The 2021 MICS report, reveals that the Nigerian educational system is at it’s cross roads, as the teeming population of children who are in school, grapple to get quality education that meets the global learning standard and SDG4 on education for every child.
Joyce Remi-Babayeju, in this special report examines the need for increased funding as a passport to improved learning conditions and achievement of SDG4 in Nigeria.
Muna Nmesoma , a Ten year old primary five pupil, who schools at Independence Layout Primary School Enugu, is good at reading and doing simple arithmetics as required of his class.
He said he wants to be a teacher. “I want to be a Teacher when l grow up, because I like to teach children to know things.”
Nmesoma who likes mathematics said, he wants to be like his class teacher when he grows up.
Nmesome’s class teacher, Mrs. Nkechi Grace who teaches primary five class is very enthusiastic and passionate about her work.
Mrs. Grace is very meticulous about impacting knowledge on her pupils.
Works of clay already moulded into pots, leaves, spoons could be sighted dotting a corner of her class as she proudly showed off the teaching materials she improvised to teach her overcrowded class.
Six pupils share a wooden table and bench which is meant for just three pupils to sit comfortably, this condition leaves each pupil struggling to concentrate, read, and write at the same time, obviously, there are not enough classrooms to accommodate the growing population of school entrants and limited numbers of class infrastructure, like tables , chairs and good blackboard.
This is the senario of learning at Independence Day Primary school in Enugu.
Although, the school is in the same compound as the Federal Government College, Enugu, the dilapedated structures of the primary is a far cry from any school in the city, It can be likened to two groundnut seeds in the same pod, one good and the other one dead.
The classrooms, tells the story of the beauty and the beast.
One classroom is a thorough fare into another, so it takes a very serious pupil to concentrate in his own class without distraction from the next class.
School attendance in Nigeria has recorded appreciable progress particularly at the Foundational elementary school level, commendable, but there are gaps to be filled if the SDG 4 is to be achieved by 2025.
Going by the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS Report , a National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, released by the Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria is grappling to tow the right track in ensuring quality education particularly at Foundational literacy and Numeracy level for children.
One of the prerequisites for learning is a conducive and comfortable environment which includes well built and ventilated blocks of classrooms, comfortable writing tables and chairs or benches as the case may be in our clime.
A well structured school and classrooms, no doubt makes children happy and long to go to school.
Dilapidated classrooms with inadequate books, tables and benches leaves the psychology of seriousness in a child.
It is good news that in Enugu State, the number of out- of- school children is decreasing , now 60% of the children attend school regularly but simultaneously it has become a challenge for the government to handle with the reality of providing more numbers of classrooms and learning materials for the desired results.
Head Teacher at Independence Day Primary school, Enugu, Mrs. Roseline Ani, who has spent 25 years in the school said that although school enrollmment has increased tremendously in the last few years due to more parental awareness about the importance of education for both boys and girls, the condition of classrooms remain the same. She however attributed the dilapidated structures to government’s inability to provide for all public schools.
The classrooms are uncomfortably overcrowded with children running from one class into the other as what separates one class from the other is just a half cardboard which is not even enough to completely demarcate one classroom from another, here children play from one classroom into another without hindrance.
Director, School Services, ESUBEB, Mrs. Julie Ngozi Ugwu, said that inspite the turnout of school enrolmment in Enugu State, funding is still a major challenge to achieving qualitative educational standard.
Ugwu said, “Our major challenge is funds, there is poor remuneration for teachers.
“We have qualified teachers , but we do not have enough teachers.”
“In our Primary Schools , we have some Ph.D holders. The least in our Primary level is National Certificate for Education which may soon be phased out.”
“We have highly qualified teachers but poor enumeration is one of the reasons why teachers are not functional, and others from coming into the profession.”
“The government should do something about increasing the renumeration of Primary school teacher because they control the foundation of learning.”
“When salaries are paid , we use it mostly on transportation and nothing is left so teachers salaries should be increased for them to function more effectively.”
According to Ugwu, increased funding for teachers training would help keep them abreast of modern teaching methods and improve learning for children and meeting the expected SDG 4 by 2030.
She went ahead to call on government to pump more funds into phonics as a subject which is yielding good results at the Foundational literacy and Numeracy level for children.
For effective education, there is need for monitoring even after training of teachers to follow-up especially at the grassroots.
The 2021 MICS Report on Education in Nigeria clearly shows that an education enrolment and learning culture has picked up in Enugu State, but schools infrastructural development is still a challenge both to the pupils because of poor learning environment and the teachers, this in turn hampers children’s education.
On the other hand most of the Primary schools located in the city do not reflect urban renewal due to dilapidating structures.
Independence Layout Primary School located at the Presidential area, is one school trapped in a city with fairly new buildings and old ones standing close to one another.
To complement increased school enrolmment, there is need for befitting classrooms that would promote learning for children and teaching for teachers.
Quality education, means global standard of learning, that is inclusive of well built classrooms structures, with adequate teaching and learning materials which would help to maximize the potentials of every child without leaving anyone behind.
The Eungu Universal Basic Education Board, ESUBEB, needs to close this gal with more funding to service the education sector.
