“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The importance of education to a nation can not be over emphasized, in most parts of the world education is regarded as a fundamental human right. Education is one of the basic criteria to measure the growth and development of any nation. If you want to destroy a nation kill their Education.
The number of young people continues to rise, the number of educators is heading in the opposite direction. There were more local education jobs in 2000 than there were in 2022. It doesn’t quite stand up to logic.
Now, there’s no indication of whether the education sector is growing as a whole, but local education is typically where young minds are first cultivated. It seems as if budget that make up the public economy are going less and less towards education.
Some weeks into the Lagos Business School, my eyes opened in one of my courses, Data Analytics. I decided that I will to go into the education sector of this country and provide solutions using data analytics principles; the collection, transformation, and organization of data in order to draw conclusions, make predictions, and drive informed decision making.
I entered the field, and I concluded that the educational system of Nigeria is shrinking the economy.
As the founder of Abed Makama Abednego Foundation, an NGO, operating since 2018 here in Nigeria. We have had different programs in the education sector in areas where none else is helping. Then, we saw, sadly the level, quality and standard of education in Nigeria has witnessed a geometric drop in the past two decades and this unfortunate trend has made Nigeria the leading country of origin of students from Africa migrating to other parts of the world in search of quality education.
With the help of the knowledge and skills I got in the Lagos Business School, I am providing these solutions;
The first step forward towards reviving the educational system lies in the hands of the government. Necessary steps need to be taken in order to restructure and save the sector. The government at all levels needs to commit to the delivering of a competitive standard of education across the country and with other countries. Also, the right investments need to be done in order to get the desired results.
Adequate funding with good management will provide high-quality education in Nigeria. Funds for renovation of schools and institution, acquiring quality training facilities, research grants, decent teachers’ salaries and welfare, etc. are the things that need to be increased, released and spent appropriately.
The level of corruption in education ministries and regulatory bodies needs to be taken seriously and tackled. The level of exam malpractices needs to be curbed by a joint effort of the government and examination regulatory bodies. The teaching curriculum needs to be reviewed and updated. It needs to be more practical and research based. Teachers salaries must be reviewed and improved.
Fair wages will also motivate teachers to do their job on a high-quality level. Also, there should be regular payments of teachers’ salaries. This will attract qualified and dedicated teachers to public schools and will change the attitude of young people towards the teaching profession and youth will study to become teachers.
Proper training of teachers with current and up to date materials and technology also will improve the condition of education in Nigeria. Necessary vetting measures should be taken to make sure that only qualified teachers are employed.
Admissions into tertiary institutions should be based solely on merit level. In conclusion, we will be able to see real changes in the level of education in Nigeria, when power will belong to visionary and selfless leaders who understand the importance of quality education. Our future is in our hands.
Makama Bulus
#MEM12
LEARNING BUSINESS LANGUAGE