On education reform in Kaduna State

Development economists worldwide have conceded that education is a critical determinant of economic development. In a bold attempt to make education a critical factor to improving the quality of human resources in Kaduna State, the Executive Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has seized the initiative to reform the education sector. This is to bring primary school teachers in Kaduna State to speed with their teaching profession as more than N300 million was reportedly released to the State Universal Basic Education Board for their professional training.

Sadly, most of the primary school teachers were observed by the government to be impervious to learning after spending huge amount of money on them. So, the next strategic move by el-Rufai was to task the Kaduna State Universal Education Board to conduct an examination to test the competency of its teachers. The questions were in the main those meant for primary four pupils and the pass mark was 75 percent. Majority of teachers who sat for the examination could not meet the cut-off mark as 21,780 out of 33,000 were alleged to have failed. By implication, 75 percent of those who sat for the examination failed and they have been asked to resign, while the process is ongoing to recruit new and qualified teachers.
Surprisingly, most teachers that failed primary four questions are those who had passed through primary and secondary schools’ examinations; and had concluded the National Certificate in Education program for three years. Most Nigerians were shocked about the inability of these teachers to pass primary four examination and they wanted to know if the entire process was transparent. As expected, there was a protest by the state chapter of the National Union of Teachers (NUT). The reason is simple. Often, the labour force in Nigeria does not trust most state governments to be above board on matters pertaining to their welfare. Why? Most workers are still owed salaries and pensions after the Paris Club debt overpayment refund which was disbursed by the Federal Government to all states of the federation.
Whatever the impression of Nigerians as to how state executives carry out statutory responsibilities in their states, Nasir el-Rufai is unyielding on his administration’s decision to carry out educational reforms in the State. According to reports credited to him, “there is no going back on the administration’s decision to carry out education reforms in the State.” His reason is propelled by his conviction that education is the bedrock of any society. What then is Nasir el-Rufai’s philosophy on education?
On education, el-Rufai’s philosophy is that “education is an aspirational asset and a tool that enables every human being to widen their horizon, develop skills and lift up themselves.” Furthermore, he sees “education as a leveller. Education gives the children of the poor a chance to rise above the condition of their birth.” These ideas notwithstanding, Kaduna State indigenes are divided on the subject matter. Some are of the view that the State Government has no right to set examination for teachers while others see the move as one taken in the right direction. Definitely, el-Rufai is under pressure but this writer salutes his boldness, courage, and leadership in initiating the education reform in the State.
This writer has observed for several decades that competent administrators and dedicated teachers in the education sector are fast becoming endangered species in Nigeria. Since teachers are poorly rewarded, most Nigerians consider academic work as the job of the last resort. That is perhaps, the reason why teachers engage in parallel time consuming occupations such as farming, trading and other small scale businesses which must have been responsible for undermining their performance.
The fact that most teachers in Nigeria are not well motivated, and that students are not interested in the quest for knowledge but just want to acquire certificates is a tragedy of immense magnitude throughout the country. That is why education reform is key and it must include a reward system for dedicated teachers. If there is no education reform coupled with a reward system for dedicated teachers, the country will continue to have a situation where she cannot develop highly skilled and technologically agile citizens that will enable her compete and win the economic war of the twenty-first century.
Globally, educated people represent the most critical resource in a knowledge-based economy and the power of a nation is determined amongst other factors by the huge number of educated people that can be mustered. Until recently, Nigeria was probably one of the countries in Africa where those who trained as primary and secondary school teachers did not have a good grade in their School Certificate examination or those who dropped out of secondary school system. Certainly, those who did not have a good foundation in their secondary school education cannot overnight become high quality teachers required to develop the skills needed for competition in a knowledge-based world.
Since the Kaduna State government’s objective is to raise the literacy level of its citizens in order to produce technologically literate people who will have pro-industry characteristics, one has no choice but to support the move by Nasir el-Rufai to reform the education sector. In order to achieve this feat, the quality of school teachers generally must improve significantly throughout the entire education sector in Kaduna State.
Accordingly, this writer is advocating for a transparent education reform in Kaduna State. Can other states’ executives in Nigeria be courageous enough to carry out an education reform? This question is raised because any state desirous of economic development must as a matter of policy give all its young people access to quality education at the primary and secondary levels, and most importantly, the tertiary level. It is because the nation’s education system is below par that is why children are on the streets, highways, markets and motor parks either hawking cheap goods from industrialized nations or begging with bowls in their hands for food and money.

MA Johnson