In recent times, stakeholders in education in Nigeria have expressed serious concerns about the state of affairs in this critical sector of our national life. The problems facing our schools range from examination malpractice, gross indiscipline, cultism, outdated curriculum, unstable academic calendar, sexual harassment, brain drain, inadequate infrastructure, and poor funding, among others. It is on this basis that concerted efforts are being made by the stakeholders in the education sector to discuss these issues from time to time with the hope that with sincere commitment, political will and pragmatism, some of the identified challenges can be addressed to ensure that the place of education, as a driver of national development, is not compromised.
Towards this end, renowned educationists have charged governments at all levels to wake up to their responsibilities by employing more teachers and putting required infrastructural facilities in place in public schools across the country. They maintained that doing so would help reduce the level of indiscipline being recorded in public schools. According to the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Ogun State Wing, Comrade Akinola Abiodun, what brought about the indiscipline being experienced in some schools lately was the removal of school fees, adding that a number of parents erroneously believed that the government should provide everything for them freely.
“Indirectly, government has a lot to do at bringing back sanity into schools and homes. We are facing a lot of problems in the education sector and we have gotten it wrong from the start and to get it right, we have to go back to the drawing board”, he stated. Also, the Principal of FUNIS, Mr. Isaac Ogunbunmi, said there was no organised training that could substitute home-training. He added that that core values had been eroded and called on parents, teachers, students and government to be alive to their responsibilities in order to have a peaceful society. On his part, the Director, Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme, Piajet College of Education, Abeokuta, Dr. Segun Ayedun disclosed that the rate at which students were beating their teachers and causing mayhem in public schools was worrisome and disheartening, stressing that the government should urgently find a lasting solution to solving the anomaly.
On how policy enforcement can promote academic standards through the learning of French language, the Vice-Principal (Administration) of FUNIS, Mrs. Anuolu Oyewumi has urged the Federal Government to enforce policies that would aid the use of French language in the country. Oyewumi stated that French is the official language of the Francophones and that Nigeria is surrounded by Francophone countries and, therefore, it is important to learn the French language to foster relationship, which revolves around political, educational factors, among others. “Nigeria is a country surrounded by francophone countries like Benin Republic, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and since Nigerians engage in educational and economic activities in these countries, it will be important to learn their lingua franca, which is French language for easy communication”, she noted.
Mrs. Oyewumi said the disposition of Nigerians to French language is not encouraging, hence the need to create time in teaching and learning of the language. “The attitude of Nigerians toward the learning of French language is not encouraging due to factors like mother tongue interference, financial constraints, poor enforcement of government policies and lack of interest by the individual citizen in which government must rise up to the challenge and do the needful, to change the narrative”, she added. While reflecting on the way to go by the experienced stakeholders, an important issue that should not be forgotten is that over time, discourse on the problems facing our schools and what to do to change has never ceased, but when it comes to enforcement, it had always been something else.
It is only hoped that those at the helm of affairs would bring into reality the suggestions for the recruitment of more qualified teachers, putting required infrastructural facilities place, and reduction of the level of indiscipline being recorded in public schools. Not only that, parents, teachers, students and government should be alive to their responsibilities, taming of gross indiscipline that makes students to beat their teachers, and curriculum review such that the use of French language can be promoted, especially when Nigeria is surrounded by francophone countries and the imperative for the countries to embark on educational and economic activities through their lingua franca.
In addition, there is the need for moral rejuvenation, attitudinal change by the people toward the learning of French language for the present pattern seems to show that this has not been encouraging due to factors like mother tongue interference, financial constraints, poor enforcement of government policies, and general lack of interest by citizens, hoping that when the points are tackled holistically, the attempt at resolving the fallen standards in our education would be given the necessary tonic. As the general elections draw nearer, the electorate should ensure that education is put at the centre stage of the agenda of those aspiring to lead the country at levels in the interest of all.
