Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. Education Restructuring denotes the rebuilding of an educational system that provides quality teaching and learning for students of all races, sexes, economic backgrounds. Now, is education restructuring in Nigeria a good call?
Generally speaking, education restructuring denotes a comprehensive reworking or rebuilding of the educational system for the purpose of improving teaching and learning. And this is a continuous and deliberate effort to get the level, standard and quality of education that we should attain as a nation. Why and where then do we need restructuring?
World Education News and Reviews asserts that:
Like the country’s education system as a whole, Nigeria’s basic education sector is overburdened by strong population growth. A full 44 percent of the country’s population was below the age of 15 in 2015, and the system fails to integrate large parts of this burgeoning youth population. According to the United Nations, 8.73 million elementary school-aged children in 2010 did not participate in education at all, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world.
The lack of adequate education for its children weakens the Nigerian system at its foundation. To address the problem, thousands of new schools have been built in recent years. The Nigerian government has the official goal to universalize free basic education for all children. Yet, despite recent improvements in total enrollment numbers in elementary schools, the basic education system remains underfunded; facilities are often poor, teachers inadequately trained, and participation rates are low by international standards.
In 2010, the net enrollment rate at the elementary level was 63.8 percent compared to a global average of 88.8 percent. According to recent statistics on completion rates, approximately one quarter of current pupils drop out of elementary school. These low participation rates perpetuate illiteracy rates in Nigeria, which, while relatively high compared to other Sub-Saharan countries, are well below the global average. The country in 2015 had a youth literacy rate of 72.8 percent and an adult literacy rate of 59.6 percent compared to global rates of 90.6 percent (2010) and 85.3 percent (2010), respectively (data reported by the World Bank). Within Nigeria, there is a distinct regional difference in participation rates in education between the oil-rich South and the impoverished North of the country, in some parts of which elementary enrollment rates were reportedly below 25 percent in 2010.
Even though some work has been done, a reworking still is needed. Schools need to be made conducive for student’s learning and teaching for teachers. Government schools needs thorough restructuring, and this should not be limited to urban areas. The rural areas should not be left out at any point. If the children in these inner rural areas are left out, then we might see that effort put into improving the country’s education system has not produced best results on the long run. And this should not even be left for the government, communities can continually rise up and come together to see to the restructuring of the schools their children attend in their vicinity.
Also, private schools, not located in the heart of the cities should also be monitored to ensure their structures are up to standard. The aim is that students irrespective of the school one attends, and the location will be able to compete favourable and strive in the larger society. School restructuring should therefore include bringing the libraries, laboratories, classrooms, computer gadgets, and the entire school environment, teachers, curriculum up to standard. The monies being released for this purpose being monitored well so it is used for what it is intended. Not forgetting the vocational and technical centres where other forms of trainings are acquired. This should also be thoroughly equipped to meet the demands and challenges of the present day.
In addition to these inadequacies, our school system is plagued with numerous social vices such as examination malpractices, cultism, hooliganism and corruption. The essence and purpose of being in school are slowly being washed away. Moral decadence in schools is on the increase and somehow subtly schools encourage one if not more of these acts.
Take for example, examination malpractice. It is turning out to be a norm. Some schools have encouraged this practice so much so that many students don’t have the confidence and culture of studying very hard to pass their examinations but are rather dependent on other means of excelling. Teachers also, no longer give their best to teaching like they should when at the end, it will be of no use to the students, they will still be helped in examinations; especially external ones. That’s why one can see adults that claim to have passed through different stages of the school system; primary, secondary etc who are unable to read or write even simple words. The purpose of being in a formal education setting should not be defeated. This area and more calls out for serious restructuring.
We can conclude and say that the Nigerian educational system needs an overhaul; a comprehensive reworking and rebuilding of the entire system. This will ensure that the policies guiding education in Nigeria is fully followed and established. This is therefore a good call.
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