The cost of Nigerian’s quest for education abroad
The amount is more than the N121 billion the Federal Government spent on all of the nation’s federal universities. It is frightening the amount of money Nigerians spend these days for the education of their children abroad. It is normal for a parent to seek to complete the funding of the education of his or […]
The amount is more than the N121 billion the Federal Government spent on all of the nation’s federal universities. It is frightening the amount of money Nigerians spend these days for the education of their children abroad. It is normal for a parent to seek to complete the funding of the education of his or her Kids within the years such a parent is high in cash inflow. I however have reservation on the popularly held view that making it mandatory for public civil servants to send their children to public schools in Nigeria would force the government to pay greater attention to ensuring quality education. The position is not workable and would not guaranty the provision of quality education to the Nigerian child- the leaders of tomorrow.
Education is like any other commodities such as rice, cars, equipment, building a new house, health care etc. which the individual can spend his or her disposable income on. Since an individual is free to spend his disposable income in whatever manner deems fit, he is also free to spend on education in any manner one likes.
I wish to make out the following points which no doubt will assists in the nation’s quest to have education on its right footing and make Nigeria a world leading provider of educational services just like Ghana.
Both the public and the private sectors are the leading providers of educational services in Nigeria. The private sector includes the individual proprietors, the religious bodies, NGOs, the military etc. Most public commentators on education have failed to see the positive contribution made by private schools in the provision of educational services in the country. Rather it is the fee charged in private schools that has continued to attract negative comments from these commentators. One can safely predict that a greater percentage of the N155 billion spent by Nigerians studying in Ghana definitely would go to private schools in Ghana.
What is obtainable in most foreign lands is the tremendous support private providers of educational services get from their government and financial institutions such as banks in those countries. These supports go a long way in the provision of cheap and quality education that complement the role of government play in the educational sector of those countries. Here in Nigeria, for a private provider of educational service, I will never advise him to approach any of the local banks for any Loan Facility as any loan taken will actually be poisonous to the goals and objective of the proprietor. There is no bank in Nigeria today that has any Long-term financing product for proprietors of schools rather what you have from the banks are products designed for parent to save and draw for the education of their kids. It is a known fact that protagonist of democracy and free markets- the USA and the UK governments have government funded support for private schools in recognition of the importance and contribution of made by their private schools.
Here in Nigeria despite enormous contribution made by the private schools to the education of the Nigerian child, there are no visible supports either in the form of policy directives or any other form of assistance from either the federal or state governments.
At the federal level, the government has the Education Trust Funds- being an accumulation of education tax on corporate earnings in Nigeria, and the Universal Basic Education Funds- a creation of deductions made from the statutory allocations to the three tiers of government. None of these two funds offers financing assistance to owners of private schools in the country neither there exist any private or public sector driven fund that owners of private schools can approach to finance capital projects. With funding purely from the owner’s savings or equity capital, little wonder, the high fees charged by these schools in order to survive.
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi at the said occasion of the launch of the autobiography of Professor Adamu Baikie, acknowledged he is a product of a private primary school- St Anne Primary School in Kakuri, Kaduna just to demonstrate the belief of his family in quality education and the need for all to pay attention to the provision of quality education in Nigeria.
Surely there is a need for the nation to shift its policy thrust to include the support to private individuals and organizations in the provision of cheap, affordable and quality education in Nigeria right from the primary to the tertiary level. The support must include the provision of land (some states governors are still reluctant to sign out certificates of occupancy to owners of schools), Banks providing Long-term Loans and the extension to the provision of soft financing facilities to private institutions among the roles and functions of both the Universal Basic Education Fund and the Education Trust Funds.
The Central Bank of Nigeria sets aside funds running into billion of naira to finance projects in agriculture, aviation, textiles, SMEs, power sectors etc. It behooves on the same CBN to take the lead and set aside long-term funds that private schools can access to finance capital projects at affordable interest rates. By such, the cost of private school education in the country will be cheap and affordable; ensure a rise in the quality of education in the country to meet international standards capable of reversing the tide in the number Nigerian going to foreign schools and to possibly attract children from foreign lands to schools in Nigerian.
Nothing short of recognizing and encouraging the private provision of educational services in Nigeria would address the concern raised in your editorial. This is the time to recognize the benefits and/or contribution of private schools and to note the fact that it’s only a vibrant and a robust educational system that can raise the rating of Nigeria among countries with high literacy rate, high human capital development index, ensure a drop in the alarming number of almajiris on the streets, or the increasing number of the ‘left-behind’ child and possibly; change the mind-set of the Boko Haram sect towards a need for a proper and functional education for its members.
If education has been left in the hands of the public sector along, it would have been death just like other public sector goods and services such as the Nigerian Railway, NITEL, NIPOST, PHCN etc. With the press and notable Nigerians like the Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi advocating a stronger response to the decline in quality of education in Nigeria, we are confident that very soon the government will realize that it is importance to partner the private sector through creating necessary instruments that include direct financing assistance, extending financing option by the two federal funds- UBE Fund and the ETF to private schools’ owners, and finally create enabling environment for other high net-worth individuals and organisations to participate in the provision of quality educational services in Nigeria.
Nicodemus Dodo, An investment & financial analyst/commentator wrote in from D2, Lakecity Plaza, Gudu District FCT, Email: [email protected]