Resuscitating education in the North
The successive regimes in the region didn’t help matters, as the sector was not handled effectively despite many qualified personnel and erudite scholars from the region who can put the sector in the right perspective, but treated the scheme with a kid-glove and just did a wishy-washy job till date and thus created an army […]
The successive regimes in the region didn’t help matters, as the sector was not handled effectively despite many qualified personnel and erudite scholars from the region who can put the sector in the right perspective, but treated the scheme with a kid-glove and just did a wishy-washy job till date and thus created an army of half baked youth who are incapable of fending for themselves, as of now, or employable where there exist very little vacancies in the government services, talk less of private sector.
The aim of this write-up is to make a clarion call to all of us, that is the various states, local governments, traditional authorities and professionals in the education sector of the region to wake up to the challenges facing the near collapse of sound educational system. It is noteworthy to remind ourselves the dictum that “knowledge is light” and no people or nation prosper without good and sound education. The so called developed economies of today, USA and the west did not just come to being like that but through well-planned educational system for their people.
It is instructive to note that Allah (SWT) has decreed in the holy Qur’an (ch. 96 v 1-5) to all mankind to seek for knowledge. This knowledge is not limited to spiritual but also other human endeavours such as medicine, engineering, etc. name it. Therefore it is my humble opinion and view to suggest the following urgent steps needed to be taken to ameliorate the collapse of the education sector of the region thus:
It is imperative to all the state governors in the region to revive the phased-out yester-years teacher training college (i.e. the Grade II system) of the 1960s.
These revived teachers colleges should be well equipped with the necessary training equipment/materials that are needed for training and producing the desired man-power to man the over-populated primaries/secondary schools of the north.
It is also incumbent upon all the state and local authorities to ensure the building of these primary and secondary schools and providing the necessary teaching materials/equipment at every ward/constituency where necessary.
In view of the current army of secondary school drop-outs roaming the streets doing motorcycle business, popularly called achaba, whose results cannot enable them secure admission into higher schools, it is worthy to recruit these boys into these revived teacher training colleges with the aim of giving them proper training as it used to be in the 1960s whereby they come out as well-trained Grade II teachers to be duly employed in primary schools.
It is also required that the state and local governments do see that the salary/fringe benefits of all teachers are made attractive in order to keep the best in the service, to avoid where undesirable elements are now in the employ, which is absurd and dangerous to the next generation of our region. Re-introduction of inducement/allowances is also necessary.
It is also imperative to ensure that a training programme is designed to enhance performance of the teachers, whereby periodic seminars/workshops are scheduled at least on quarterly bi-annually basis. In the same light teachers should be encouraged to go for further training to improve their skills as no one should just sit back for a period of over five years without going for further training if he dreams of being accommodated in the service.
In order to save our younger generation from moral laxity, it is necessary to re-introduce the religious moral instructions as of yesteryears (i.e. 1960s) wherein teachers with sound religious training were employed and placed on the same salary cadre with their counterparts teaching western education to avoid segregation/discrimination. This will go along-way in arresting the tragic drift of moral decadence in our youth of today.
It is also pertinent to resuscitate the inspectorate division, wherein qualified personnel are recruited and mandated to carry out the inspection and assessment of all the performances /discipline of the schools and their teaching staff periodically (i.e. monthly, quarterly etc) as it was done in the 1960s in order to determine which school and its teachers are upgraded or promoted, and those lagging behind in academic/character building are sanctioned accordingly.
Another important segment of the society, which was before active in overseeing the administration of education within its domain were the traditional authorities, namely the emirs and chiefs, district heads and village heads, etc, who now seem to be relegated to the background. It is now incumbent upon all these traditional rulers to be fully involved in the administration and overseeing of the performance of the schools within their domain with the aim of achieving the set targets. This comes to mind of the writer when, in the 1960s at every end of the term, or more especially end of the year, an emir or highly placed traditional person would be present at the prize giving ceremony of schools and words of advice were given by him to the teachers and the students before the students vacated.
Lastly, but not the least, it is, therefore, no gain-saying to say that all hands must be on deck towards achieving this laudable objective by all stakeholders mentioned above and that total commitment of purpose is desired by all of them again and by the grace of Allah (SWT) we will achieve the target in 10 years, which will coincide with vision 20:20:20
Ibrahim Yusuf, K.15 Kam-Salem Close, Malali – Kaduna