One of the most popular sayings of private school owners is “The worst private school is far better than a public school.”
It is obvious that the apparent falling standard of education especially at primary and secondary school levels should have encouraged private school proprietors to make such a claim.
The continuous worsening and falling standard of public schools have become a headline reason for parents, especially the elite, to establish private schools in a bid to meet the demand for qualitative education.
Guardians and parents, irrespective of their socio-economic status, want to give their children quality education which will add value to the degrees their wards acquire subject to budget constraints.
Nigerian public schools lack everything ranging from infrastructure, qualified teachers, good laboratories and libraries, updated syllables, classroom management, conducive atmosphere, to mention but a few.
But the question is, what benefit do these private schools bring to our nation? Again, what makes our public schools to be relegated by the elite and even some commoners despite the fact that our leaders and elite attended such public schools?
Every parent or guardian wants to enroll his or her ward in private schools with the assumption that they provide quality education unlike public ones.
Private schools contribute largelyto drilling pupils/students to learn western education by heart compared to public ones, but they also destroy education in the country by making it a money spinning business, which is the objective of many proprietresses or proprietors. Their main concern is to earn money. They have turned education into a business not as education on its own.
As someone who taught English and Literature for almost a decade in various private schools, I have witnessed firsthand so many obstacles to the provision of quality education to pupils/students and how parents are hoodwinked.
One needs to critically observe how examination malpractice, indiscipline, lack of moral uprightness, corruption, among others, emanate from the so-called private schools which, today, negatively affect tertiary education as a whole.
Nowadays, examinations remain the best yardstick for assessing and evaluating the performances of students which make some private schools to become lucrative business ventures by getting students to pass examinations by any means.
Some years back a friend of mine along with his course mates from the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria came to Kano and registered for JAMB.
I asked them what happened and they said, “This is a business. If you’ve someone that can pay enough, we will write JAMB for him. We take him for registration and we thumb print while his picture is blurred so that he or she can’t be recognised well.
“Sometimes, we pay some centers to favour us. We do the same for WAEC and NECO, and Kano is the best place for such a lucrative business. We do only for science students, and we connive with private schools to do so”.
This reminds me how invigilators charge huge amount of money especially for English and Mathematics papers during SSCE as students (as witnessed) pay N40,000 and above as registration fees for external exams.
One recalls how someone in Kano ran away with the registration of hundreds of candidates before the actual examination.
Several centres and private schools are opened daily in order to assist students to pass exams thereby generating more income from parents.
After completing my NYSC, I went back to the school I taught before, and it was exactly during the SSCE. Two friends of mine (English and Economic teachers) were sacked simply because they refused to assist students to cheat.
As a vice principal, I was among the management staff of the school I was working for before. When questioning the proprietor on that, he said, “They (the sacked teachers) wanted my students to fail examination so that next year we shall get low turnout. I want my school to get more candidates by next year especially external ones. I will do so to increase you salary. Just work hard, get me more students and forget about them.”
Many instances happened in various schools where I taught. At times, teachers are forced to write for students who have poor handwriting or cannot properly copy what is written on the blackboard.
To cut it short, there are people who have offices where they register candidates and post them to private schools with the agreement that the candidates will get what they want during exams. Some specialise only in external examinations.
Indeed, they existence of private schools in the country contributes to the worsening education and brings about lack of respect, indiscipline and corruption in our dear country, Nigeria.
Usman Usman,Kano08069771400; usmangarba100@gmail.com
How private schools destroy education
