Former minister of Aviation and chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Mr Osita Chidoka, has urged educators to reverse the trend where Nigerians predominantly seek education abroad.
He charged Nigerian educational institutions, particularly South East educators, to reverse what he called the growing import of education which is fast gaining acceptance amongst Nigerians of all classes.
He stated this at the South East Educators Conference at the Nike Lake Resort Hotel over the weekend while delivering a keynote address titled “Let Us Build and Export Education: A Vision for Southeast Nigeria.”
With over 71,753 Nigerians studying overseas, of which about 11,000 are in African schools and only one international student opting for Nigeria, the former minister emphasised that Southeast Nigeria, with its high literacy rates and robust basic education performance, is ideally positioned to become a leading educational hub in Nigeria and Africa.
His address resonated with the audience comprising school administrators, government officials, education technology professionals, and private school owners. He outlined several practical policy initiatives aimed at enhancing the global competitiveness of Southeast schools and positioning them as leaders in exporting education.
“Southeast Nigeria could reverse the current trend of educational emigration and instead become a prime destination for global learners if the leaders adopt the measures he outlined amongst other Conference proposals”, Chidoka argued.
Chidoka further proposed an Enhanced Regulatory Oversight: Urging state governments to bolster education quality through robust inspections and adequate supervision.
“Tax Reform for Educational Institutions: Simplifying compliance by consolidating taxes into a single system for private schools, thus enhancing ease of business and inviting more investment.
“Global Benchmarking: Adopting international standards and assessments like the Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) to elevate student performance and global standing.
“Infrastructure and Security Improvements: Security is a fundamental necessity to attracting global talents and students and making critical enhancements to ensure safe and conducive learning environments.
“Innovative Training and Scholarships: Attracting top talent and offering scholarships to support less privileged students in the cost-reflective public tertiary education.
“School Autonomy: Empowering schools with more decision-making authority to foster innovation and community responsiveness
“Anchored in the ‘Chidoka Principles’ of Measure, Monitor, Improve (M²I), Chidoka said these initiatives promise to unlock significant value in the education sector by emphasising continuous evaluation, monitoring, and improvement.”
Chidoka, a recipient of the National Productivity Order of Merit award for his innovative transformation of the Federal Road Safety Commission, added “We envision a Southeast Nigeria where education is a significant export, contributing profoundly to our GDP, rebuilding our diminishing national pride and foreign reserves, and ensuring a pathway to national competitiveness and societal progress.”
