Former Commissioner for Education in Osun State, Professor Oluyemisi Obilade, who is also the former vice chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education( TASUED), Ijagun, Ijebu- Ode, Ogun State, has described the mass failure recorded in the recently released 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME)results as a true reflection of low quality of education in Nigeria.
In the tertiary school entrance examination, only 23 percent of the total 1.84 million candidates, who sat for the examination nationwide scored up to 200 from 400 marks (representing 50 percent) while the rest scored below 50 percent as announced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) which conducted the examination.
Obilade fumed at this development, attributing it to many factors most of which, according to her, are societal self-inflicted.
The don expressed this concern as a discussant at the monthly ‘Boiling Point Arena’ public discourse held recently via Zoom.
She spoke alongside the erstwhile Provost of College of Education, Ilesa, Professor Kolawole Kazeem, on the topic: ‘The Crisis in Nigeria’s Education Sector: Are we raising a generation of illiterates?’
According to the former commissioner, “many things have gone wrong in our education sector such that the sector has been seriously been devalued and nothing seems to shock us again.
“ I wasn’t taken by surprise when the JAMB registrar, Professor I-shaq Oloyede, announced this year’s UTME results and gave the statistics of those who passed and failed. I knew was the true situation,” she said.
Obilade continued, saying “today, there is no dignity in our education system. Everything now is about money. People now worship money.
“Students don’t read again, let alone study. Many of them just want to acquire the certificates they can’t defend. Teachers are no longer respected. Parents now go to school to beat up the teachers for punishing their children. Parents aid examination malpractice at will for their children. Some are even helping their children to sit for examinations.
“There is loss of cultural values, and there is general indiscipline across the board. There is also social disengagement. Everybody is on his or her own; nothing seems to shock us anymore.
“There is corruption everywhere; corruption in admission of students and also in employment of teachers and other school workers as well as in awarding contracts.
“Our educational system is indeed in shambles. There are inadequate personnel. The infrastructures are bad. Most teaching and learning equipment particularly in government-owned schools are obsolete.
“There is gross underfunding in every aspect of our education. And to make the matter worse, cries of labour unions in educational institutions to government to put things in order are largely ignored. The challenges are just limitless. “
Obilade, however, pointed out that the situation is redeemable but only if there is strong willingness from all the stakeholders with government at all levels taking the lead.
She said what is required is for the country to go back to the drawing board and reassess where we have got it wrong and then take genuine action to revamp the sector.
She mentioned that there is a need to restore dignity back to the teaching profession, place the right value on education, rebuild societal perception of the place and importance of education in human development.
“We should also start to celebrate merit and excellence in performance by letting the prizes reflect the value we place on education
“Teacher education should be prioritised. More teachers who are competent should be engaged. There should be training and retraining of teachers. Facilities should be upgraded. There should also be a comprehensive review of curricular and teaching methods to reflect current realities.
“We also need to rejuvenate and strengthen the inspectorate arm of the education ministry. They need to be empowered by providing working tools: vehicle, fuel and so forth to aid their effectiveness.
“There should be stable policies. PTA partnership and well defined boundaries should be encouraged. “Round pegs must be put in round holes in the appointment of political leadership of ministries of education at all levels.
Above all, the government should allocate adequate resources to education. It is possible for Nigeria to run free quality and quantitative education just like the one by the Western Region during the administration of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier.
“What the government needs to do is to redirect what they spend on frivolities and mundane things to education.”
She lamented that the government would just need to do something to change this narrative and also ensure that out- of- school children who are in the millions are enrolled in schools.
Holding the same view, Prof Kazeem re-echoed that the work is not only for the government but for all the stakeholders including homes, schools and the society.
In his brief remark, the convener of Boiling Point Arena Public discourse, Dr Ayo Arowojolu, said the essence of the monthly programme is to proffer solutions to societal challenges and make life worth living for all.
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