By Abdulmumin Tanko
It is said that no nation can develop beyond its educational level. This says a lot about the level Nigeria currently is. While we continue to pay lip service, other countries have taken the bold step to massively fund and support their educational system, the infrastructure as well as training and re-training of human capital in modern research and development. This is evident in the recent surge in technological advancements in Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya and even Ghana.
Post covid-19 Nigeria will be an interesting time, I believe. It will be the ideal time to work on our collective existence as a country. It will be the time to review our social contract with the elected elites and a time to recalibrate our educational system. Post covid-19 Nigeria should be the time to renew our resolve and salvage whatever is remaining of the integrity, quality, values and credibility of our educational institutions. Nigeria will need now more than ever to have a robust investment in the educational system, review the system, the standards, the facilities and most importantly, the core values of the system reflecting the values of the Nigerian society.
In the middle of this existential crisis, The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella body of university academic staff in Nigeria is on strike. This is a time when researchers are supposed to be working hard on the ways to get ahead of the pandemic curve, conducting clinical trials for a potent cure and a vaccine. This is a time when the government is supposed to sink in huge amounts of money for research purposes. This is the time when all hands should be on deck to inspire hope, make research transparent and believable and most importantly, display leadership. But this is Nigeria! Make no mistake though, the strike action is very much within the rights of ASUU.
This pandemic period further revealed how the FG does not regard its academicians in high esteem to really see that they are a key stakeholder in the fight against the deadly virus. Many things would fuel the academicians to embark on the downing of tools. Chief among these is the insincerity of successive governments and the gross underfunding of the education sector. A researcher cannot be efficient when he is thinking about the next meal. A researcher is supposed to be comfortable physically, financially and of course, mentally.
This deliberate neglect of the Nigerian academicians is by far the most deadly element in the progressive decline and death of the Nigerian education sector. The take home of Nigerian teachers and lecturers is nothing to write home about. They do not have a good social security (if at all there is one).
In the spirit of balance and fairness, ASUU have had a part to play in the problems with the university system. The strikes have always had one thing in common: better pay and some earned allowances that have not been honored from previous negotiations. Underfunding, decayed infrastructure and government neglect are only an addendum. These strikes are always at the detriment of the innocent students caught in the crossfires. Students end up spending far more time in the universities than necessary and still not get out better off. The standards do not improve, and the whole system either remains the same or even worse off.
It is true that public universities are government funded. But what substansive relevance has ASUU shown to the sector. Government funds the schools, pays their salaries and even spend billions yearly through TETFUND and PTDF to send lecturers abroad for Masters and Doctorate degrees. Some come back and still remain in the academia, commendable, while some come back and change jobs. Some do not even come back at all. How then does ASUU hold these people accountable?
As the lead body of university academicians, it is expected that ASUU would be leading the charge on research, copyright and patenting novelty, containing plagiarism and developing creativity in research and development. Many at times students and researchers conduct awesome novel researches, but patenting become serious issues. ASUU should ideally be the go-to for researchers to secure support in form of grants and incentives and also protection.
Ideally ASUU should have a peer review mechanism to audit and hold its members accountable. The corruption and corruptibility in the university community by lecturers is outrageous. Some lecturers are sexual predators preying on innocent students. In October last year, the BBC conducted an undercover investigation on sexual abuse by lecturers in tertiary institutions and titled it ‘Sex for Grades’. This documentary gained a lot of attention and even made highlight in the National Assembly. The Senate started working on a bill to criminalize this act and protect students. Ironically, ASUU came in hard in condemnation of this bill, claiming it is a violation of their rights and their autonomy. That statement indicates condoning the reprehensible act and wryly reflects their insensitivity towards rights of students.
The ASUU – FG issue is a case for special discourse
The objectives of our educational institutions include the adoption of local content initiative to solving local and even global problems. The world over, all nations irrespective of developed statuses are dealing with the novel virus locally. Therefore there is just little (to none) the ‘Western big boys’ can do to help other nations in need. The kneejerk reaction of the Nigerian government should have been to empower, support and incentivize research institutions towards massive research in managing the pandemic in order to contain the virus early enough. This would have potentially lead to the massive production of ventilators, protective masks and PPEs, testing kits, clinical trials for cures and vaccines etcetera.
