Nigerian Children and the learning crisis
Of the over 128 million school-aged children in Africa, about 17 million may never attend a school. Of this 17 million are over 10 million Nigerian children that are reportedly out of school according to estimates by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO). Even among the many children in school in countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zambia, research has shown that over half of them have not learnt basic skills at the end of primary school education.
The implication is that little or no learning is going on in many primary schools in these countries and the affected children are disadvantaged and ill equipped to take up proper roles in their societies. Rather than being part of the solution to societal problems in the future, these children may become a burden and source of problems to their communities.
The truth is that there is a simmering learning crisis going on that has not been properly interrogated by policy makers and governments especially in Nigeria.
Last Tuesday was May 27- Children’s Day. The plight of our Chibok girls dominated the discourse. This is in line with the tide of recent unfortunate events. But, stakeholders in the education sector and civil society must keep their focus on the threat of a learning crisis that impacts negatively on the development of skills and capacities required to drive Nigeria in the 21st century.
If as stated that many of our kids in primary schools are not really learning, is it any wonder that when they eventually get to tertiary levels they are sufficiently handicapped in terms of literacy skills, and end up being graduates with largely poor work related skills.
The foundation level is fundamental in the learning process. Thus, governments at all levels in the country should return to the drawing board and create a master plan of how to address this learning crisis at the primary education level. The goals should be to ensure that out-of school children have un-hindered access to schools and that real learning goes on in these primary schools.
Experts and observers have attempted explanations for this poor learning at the primary education level in Nigeria. There seem to be consensus on the need to equip and support the educators at this level to manage a qualitative learning process. There could be a concerted effort to check infrastructural decay as is being done in some states – Rivers, Lagos, Edo, Osun and Ondo. Or the case of Imo state where cash is doled out to pupils for whatever reason. The truth is that a poorly motivated and equipped teaching team cannot stem this learning crisis.
We urge policy makers in the education sector to begin to focus on real gaps and challenges, addressing fundamental issues that are real causes, and not tinkering with peripheral symptoms. The future of our society depends on how we understand the present and what we do now.
We strongly believe that those who are charged with regulating standards in our education system should ensure that teachers at the primary level – public or private sectors acquire quality professional development to enable them midwife a qualitative and productive learning process at a level that is the bedrock of learning in human society.
To turn away our focus from this key level of learning, now enmeshed in a ‘silent’ crisis, is to deliberately condemn Nigeria to being a future Lilliput in the comity of nations.