The Proprietor/Chief Executive Officer, Praxis Future Academy, Orogun-Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Prince ‘Supo Oloruniwo has said the major problems plaguing the Nigerian education sector remained chronic underfunding, dilapidated infrastructure, frequent industrial strikes by teachers and mass out-of-school students’ populations.
During a recent interview with FirstNigeriaTV, he decried the prevalence of these factors which he said if not immediately addressed, could further strangulated the sector.
According to him, up till now, Nigeria was yet to meet the mandatory education budgetary allocations at both federal and state levels which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) set at a threshold of 26%, leading to decaying facilities, unequipped laboratories and non-payment of teacher salaries/ allowances.
“One cannot also forget to mention the massive number of out-of-school students’/pupils all over Nigeria, especially in the northern belt. This is alarming as UNICEF recently declared that over 10million children remained out of school in Nigeria, largely due to severe poverty, gender disparities and regional socio-cultural barriers”, he said.
Oloruniwo further explained other plaguing factors including:
***Teacher Shortages and Poor Welfare…which makes the teaching profession suffer from low remuneration, irregular salaries, and poor working conditions. This
de-motivates educators, prompts the “brain drain” of skilled teachers, and forces many schools to rely on underqualified personnel.
***Insecurity & Violence…. especially insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and rampant school abductions which have severely disrupted educational activities by forcing mass school closures.
***Industrial Strikes…..such as the frequent strikes by academic unions as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), leading to prolonged courses durations, massive academic delays for students and disruption of institutional continuity.
***Outdated Curricular & Examination Malpractice….the curriculum frequently fails to match modern technological and entrepreneurial realities-this is an area Praxis Future Academy has come to Nigeria from the diaspora to elaborate, with its introduction of the British Curriculum in its established institutions.
Furthermore, integrity in the system is threatened by rampant examination malpractices and corruption in admissions.
***Teacher Shortages & Poor Welfare…. the teaching profession suffers from low remuneration, irregular salaries, and poor working conditions. This de-motivates educators, prompts the “brain drain” of skilled teachers, and forces many schools to rely on underqualified personnel.
############
