It is a few days to the much-awaited 2023 presidential elections. The political atmosphere is getting more electrified by the day amidst the fuel scarcity, cash crunch tensions, and round-off of political campaigns.
Eighteen political parties are expected to participate in the presidential election. In the last six months, candidates have engaged Nigerians intensively declaring their agenda, and reeling out promises and plans for the critical sectors if they emerged the winner.
Critical among the agenda of most candidates is their plans for the Nigerian education sector.
In the words of the former South African President, Nelson Mandela, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” as such it is expected that to succeed in addressing the plethora of challenges facing the nation, the next president of Nigeria must get it right with the education sector.
In this article, Edugist has done a critical analysis of the plans of three leading contenders in the presidential race to revamp the sector and their achievements while serving in previous political offices.
These are: Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Gregory Obi of Labour Party (LP).
Popularly known as the Asiwaju of Lagos and the Jagaban of the Borgu kingdom in Niger State, Prior to his candidature as president, he served as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and Senator for Lagos West during the Third Republic.
Some milestones in the previous office
Former vice president of Nigeria (1999 – 2007) and a successful serial businessman, Atiku Abubakar is widely known to be a strong advocate of the importance of Nigeria’s educational system. He founded the American University of Nigeria (AUN) located in Yola, Adamawa.
Some previous achievements while in office
Asides from the achievements recorded under the Obasanjo administration, there are other personal strides that can be attributed to the PDP presidential candidate.
Through his university’s leadership institute, the Atiku Institute for Leadership (AID) of the American University of Nigeria, Atiku has been committed to enhancing education in northeast Nigeria.
The institute has launched different programmes such as Strengthening Education in the Northeast Nigeria States (SENSE) and the Feed and Read program (launched in 2015).
Feed and Read Program focuses on identifying and reaching boys and girls outside the formal education framework and gradually blending them into the formal learning system.
SENSE promotes reading in early grades and strengthens teaching and learning capacities. In three years of funding activity, SENSE has successfully delivered high-quality teacher professional development to 10,000 primary school teachers in the two states.
During his time in office as the governor of Anambra State (2007 – 2014), Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi was recognized as a model governor for his investments and accomplishments in the education sector.
Reacting to the plans from the three leading candidates, analysts and education advocates have averred that more needs to be done to revamp the sector.
During a live review of the manifestoes on Channels Television, Politics programme, Budgit co-founder, Seun Onigbede noted that while each candidate had great ideas, none of the leading candidates made a commitment on budgetary allocation. It has often been reported that the United Nations, has urged the Nigerian Government to increase its current budgetary allocation to the education sector from seven to 20 per cent in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 4—universal, inclusive and equitable basic education for all school-age children by 2030.
Also, while speaking with Edugist, education advocate and proprietor of Adams College, Adams Adebola said the first focus of the presidential candidates should be to make the current educational environment in the country conducive for learning. “If you go to most of the public schools in Nigeria, there is infrastructural breakdown. If you go to many institutions, you will be shocked to know that they lack laboratories. The new government needs to address this. Likewise, there is a need to improve the welfare of the teachers and staff in schools and colleges within the country”, he said.
Adebola said that today education is no longer interesting, rather it is considered a scam. He also hinged on the need to make learning competitive. “Competitiveness has almost been eradicated in schools. I remember those days when you graduate with a first class, it is considered a big honour but today, what you will hear students say is ‘who first class help?’.
“Similarly, many universities, excluding private universities when awarding the best graduating students, hardly give award prize money of up to N100,000 and this is a slap. Especially when you compare them to social programs like Project Fame, Big Brother Naija where winners cash out as high as N50 million.
He added the current plans shared by the candidates are better spoken than achieved.
Also, corroborating Onigbede on budget, Adebola noted that there was need for the candidates to express their commitment to improving budgetary allocation.
Another stakeholder who spoke with Edugist called for improved funding and implementation of the nation’s education policy. “If we have good plans and there is no commitment to funding the sector, nothing will change”, said a school administrator who pleaded anonymity. ” What we need is a system that works. A system that addresses the safety needs of the students. Today in Nigeria, we see low cost schools made out of flats. The school is on the 2nd floor of a story building, while there are people living or selling things below it. How can children learn that environment?”.
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This is loveable. Precise yet comprehensive. Thank you Grace for this writ-up and kudos to the team.
In addendum to the submissions of Adams Adebola, the welfare of children and teachers, especially in public primary schools in Nigeria (with Lagos as a case study) is a far cry to the SDG goals for 2030.
How can at this time and age, a primary school doesn't have a functional toilet for both teachers and pupils? No water i.e well or borehole etc. You see children going to the bush to urinate or defecate, exposing them to health hazards or harmful reptiles in the bush. I mean, how on earth can schools be encouraging open defecation?
Grace, our primary schools need proper and urgent attention as it is the cradle of the education we seek to transform.
Once again, well-done
Warm Regards
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ubong.