Education is the bedrock for national development in any serious country, including Nigeria. However, in the past decade, there has been no development in standard education. The struggle to establish a well-structured education has reversed the image of development to a relegated state compared to other developed countries. Hence, the underdeveloped state of education in Nigeria proves that the future is not well cared for. Education is a rudiment fundamental human right which must be accessible to all Nigerians irrespective of their sociocultural background and ethnicity.
However, this is not the same in the Nigerian educational system. According to Globaldata statistics, Nigeria’s literacy is at 62 percent, and this depicts sluggishness and malfunctioning of primary schools which makes Nigeria less competitive to other developed countries. Resultantly, Nigeria has been displayed as an incompetent nation compared to other countries without much debate. Nigeria needs building and practical reforms to remold the leaking hole of education so as to change the status globally which has previously been tarnished due to its level of illiteracy and bad education system.
Policy to ensure quality education in the country.
From the administrative bodies, the government is charged to take radical approaches to facilitate the educational system. They include increasing the standard of education, accessibility to the masses and establishment of strong technology to foster learning as a medium of encouragement and motivation. Through the laws of the federal constitution, the Local Governments are regarded as strong persuasive platforms to reach the people. Although, the Federal Government controls all administrative affairs in the nation. This is to oversee the policy executed by other bodies.
Initially, the administrative bodies suggested a policy, known as “Special Office on Education Reforms at the Presidency”. This policy is to aid effectiveness at levels of operation — government administration, stakeholders — and to show a 25-year “Marshall plan” which will serve as the principal discipline of the policy. While implementing the policy, the strategies will help to create balance in terms of gender and right to education. In addition, the policy will ensure facilitation of the duties of government administrations. The federal government is required to mount the regulatory process while the State and Local government work on academic performance and competent skills in children.
10.5M Nigerian children are out of school, aged 5-14.
The State and local governments’ efficiencies are firmly required in defining the quality of education in Nigeria. Using this method, data has shown that there is a vast difference between standard and non-standard system, considering the geopolitical differences between public schools and private schools. The issues of insecurity and level of illiteracy in the North has separated and depicts a wide gap between the South and the North. Hence, statistics have shown that issues of multilingualism, high pollution and diversity of languages and culture impede the standard development of education in Nigeria.
According to Nigerian education statistics, there are serious challenges contributing to illiteracy in the country. Approximately, about 10.5 million children under aged 5-14 years are not attending schools. According to World Bank, Nigeria is recorded to have low literacy record of 65.1 percent, out-numbered enrolment rate in primary schools of 68.3 percent — 22.4 million children in government schools and 4.2 million children in private schools — and the statistical division reveals that low completion structure in terms of level and percentage are 63 percent in primary, 44 percent in junior secondary and 17 percent in senior secondary.
Cognitive ability develops human and economic growth.
Asides the admission processes in Nigerian universities, there are bad infrastructure and facilities which impede the modern learning process. This also increases the high rate of unemployment due to production of incompetent graduates as they lack discipline and principles of leaning such as critical thinking and evaluation. These effects are attributed to the local governments responsibilities as gauged to rank basic education nationwide. Nevertheless, cognitive ability and capacity contribute to the human and economic development which will in return become advantageous to the country.
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