The State of our education

Mrs Uto Ukpanah

Caveat: I didn’t write any of this (though I wish I had the wisdom, presence and articulation of mind to put down these thoughts with this much clarity. This was written by my former colleague and a lady I’m proud to be associated with and who I call “friend”. Since I met her, she’s been nothing short of a well of wisdom, laughter, wit and intelligence. She is elegance refined. And yet with everything she has and has accomplished she still manages to stay humble and simple. So whether she’s giving an address at the UN or holding court in Golden Plaza, she remains quintessentially - Uto. 

I have read the posts regarding the exuberant Senator and the state of education in Nigeria with keen interest and great sadness. The failure of various administrations at federal and state levels have left us with a raggedy educational system. This is not a Buhari Administration malaise. It’s a festering sore to which successive administrations have merely applied plasters. Healthcare and other pivotal sectors have been treated with similar disregard. I will however focus on education.

Consider the education budget of Nigeria. The UN recommends at least 26% of national budget should be allocated to education. In 2017 the FGN allocated approximately 6% of its budget to education. Government budget for education over the past 10 years has floundered between 5% -10%.  The trend at the state level is not surprisingly similar.  Across the ECOWAS sub region; Nigeria has the lowest average budgetary allocation for education with Ghana leading the region with 23%, Côte d’Ivoire - 22%, Benin - 16%, Liberia - 12%, Cape Verde - 14%.  By the way Kenya allocates at least 20% of its national budget to education.

There is also an acknowledgement in these countries that not everyone will be a brain surgeon so the education sector does not encourage a degree frenzy. Significant attention is given to vocational education. Little wonder the best cooks and artisans are not from Nigeria but from our ‘poorer’ neighbors. I have deliberately not provided stats from developed economies. If these African countries are still grappling with the challenges in the sector how much more a sleeping (or comatose) giant that has consistently allocated less than 10% to educate the leaders of tomorrow.

It beats my imagination how those who benefited immensely from public education continue to trounce the system that made them. The quagmire in the education sector reminds one of the truth in Nelson Mandela’s words ‘…If you think Education is expensive, try ignorance’. Nigeria will pay a huge price for breeding generations of ‘educated’ yet ignorant students and graduates. At that time, most of us on this platform will be too old and tired to do anything about it. Government upon government may have made the mess but we, our children and grandchildren will pay the price. I do not plan to spend my twilight years on a private island in the Bahamas. Knowing this, my personal decision is to do as much as I can to reduce the number of people in that pool of ignorant Nigerians.

While some of us may wish to pursue ambitions in public service to influence policies; others can roll up their sleeves and support pivotal sectors. Better still, those in whose hands a pen (or keyboard) is a powerful tool must be advocates of real change and sustainable development. Please indulge me to share a bit of my experience with you.

I sit on the Board of Inoyo Toro Foundation an NGO that seeks to improve teaching excellence. The Foundation also links Nigerian professionals who volunteer as mentors with students in secondary schools in the state. 10 years ago, we instituted an award for Teachers in public Secondary schools in Akwa Ibom. Interested teachers have to sit and pass exams in subjects that they teach. Some years we have no winners in certain subjects and we’ve refused to lower the bar. Beyond just giving awards to successful teachers, we set up a programme whereby awardees mentor other teachers (Grand mentors). The current best teacher in Nigeria is a past award winner of this Foundation. Doing this has not been easy. Our funding has been sourced primarily from individuals and corporates. Our joy is that teachers and students that have participated in our programmes are recognized as influencers amongst their peers.  During the 30th anniversary celebration of the state, the government acknowledged the contributions of the Foundation to challenging the status quo in the education sector.

Warren Buffet is credited with the quote ‘Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago’. We all need to put action behind our grievances. Be the change you wish to see (Mahatma Ghandi).  Teachers and students have been given lemons over the years. Let’s help them make lemonade.

We, the people, empowered and emboldened men like Dino Melaiye who has become a national nuisance and embarrassment. Although so many factors are at play, as citizens we must Dakkada (arise) and salvage our country.

© Uto Ukpanah   |   November 23, 2017