For keen followers of
developments in the education sector, the suspension of some of the
key aspects of reforms in the federal ministry of education did not
come as a surprise. On assumption of office last year, Dr. Obiageli
Ezekwesili, the immediate past minister of education adopted an
agenda which she considered strong and well articulated enough to
re-position the nation’s education sector.
To say that billions of tax payers money went into the project was
to make an understatement. In many quarters, it was held that
Nigeria once again went to the World Bank to source funds to execute
the reforms.
The reform agenda was pursued with suspicious vigor and given
unprecedented attention. Dr. Ezekwesili appeared to be cruising on a
different planet. Series of stakeholders meetings were held to drum
the reforms into the heads of those concerned. Their views mattered
little, as Madam minister already had the mandate of then President
Olusegun Obasanjo to carry on with the agenda, irrespective of
divergent views. Most of the actions were taken even before a bill
on them were taken to the National Assembly.
Shortly she left office, indications began to emerge that she was
literarily alone in the reform agenda. Dr. Sayyadi Abba Ruma, then
minister of State for Education who took over from her when she left
for the World Bank announced the suspension of one of the cardinal
arms of the reform, the merger of Polytechnics and Colleges of
Education with their proximate universities.
Despite agitations from some stakeholders and interest groups such
as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, that the
arrangement was against the interest of developing middle level
manpower for the economy, Madam minister had gone ahead to pursue
it. Her argument was that it would provide more admission spaces for
millions of teenagers yearning for university education.
Not done yet, then madam minister went ahead to pronounce the merger
of the Inspectorate Unit of the Federal Ministry of Education with
the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC. This was against
advice from experts that the merger would make the administration of
the UBE policy too cumbersome, and slow down its implementation
process.
But last week, in a terse press statement, the new Minister of
Education, Igwe Aja Nwachukwu announced the suspension of the merger
arrangement. Apart from the merger, he also announced the return of
the Universal Basic Education Executive Secretary, Dr. Lami Amodu to
the federal ministry of Education and the appointment of Dr. Modibbo
of the National Teachers Institute, Kaduna as the new Executive
Secretary.
The action of the minister of Education seems to have addressed the
yearnings of many stakeholders on education who were not comfortable
with the manner the Ezekwesili administration was going about its
reform agenda in the sector. As stated earlier, it was as if
meetings were not held, in fact, under her, more stakeholders
meetings and Extra Ordinary National Council on Education meetings
held more than the past two years put together.
In fact, one of such meetings took place under the supervision of
Chief Obasanjo. But the fact remained that at the end of each of
those meetings, stakeholders became more disenchanted with the
proposed changes than they were before their arrival for such
meetings. Their views counted less, and the agenda of the convener
always prevailed.
It is not as if there is anything wrong with attempts at reviving
the education sector. The fact however is that in doing so, other
stakeholders should be carried along. Now that the administration in
the federal ministry of education has started the process of
dismantling the imposed reforms, will it summon more courage to,
once and for all, revisit the issue of Unity Schools.
Seeking solution to the problems in the education system should not
be limited to consultants, as was the case in the recent past. To do
that would amount to myopism. Sincere stakeholder, where major
stakeholders would make available their ideas on how to move the
system forward. |
