UBE: INTENTION OR PRETENSION
Universal Basic Education as most of us already know is one of the eight goals of the MDGs as agreed to by the International community at the United Nations millennium summit held in
We cannot overemphasize that education is the vehicle that drives development, and the position that Government decides to take on such critical issue would go a long way to determine the position that
The success of the universal basic education project hangs majorly on the grass root leaders because a Primary education lies solely within the jurisdiction of the Local Government Chairmen and their administrative partners. Whilst not saying that one needs a University Degree to build a viable business or social enterprise, there’s no gain saying that a minimum level of education is required for good communication and appreciation of life’s issues as well as to effectively keep up with the ever changing level of technology in this tech savvy global village which does not excuse our ignorances or idiosyncrasies.
Sometime ago, I took time out to consider the ‘ought to be’ of this whole concept which is foremost on the lips of all our political leaders. A couple of questions still linger on my mind from my solitary inflection. We are told that a complete course of free education is now free and compulsory, on the truth or otherwise of the foregoing, your guess is as good as mine. Stop and consider if you have ever come across any Government owned special schools that cater for the physically challenged in your locality, If you have then kudos to your grass root leader but I am yet to find one around mine and this suggests to me that the blind, the deaf, the dumb and other challenged children of school age have no place in the universal basic education scheme.
During one of our usual public enlightenment programmes on Development in a local community in the FCT, I was privileged to have engaged the representative of the Headmasters of the Nomadic Primary Schools within the FCT, let me preempt your next question; a Nomadic school is a specicialized mobile school that caters for the children of the popular Fulani sect known as cattle rearers, they have no specific settlement but are constantly on the move to find pasture and water for their cattle.
It is commendable that the Government has designed such an inclusive system that makes it convenient for nomadic children to have a taste of the UBE, however it is noteworthy to ask how sustainable or enduring is the concept of nomadic education. In my conversation with this Headmaster, I was eager to inquire on how the schools work; I was alarmed at the tales of neglect which the young man narrated. I was surprised that a nomadic education system would involve building of permanent structures to serve a people that are constantly on the move, I am very aware that Nomadic education systems in other countries make use of caravans for mobility and ease of access to their target students. I gathered that at the inception of the project, free uniforms, books and even food were given as incentives to conquer the apathy amongst this lot. However, typical of Nigerians this extension of goodwill was short lived, the teachers had to begin to surcharge the students for textbooks and other essentials after the Government had bailed out. The Parents quickly responded by pulling out their kids as pecuniary demands were not earlier anticipated, sad story did I hear you say…..
At another of our Public outreaches a fracas between Parents of Pupils in public primary schools within a particular Local Government Area and the teachers almost brought the session to an abrupt close but for my timely intervention. We are all aware that Government’s payoff for the UBE campaign is; ‘free and compulsory education for all’ the parents were agitated about the constant demand monies by the school authorities, I recount some of them saying (N1000 as PTA dues, N50 weekly for science, home economics and computer practical respectively, N50 weekly for toiletries, fees for compulsory after school lessons) to mention but a few. The teachers responsively claimed that the schools were grossly under funded and that such support from Parents was inevitable and also claimed that the Local education Board was not unaware or averse to such supportive contribution and they blamed the Government for its act of deceit. My conclusion is that Universal Basic Education Board needs to tell us whether or not Primary Education is free in
I cannot but mention the despicable state of infrastructure, and poor condition of learning in most of our schools. What is the essence of free education which is not qualitative? I recently learnt from a friend who is a corps member in one of the schools in North Central Nigeria that the pupils take their classes in Hausa Language. The number of school children in this country who take their classes on the bare floor in Nigeria are dime- a- dozen and a good number of primary schools do not teach core subjects like elementary science, computer, home economics to mention a few because they lack the requisite facility to do so and it bothers me that though a majority of Nigerian children attend these Government funded schools they can only scramble for as much as they can get. Government does not take a holistic approach to the shortcomings of our primary education system, One alarming reality that hit me whilst researching this story, was the displeasure of a particular Primary School Headmistress, in the FCT as she narrated the level of misplacement of priority amongst our leaders, the Area Council had scheduled to zone one of their yearly MDG project to the beneficiary primary school and top amongst the needs of the school included; more classrooms, a library, classroom furniture to mention a few. Low and behold when the project commenced, it was a borehole in a school that lacks classes and books haba….. Permit me to borrow the phrase of one of my lecturers ‘that is infra dignitatem’ excuse my Latin.
Ours is indeed a peculiar problem, Government pays lip service to pressing issues. I monitor the progress reports on
Oluwatosin Sofowora
Development analyst,
y-ACT
+234 8038274544
