earlier Nigeria – with all its human capital, natural resources and accelerated growth – would be on the trajectory to becoming a global power. The world is waiting for Nigeria to arise.