As the nation eagerly anticipates the appointment of Nigeria’s 47th minister of Education, students, parents, and education stakeholders are vocalising their expectations for a transformative leader who can address the pressing issues plaguing the education sector. The state of education in the country has been a cause for concern, with challenges ranging from insufficient funding and crumbling infrastructure to the alarming number of out-of-school children.
With President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent submission of forty-seven ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening, all eyes are now on the critical decision to be made regarding the future of education in Nigeria.
The need for a strong and experienced individual to take charge of the education ministry has never been more evident. Stakeholders unanimously stress the importance of appointing a candidate with a genuine passion for education, as well as a track record of adding significant value to the sector. Nigeria’s education system is at a crossroads, and a visionary leader is sought after to drive the transformational change necessary for its progress.
Inadequate funding remains one of the primary hurdles faced by educational institutions across the country. The new minister must be prepared to advocate for increased budgetary allocations to the education sector to ensure that schools have the necessary resources to provide quality education. The hope is that the incoming minister will demonstrate an unwavering commitment to securing the future of Nigeria’s young minds through sufficient financial support.
Another critical issue demanding urgent attention is the state of infrastructure in schools. Dilapidated buildings, lack of modern amenities, and overcrowded classrooms have hindered the delivery of effective education. The education minister must prioritize infrastructural development to create an enabling learning environment that fosters academic excellence and nurtures creativity.
Furthermore, the staggering number of out-of-school children in the country is a matter of national concern. The incoming minister must devise innovative strategies to address this challenge and ensure that every child has access to quality education, irrespective of their socio-economic background.
In addition to these immediate concerns, stakeholders are keen on seeing the new minister prioritise teacher training and welfare. Well-trained and motivated educators play a crucial role in shaping the minds of future generations. By investing in their professional development and ensuring fair remuneration, the education sector can attract and retain the best teaching talent, consequently elevating the quality of education provided.
Recall that in November 2015, Malam Adamu Adamu received the baton from Malam Ibrahim Shekarau to become Nigeria’s 46th Minister of Education.
Adamu, during his first tenure, made some promises to stabilising the sector as contained in the Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP) (2016-2019), many of which he was unable to fulfill.
He later expanded the ministerial strategic plan blueprint tagged: ‘A Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP) (2018-2022)’ titled: ‘Education for Change’ which was developed to address the challenges confronting the sector.
The plan was anchored on 10 pillars – Out- of-School-Children, youth and adult literacy, science, technology and engineering, basic and secondary education, and library services, among others.
Some of the promises in the plan targeted the reduction of out-of-school children by enrolling 2,875,500 children in schools annually for three years; strengthening basic and secondary education and promotion of community schools; removal of every form of payment (levies) in basic schools, among others.
The ministry was also able to develop a safe school declaration policy for schools and also secured funding of N220 billion grants from the World Bank to tackle the problem of out-of-school children, among other milestones.
Despite some of the efforts, the minister was not able to stem some tide, resulting in the unsuccessful delivery of a number of programmes as contained in his blueprint.
After eight years of Adamu’s tenure, a behind-the-scenes assessment of his stewardship shows several achievements but a huge task lies ahead of the incoming Minister of Education.
The task ahead of the incoming minister
Given the prime place of education in the development of a nation and the challenges besetting the sector, the incoming minister would be confronted with the challenge of inadequate funding, which is one of the most significant challenges facing education in Nigeria.
Despite government promises to allocate 26 per cent of its annual budget to education, this has not been achieved, with the sector receiving less than 10 per cent of the budget in recent years, as reported by UNESCO in 2021.
Also, the issue of out-of-school children remains a big challenge that the former minister could not resolve. A 2022 UNESCO report noted that approximately 20 million Nigerian individuals of its approximately 200 million population are not enrolled in school.
This amounts to 20 per cent of Nigeria’s entire population and is more than the overall population of various countries in Africa.
