A System in Shambles
A couple of weeks back, news emerged that about three-quarter of the thirty-three thousand teachers [in Kaduna state] who partook in a basic four competence test had failed with the pass mark set at 75%. And at the moment, these teachers await their fate- with the state government bent on annulling their appointments. But while the Kaduna scenario remains fresh, one will not be out of context to posit that the matter [at hand] is a microcosm of a failing educational system.
Reviewing the Kaduna case further; in the first place, I personally believe that 75% pass mark for teachers who were taken through trainings is still somewhat average considering that the questions were drawn from basic four syllabus. It is even quite pathetic that officials of the Nigeria Union of Teachers are threatening to go on strike should the Kaduna state government proceed with the sacking. NUT’s point is that the government reneged on the agreement to set the pass mark set at 60%- though not one to support people not keeping to promise but why should it be that low in the first place? Are the teachers not supposed to be a repository of knowledge from which the pupils ought to tap? I believe the teachers ought to be well ahead of the pupils they are teaching. Plus, is NUT now protecting the interest of the affected teachers- that may be the right thing to do but the priority should not misplaced- to the detriment of the nation’s future. The teachers are meant to be shapers of destinies so, should they not have the wherewithal to expertly deliver the right kind of service or knowledge to the children, there is no reason why they stand in front of the class posing as teachers- allowing such level of incompetence will be tantamount to giving in garbage to beget a ‘heap of garbage’ in the course of time.
Putting the Kaduna state issue aside for a moment, the educational system in the nation is one that is freighted with many faulty trends that have eaten deep into the fabric of the entire setup. A major problem that has been facing the Nigerian educational system is that of poor management strategies as there appears to be no firm grip/control of the administration of these schools by any tier of government. This has thus far left things in a mess as proper monitoring is neglected and/or given little consideration. Furthermore, the politicization that is sometimes exercised in the appointment if teachers has not also done the system any real good as mediocrity eventually gets exalted over merit, and the children are left to bear the brunt.
Other challenges such as the instability of teachers, irregularities in teachers’ training and inadequate equipment/infrastructures have played a part in lowering the standard of education in the country. Where all these have left us is a state of rot that has not only affected the pupils and students at the receiving end but also left a stench in the society at large.
To wrap this up, while the failure rate recorded in the Kaduna test might have once again opened our eyes to the ‘cankerworms’ that have been gnawing at our educational system, one must bear in mind that the problem of having incompetent teachers in service is not limited to Kaduna alone. As such, other state governors need to start taking bold steps at sifting the chaff from the wheat by ensuring that teachers go through competence test on a regular basis. We may not be able to holistically deal with the many problems at once but we can surely start from somewhere- taking bold and decisive steps here and there.