‘We’ll take up issue of states which can’t access UBEC fund’
Can you begin by assessing efforts to develop the education sector in the first 100 days of President Goodluck Jonathan? It is known that education has faced serious challenges in the recent past. Challenges of funding, infrastructure and teacher quality. However, in the first 100 days of President Jonathan, we have set in motion, the […]
Can you begin by assessing efforts to develop the education sector in the first 100 days of President Goodluck Jonathan?
It is known that education has faced serious challenges in the recent past. Challenges of funding, infrastructure and teacher quality. However, in the first 100 days of President Jonathan, we have set in motion, the process of reviving education in the country. We have instituted a four- year strategic development plan, with the aim of reviving the education sector in the country. One of the components of this plan will be to improve access to education to Nigerian children. We are in a partnership with the British Department for International Development and Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria, ESSPIN, to improve access. In the last 100 days, we have started the re-training of over 100,000 teachers through the National Teachers Institute, NTI, and another training programme through the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC. Through the National Commission for Nomadic Education, NCNE, we have set up a strong framework to reach out to the children of nomadic herdsmen, farmers and fishermen. We are recruiting qualified teachers and providing incentives for them to teach at these nomadic schools scattered across the nation. The truth is that there is light at the end of the tunnel and the process for the development of the education sector is effectively on. Starting from 2012, Nigerians will see meaningful changes with improved funding to have effective changes in teacher quality and infrastructure. The commitment to achieve the goals of the transformation agenda in the education sector is driven by President Jonathan himself and Nigerians will see positive results. We will use education to resolve the challenges of poverty and insecurity.
What do you think should be done to improve the quality of education in the country?
It has been acknowledged that corruption thrives everywhere. So, some schools aid examination malpractice. There should be inspection of schools so as to have independent results. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) can do this and also others, but corruption has eaten deep into other sectors of the economy. Even NGOs write organized reports, not independent. A lot of NGOs compromised, so much sentiments are brought in. We are working towards ensuring that we improve the quality of education in the country by improving the infrastructure base and teacher quality to strengthen education at the foundational level in order to have a better tertiary education. Sectors such as almajiri education, girl-child education, nomadic education and restoration of parity in girl-child and male-child education in the South-East will be seriously promoted by the government. We are plugging all loopholes to ensure that education begins its climb to where Nigerians want it to be.
At present, students who pick second choices in their unified tertiary matriculation examinations are not considered; any steps to redress this situation?
I know there is first choice, second choice of universities and if you don’t meet the score of your first choice, but such scores fall within the second choice, then you can go to the second choice. That is how it should be. Again, it all boils down to corruption. How do we resolve the problem of corruption which has eaten deep? Seminars, retreats, conferences have been held on corruption and so much funds spent, yet corruption persists. When will this stop? Organizing conferences on corruption is the easiest way to divert public funds. We are working to ensure that the right thing is done in the education sector in the admission of candidates and every other area. But mind you, that not all candidates who write matriculation examinations will be admitted. The admission capacity of schools does not permit that.
Recently, WAEC released two conflicting results. What step has the ministry taken to resolve the problem?
I called the head of WAEC and said he should tell the nation what happened. The problem was lack of communication. There was no deliberate attempt to circumvent anything; but lack of communication is the problem. People will have the impression that something wrong is going on.
In the past, there used to be cancellation of results and so on. Nigeria is a difficult place. We must learn to take certain actions. Offending schools can be blacklisted for say 10 years and students for five years. By such action, everybody will sit up. But people will not like it. We must take action to show that government is serious.
One of the major challenges facing the education sector is the inability of successive ministers to implement policies. What should Nigerians expect under this dispensation?
On my own part, now I will try within the best of my ability, to make my own contributions so that people will know you did something. But there is frequent change of leadership which makes new policies and tends to abandon existing ones. Civil servants are the drivers, implementers of policies. Civil servants can make you not to move an inch. Look at the budgets. Ask what will be the vote – most are on frivolous things which cannot impact on the sector. Permanent secretaries, directors, vote billions of naira for recurrent expenses but for capital project, little or nothing. Take the 2011 budget. Are we sincere to ourselves? We should have committed civil servants. No matter how you shout, a lot of things are hidden from the minister. Up till now, I still find things hidden from me; committed civil servants are lacking. I will make sure policies will be implemented. The professors are saying the same thing all the time. If you see what is happening in unity schools even the president will weep.
The Federal Unity Schools are in a state of disrepair. What is the government planning for these schools?
We want to take the unity schools in phases – take two or three federal schools in the zone – say 18 schools in a year. If this is done, we will solve the infrastructure problem. The president will want to improve the infrastructure. There is a concrete four- year strategic plan to develop education and the unity schools are well covered in this plan. By the time we embark on this phased development of Federal Unity Schools, in four years, we would have completely transformed 72 schools to serve as a model for secondary education. These models will assist states and private individuals develop quality schools for Nigerian children.
Some states are yet to access their UBE funds. What is the problem?
Such states are yet to pay their counterpart funds. But we have started intensive consultation and advocacy and these states are ready to respond positively. We are discussing with governors under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to ensure that something positive is done in this direction. Primary school is basic. With good products, they will affect secondary and tertiary education. Things are going well in Rivers state – where a committee was set up. There is no primary school without library or without computers. If you get it right from the basic, you will get it right in the secondary. People are now leaving private schools for public schools. Education in Rivers state is now a model for others. It is through education that poverty and insecurity, can be solved. For now, the federal government is developing schools for the almajirai and other less privileged children. We have started constructing over 100 schools for these Nigerian children across the nation.
Without teacher motivation nothing can be achieved in the long run. What is the government doing in this regard?
Houses have been built for teachers, given different motivations to attract them into the classrooms. President Jonathan is committed to the welfare of teachers, having been a teacher himself and he is ready to commit funds into education. Teaching is a passion; one must have interest and be delighted to want to be a teacher. Being a teacher is like a curse, but it should not be so. There is need for them to have mobility, housing, earn fat salaries like chemical engineers, etc. Teachers will be given a different package entirely. If education is in crisis, there is need to radically deal with it. Recently, I met with officials of the British Department for International Development and Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria and I put forward a proposal for enhanced capacity building for teachers in basic education level, which they agreed to support. We are reaching out to different groups to ensure that the condition of teachers improve as well as the quality of teachers.
Is the federal government considering setting up new unity schools?
For now, the answer is no. We are battling to improve the quality of existing unity schools and that is our focus. This much I told members of the PTA (Parents Teachers Association) of Federal Unity Schools when they visited me last week. Our major focus now is to improve the existing schools and bring them up to acceptable international standards.