It is a known fact that many Nigerians have contributed toward the fallen standard of Nigerian education. Be that as it may, there have been effort aimed at improving the standard of education in Nigeria.
However, someone may wish to know the extent at which education failed in Nigeria. Is the standard of education in Nigeria really fallen? If yes, what could be responsible to this fallen standard of education in Nigeria? And how can we improve the fallen standard of education in Nigeria?
What Is Education?
Education is a process of learning that takes place both within and outside the school.. Education is that part of learning process that bring about socialization, whereby, individual is transformed into a social being, that can respond to life issues and take part in the society, even as he continues to learn to adapt to changes as he play his rule in the society.
Thus, there is need to really understand what education is if Nigerian education should be improved. There is this erroneous belief that Nigerian education can be improved by comparing the past and the present academic performances.
There is no comparison here, the reason is obvious, except Nigerian leaders in the education sector are not aware of the changing order of the times in terms of technology and otherwise.
I believe to improve Nigerian education, there is need to pay attention to moral and practical aspects. Hence, it would be out of place to use past standard of education in Nigeria as a criteria for improving education in Nigeria.
Nevertheless, before looking at ways to improve Nigerian education, let us consider few factors responsible for fallen standard of education in Nigeria.
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1. Inadequate Staff And Teaching Aids
Inadequate teaching staff in Nigerian schools, lack of teaching aids, shortage of learning aids. Instability of teachers in Nigerian schools hinder the smooth running of schools in the country, which as a result, hampered the learning processes thereby, causing a major setback to education in Nigeria.
Another factor is how conducive the learning environments are. improper and inadequate learning environment, and immodest sitting arrangement in schools, and shortage of learning equipment, such as basic reading and writing materials.
This has helped debilitating Nigerian education. In most cases too, Some parents do overload their children with work outside schools hence, depriving these children of their academic work, as a result of this practices, these children academic performances in schools.\
2. Indiscipline In Schools
The level of indiscipline in Nigerian schools is alarming, and it is cause as a result of chain of events happening in Nigerian schools.Today, immortality has taken over schools, teachers and students are involved in sex, how do you imagine how male teachers would ask female students for sex, promising these female students for marks and if they refused, they stand chances of being failed by these male teachers. Indiscipline on the part of the teaching staff has caused havoc in the Nigerian education system and with such adverse effect, students are not performing above average.
Teachers are selling ‘result’ to students for a fee, lack of hardwork on the part of students, dereliction of duty on the part of teaching staff, and faulty planning have contributed to the fallen standard of education in Nigeria. The question is how then can education be improved in Nigeria? This question can be answered in a number of ways, and here are there.
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How To Improve Nigerian Education
I have promised to explain few ways by which Nigerian education can be improved. Below are some of the ways.
1. Teachers Should Be Treated Fairly
Teachers deserve the right to be treated fairly in their jobs. It is said that a teacher affects eternity because he could not tell how far his influence has gone.
For the fact that, teachers impart knowledge, dealing with individuals of different background, and trying to impart knowledge in them, such that would make them responsible citizens tomorrow, as well as play their roles with a view to better the society is not a small task.
Therefore, there is an inexplicable reason why teachers should be recognized, enough of the saying that, teachers ” reward is in heaven, enough of that, if the Nigerian education must be improved. Recognizing the teachers, by way of giving them fair treament will motivate them to handle their job with all civility
2. Inspection Of Schools Should Be Encouraged
Gone are the days, when schools were inspected by school inspectors with a view to enforce compliance to quality standard in education. Encouraging schools inspiration will encourage teachers to take their work serious,
it will also encourage them to always be at their duty posts. Some of the advantages of schools inspiration include, making sure that teachers are in schools, adherence to schools syllabus and scheme of things in the Nigerian schools,, it will ensure that, there is conducive learning environments, as well as proper sitting arrangement in Nigerian schools.
Inspection in schools every now and then, such routine will also discourage over decongestion in a class, in other words, only a certain number of students would be allowed in a class.
Therefore, if Nigerian education need improvement, there is need too, for inspection of schools to remain constant, and by so doing, the Nigerian education would be improved.
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3. There Is Need To Streamline Curriculum And Administrative Machinery
Education administrators in the country cannot, but to decide on what mental act do they want Nigerian children to acquire. There should be strict adherence to the ethics of quality education in Nigerian schools. What about school curriculum, is it up graded to achieve standard in education?
It is a question the school administrators should answer otherwise, these important documents, such as, the Nigerian school curriculum and other administrative machinery need be streamlined in order to achieve the envisaged standard of education in Nigeria, since there are changes in the education sector globally.
Every body is in the know that the world is changing technologically, therefore, to catch up with the rest of the world educationally wise, there is need to do away with theory and embrace technological orientation by making Nigerian school curriculum, more practical.
4. There Should Be Availability Of Teaching Aids In Nigerian Schools
Teaching aids are very important in schools particularly, in this age of technology. Therefore, to improve the standard of education in Nigeria, these teaching and learning aids should be made adequately available in Nigerian schools, since they will encourage learning on the part of the students, and seriousness on the part of the teachers.
5. Indiscipline Should Be Discouraged In Nigerian Schools
Indiscipline in the Nigerian schools has been one of the factors that has contributed to the fallen state of the Nigerian education, therefore, all kinds of indiscipline in schools should be discouraged in its entirety, while diligence and hard work should be encouraged.
There should be condemnation of sexual whims in Nigerian schools, such act should be considered as forbidden and any one caught in the act should be punished.
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Conclusion
The task at hand now is that, will school administrators in the country want to apply my suggestions in attempting to solve education problem in Nigeria? It is often said that, it is easier said than done.