There are very few endowment funds dedicated to 21st century science and technology research in our universities. The few available are funded by non-government institutions, corporate bodies and foundations. Take for instance, many graduates of computer science cannot effectively provide solutions adaptable to modern day Nigerian society through computer science solutions. My friend who studied computer science used to say ‘we were only taught mathematics and a few old school programming languages’. Engineering students are still taught the analog methods of engineering designs. As a civil engineer, the kinds of buildings, roadways and bridges constructed around the world today, especially with depreciating resources and the need to adopt sustainable solutions require that our classes and syllabus reflect these factors. But is it really the case? It is equally worrisome that microbiologists, biological scientists, pharmacists and even doctors are not exposed to solving problems that are endemic in this century.
Although we have research institutions with different mandates, not much comes out of these places. I can recall in our younger years in the early 2000s, the Scientific Equipment Development Institute, Minna, SEDI-M, used to be the hotspot for secondary student excursions from all around Niger State and even beyond. We visit this place to see new inventions, innovations and technology in action. For many of us, that was the reason we fell in love with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. SEDI-M is now a shadow of its old self. Similar tale goes for many other similar research institutions in the country.
The structures in many Nigerian universities are either obsolete, dilapidated or moribund. Classrooms meant for a hundred students now houses five times this number, in cramped conditions without amenities like power and proper illumination. In hot weathers these classes are unhealthy and drenched with the thick stench of frustrated, angry and tired students. The labs are totally out of tune with current realities. They are generally ill-equipped or riddled with outdated analog equipment that only a few students can access at a time. Many times the labs are not managed by the best of people. These factors have marked effects on student capacity to effectively carry out research.
The curricula are not adaptable to 21st century needs. Our curricula and syllabuses are outdated and still teaching students the ways things were done in the long forgotten past, thence, the disconnect in research with present realities. To make matters worse there is limited retraining of academic staff in a fast paced 21st century world. Imagine going through the university and graduating in this era of rapid technological advancement but the syllabus is teaching you how to think like your grandparents. Preposterous!
Public primary and secondary education in Nigeria has suffered so much neglect to the point that it is in permanent comatose. The private sector is having a field day now because the rot is almost irreparable. The infrastructure are decayed, the syllabus are outdated, the schools are far overcrowded and with unqualified and unmotivated teachers. Maybe this is the time to really mull private-public sector collaboration or concession.
Critical thinking and philosophy is missing in our curriculum especially in early education. Critical thinking, philosophy and problem solving is important in Nigeria’s transformation into digital economy. In a generation with countless possibilities made possible by the astronomical rise in technology with consequent need for improvements and localization of these technologies, it is rather ironical that Nigerian youth in their 20s and 30s are depressed because they have not achieved anything. Many young Nigerians depend on government and private sector salaried jobs and when these do not come they become redundant, idle and depressed. Of course it is the duty of the government to provide jobs directly and also indirectly by providing enabling atmosphere for the private sector to provide direct employment. Needless to say, leadership is our major problems in Nigeria.
The absence of critical thinking in our education curriculum also threatens the future of Nigeria. These are difficult times in our collective unity as a country today because bitter politics, intolerance, vanishing fair-go and insensitivity is being displayed on a daily basis in our society, especially among the youth on social media. The ethnic slur, religious intolerance and bigotry on display these days are an antithesis of the education that should have shaped us to accept, understand and tolerate our differences. Critical thinking and philosophy is supposed to also furnish us with the ability to have and believe in a rational conviction.
Massive investment in our education system is a no-brainer. Covid-19 pandemic has given us a second chance to rethink our ways. The government across all levels must have a proper blueprint for the education sector. This is the time to draft plans and keep for when the pandemic wears over.
Now, by investing heavily in modern infrastructure and technologies in our educational institutions, we will be moving the country to new heights and reinforcing the bedrock of our development. By articulating a clear and practical strategy for the fast paced world and the fourth industrial revolution, we might be lucky enough to catch up and even overtake some African countries such as Rwanda, South Africa, Egypt and Ghana who have already taken advantage and gotten ahead in digital economy. We have the human capital, but we lack the willpower and the leadership to invest in the global knowledge economy.
Many reforms we must boldly ask for in our education sector if we truly want our dear Nigeria to sit among the top countries of the world or at least reclaim our status as the giant of Africa. We must reverse the brain drain. We must invest in human capital. We must invest in physical infrastructure to cater for the human capital. This is a very important post covid-19 discussion we need to have in Nigeria.
Tanko writes from Minna and can reached through tankoabdul@gmail.com
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
