On university Profs and good education

In spite of this, however, we are not blind to the fact that they sometimes give suggestions detrimental to poor people’s education. What one professor suggested a couple of months ago that Nigerian university students should pay N80,000 as university fee is a typical example of some of their bizarre suggestions. However, I was inspired […]

In spite of this, however, we are not blind to the fact that they sometimes give suggestions detrimental to poor people’s education. What one professor suggested a couple of months ago that Nigerian university students should pay N80,000 as university fee is a typical example of some of their bizarre suggestions.

However, I was inspired to write this write-up because of another suggestion given by another professor in the People’s Daily of Monday, November 23-29, 2009, page7. According to Professor J. D. Amin, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, a Nigerian university student must pay one million naira university fee before he receives quality education. Though the professor is entitled to his opinion, this is unfortunate, to say the least.

Nobody, including the professor, is oblivious of the fact that we are now in financial hardship and abject poverty. Today, hardly can the poor get three square meals a day. How can he, in this critical condition, find N1 million to pay for university fee? Or how can his parents, as the professor suggested, get this huge amount of money to pay for him? Let the professor be reminded that in Nigeria, not all parents are well-to-do. If the rich parents can pay the suggested amount, can the poor ones do?

Assuming all the parents can pay as the professor implied, is that the solution to the problem of lack of quality education in universities? To me, it is not. To provide the solution is the object of this write-up.

As I argued in my piece, ‘Imperative of qualitative primary education in Bauchi’ published in the New Nigerian of September 19, 2007, page 8, the quality of primary education is the basis of qualitative education at all levels. I still maintain this position. The piece, though was mainly on Bauchi, is still relevant to the country as a whole.

Therefore, contrary to the advice of Professor Amin, for a Nigerian to have qualitative university education, he must receive ‘sound’ primary education. Once he receives this, he will face no problems at the other levels, because what matters is a good foundation and he has it.

Abubakar Adamu Azare, Azare, Bauchi State and can be reached through [email protected].