The crisis between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government remains unresolved with the Union recently saying the government is yet to address most of the issues for the union’s recent strike.
ASUU had late last year called off an eight-month strike after a series of negotiations with the Federal Government. Part of the lecturers’ demands is the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
But months after the development, the union said the government is yet to address most of its demands including the payment of salary backlogs, an area that the new Education Minister will have to resolve.
Furthermore, the hike in tuition fees is another area of concern. virtually all federal universities have increased school charges close to 200 percent.
Moreover, the impact of insecurity has altered the academic calendar and increased the number of out-of-school children. Insecurity has no doubt frustrated the development of education in Nigeria as many educational institutions have been turned to the field of kidnapping.
NANS, parents, others speak about their expectations
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), zone C, the parents, and other stakeholders have urged the incoming minister to place special focus on addressing the out-of-school challenge and increase the budget to help improve teachers’ welfare and basic infrastructure across schools in the country.
The coordinator of NANS Zone C, Comrade Anzaku Shedrack urged the incoming education minister to ensure reduction in school fees and put a permanent solution to issues that always lead ASUU to strike.
He also said the new minister would need to work hard in pushing for increased budgetary allocation for the sector and work on modalities on how to generate internal revenue for universities
“The minister should prioritise investing in school laboratories. The laboratories in the sense that the equipment in most schools are not up to standard. They are outdated.
“Another area is the budget. He should work on a concise budget because education and health always have the lowest budgets in Nigeria. So we want the next minister to prioritise this.
“We also want the next Minister to work on reducing school fees because school fees are high and students are dropping out. We want these fees to go as low as possible because we believe education must be free.
“He should work on modalities on how to generate internal revenue for universities rather than just increasing fees so that Nigerian students can have affordable fees.
“We also want the next Minister to be a lover of students, to be able to engage in scholarship and Entrepreneurship programmes that will help to empower the Nigerian students to leave abroad, study and come back with more knowledge and be able to equip the nation.
“You find out that most of the scholarship schemes are not reaching the masses again. They are not even reaching the intellectual or those that have a sound mind and good intellect. They just go to people who can buy their way out.
“So we want the next minister of education to prioritise education, making education free for Nigerian students and reduce the fees to the barest and also have a smooth working relationship with the NANS because we at the level of NANS can offer recommendations that will be able to help Nigerian students, so we should be partners in progress.
“So the last is for them to settle ASUU because we don’t want any lingering strike again. Settle and negotiate with them before they even think of going on strike,” he added.
A parent, Mr Titus Tor, who resides in Abuja said he expects a lasting solution to the issue of strikes by university teachers and workers and a drastic reduction in the number of our school children.
“Government must resolve the issues with University lecturers and also ensure all the schools are safe so that children will have access to education.
“Basic education must not be neglected because it is the products from that level that go to tertiary institutions.”
In the area of teacher development and welfare, he said teachers must be motivated and infrastructure improved to make learning conducive for students.
An educationist, Gloria Moji, said the minister alone cannot make progress without the collective responsibility of all.
Moji, who identified major areas of urgent work to include increased budget allocation and school safety, said there is a need to also make schools affordable by reducing the hike in school fees.
She said, “The incoming education minister cannot excel if we don’t give him our support. Parents should understand that it is their duty to ensure their wards are enrolled and get educated.
“In the area of security, there should be more efforts to provide adequate security in schools, especially the crisis areas.”
Also, an educationist, Temitope Ajayi, said she hope for an inclusive and consultative approach in the sector’s policymaking.
“The new minister must engage with all relevant stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, and educational experts, to formulate holistic and sustainable policies that address the multifaceted challenges in the sector.
“As Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its educational journey, the 47th Minister of Education carries the responsibility of shaping the nation’s future through its youth. By heeding the collective expectations of concerned stakeholders and implementing transformative reforms, the incoming minister has the potential to create a lasting legacy of progress and prosperity for generations to come,” she added.
