Our Science schools’ desperate cry for help

I would have written today about President Buhari’s assent to the Electoral Bill after over four years of dilly-dallying. But that topic can wait, as my thoughts were interrupted by Dr Yakubu Sani Wudil’s concern for the deplorable condition of Kano State school system, a concern that could equally be raised of almost every public education […]

I would have written today about President Buhari’s assent to the Electoral Bill after over four years of dilly-dallying. But that topic can wait, as my thoughts were interrupted by Dr Yakubu Sani Wudil’s concern for the deplorable condition of Kano State school system, a concern that could equally be raised of almost every public education system in Northern Nigeria, and many in the South. Like me, Dr Wudil was educated in public schools; he is now a lecturer and researcher at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, where he did his PhD in Physics with a specialisation in Renewable Energy. This week, he is this column’s co-author. 

Ever since the establishment of the pioneer science secondary school in Kano State—popularly tagged the Dawaki experiment—in 1977 by the military administration of Colonel Sani Bello, such schools have continually hatched world-class scientists, engineers, academics, medical doctors, and many other professionals who contribute to the scientific and technological advancement of not only this country but the world at large. During our time in secondary school, we participated in quiz competitions with the best and most exorbitant private schools in the country. Our white kaftan uniforms did not inhibit us nor did the smart suits and ties of our opponents intimidated us. Most importantly, we distinguished ourselves by relying on the traditional values of honesty, selflessness, obedience to elders and humility. We were brilliance and good character personified because our schools and teachers, supported by the government, gave us their whole. 

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With such memories, it is beyond distressing to see the images recently circulating on social media showing the current situation in one of the erstwhile outstanding science schools in Kano State. Photos of students supposedly learning physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and computer science, sitting on the bare floor of classrooms with worn-out blackboards are heart-breaking. The abysmal state of student dormitories without roofs makes it impossible for one to even begin to imagine electricity or water supply in the school. The library has become a dirty storage for the remains of books published in the 1960s or ‘70s; laboratories have become the refuge of broken and empty bottles, dust and spiders. The appalling situation is not exclusive to the school shown in those photos. Investigations carried out by members of an old students’ association revealed that nearly all the science and technical institutions in Kano State require urgent intervention.

If this is the condition of our science schools, which are by government policy accorded preferential treatment, one may wonder what the situation might be for the rest of our conventional schools? Dreadful doesn’t even begin to tell the story. If this is the situation in Kano State, which prides itself as the beacon of progress for the North, what of other northern states? It is chronic underfunding and neglect by agencies charged with the responsibility of supervising these schools that have conspired to create this situation. Added to this is poor maintenance of the available infrastructure due to inadequate technical staff (when technical staff are even employed). It is evident that a conducive learning atmosphere is pivotal to successful knowledge transmission that promotes critical thinking, encourages student participation, increases students’ focus, and provides a rewarding educational experience. In particular, learning science subjects requires a near perfect combination of a complex set tools and resources, almost all of which are lacking in our science and technical schools today.

Nigeria’s future depends solely on our youths, who must do much better than the current crop of leaders and professionals. If properly educated, mentored and harnessed, they would become a huge source of prosperity and pride in the not-too-distant future. Conversely, if the youths are neglected, they would not only be unproductive lots, but also become a source of insecurity and destruction as we are witnessing today. Sound education is a key to competing in the global market that is becoming increasingly small, which will force our children to compete for opportunities with their peers in the most advanced countries. Further, our society requires serious social transformation; youths are the most powerful agents of such a change, but only if they are properly educated. Good education is the passport to a united, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria and the opposite will take us in the exact opposite direction. That is why we must invest in them for, as the Arabs say, he who lacks cannot give.

We cannot blame any particular administration for this sorry situation of our schools; it is a situation that has built for many years. It is however the responsibility of those who have the control of state resources to ensure that our citadels of learning do not decay under their watch. Our country must take urgent action to avoid the total collapse of the system that raised and nurtured thousands of remarkable individuals who serve Nigeria in varying professional capacities. 

It is high time governments halted the unnecessary construction of overhead or underpass bridges and invest state resources in critical sectors like education and human capacity development. Expensive bridges and roads may brighten our streets for a moment, but only investing in education will build a bright future. Through education, we can build a generation that will build skyscrapers, send satellites to the moon and favourably compete in the technological revolution unfolding right under our feet. We cannot build a bright future until we spend more on education than we do on political office holders.

This might seem obvious, but it is a tall task. The nature of our political climate encourages short-termism and self-seeking. In the present setting, leaders tend to invest in physical infrastructure within the metropolis for wider visibility to score cheap political points and earn huge kickbacks on contracts. That is why we must rally around this issue not only ahead of the next general election, but far beyond. We must elicit explicit, workable and measurable commitments on improving education from those vying for political office at each level. We must then follow up to ensure that those commitments are implemented. This will require a group of people that will dedicate themselves to this project.

But former students and the community too have a big role to play. We can help improve the situation of our beloved alma maters by pooling our little resources together to show practical example as we advocate for better from governments. Our schools have given us so much and it is now our turn to give back. The influential ones among us may also consider attracting external project interventions to the schools. Perhaps, another way the alumni body could intervene to resuscitate and sustain the productivity of such notable institutions is to establish an endowment fund for them. On one hand, the fund can be used to address the urgent needs of the schools, and on the other hand, some business establishments can be set up in the name of the schools to generate revenues that can reduce the burden on the government. To change things for the better, we must collectively contribute towards better schools for not just our children, but for generations yet unborn.