The 21st century has seen a boom in the educational sector in both developing and developed countries. There’s a worldwide acceptance that educated society has a better chance to unlock the potential of its people than an uneducated society. And who could argue with that, albeit there is a difference between having a certificate and having an education.
Despite having a literacy rate of 68 per cent, which qualifies her to be ranked behind 20 countries in Africa, Nigeria has produced some of the best read individuals in the African continent. Nigerians are enrolled in some of the best tertiary institutions around the world; Nigeria boast graduates from Oxbridge and Ivy schools. Nigerians spend millions of dollars each year paying tuition fees in foreign countries.
Needless to say, Nigerians thirst and yearn for education and the systematic decay of Nigerian education especially its tertiary arm is appalling, some parents/sponsors even rather send their wards to the Republic of Benin.
I will admit my love for mathematics and I kindly ask the reader to indulge me; the world bank estimates as of 2013 Nigeria’s population at 173million of which 53.2 per cent of the population is aged between 15-64, with a literacy rate of 68 pre cent, that comes out to an estimate of 62 million literates in Nigeria. This begs the question; does Nigeria behave like a country with 62million literate beings?
Nigeria as a country lacks a national identity and its root cause is a failure of the educational system. Nigeria has failed in educating its citizens on the Nigerian Agenda. A simple example is in Nigerian history. History is not compulsory in secondary institutions it is also the least important subject from the actions of the Ministry of Education. How can the future of the country be prepared for without learning from the mistakes of the past? The Nigerian civil war, which in my opinion is the most important event in Nigeria after the Nigerian independence, is not covered in schools. Nigerian educationalist has failed to grasp that the ripple effect of the civil war is still felt till this day.
Nigerian languages have also suffered at least in terms of education. The Nigerian student is not obligated or even motivated to learn Nigerian languages in schools. Most students constantly wiggle their way out of those exams (as I admit I did). In some non-English speaking countries, foreign students are obligated to learn that country’s history, culture and language during their study duration. Nigerian language has taken a backseat to languages such as French, which is not understandable, as we were not colonized by the French. Majority of Nigerian will never have any reason to communicate in French while in Nigeria.
Language is the gateway to understanding a culture and its people. An Igbo man who speaks Yoruba would be well received than even a Yoruba man who doesn’t. Nigerian history and language are too essentials for building national unity and identity. Until this is incorporated into our education system, Nigeria will pay heavily.
Ik Idili writes from Lagos