OSHOIOMHOLE AND EDUCATION IN EDO STATE..............

Published Since May 29, 1968									Wednesday 27. Aug 2014
Educational Transformation In Edo State
THAT there is all round decay in our educational sector in Nigeria is no news. What may be news is the level the decadence has taken on the quality of graduates we produce in our primary to university education. We now produce university graduates who cannot fill NYSC form. We now produce university graduates who can’t take or read ordinary minutes of simple meetings. A university graduate was appointed as a secretary of a political ward. Members were shocked when he could not read the minutes of their previous meeting in which he acted as a secretary. It was clear to the members that someone developed the minutes for him. At the end a primary 6 holder read the minutes and was made the secretary. I have seen a university graduate who could not write the names of his kingsmen. It is that bad. Yet many stake holders especially teachers appears to be comfortable with it. Teachers that prepared these bunch of block heads and certified them graduates ought to bury their heads in shame, but the reverse is the case. It all boil down to corruption which to me is the first and last problem of our dear country Nigeria. Most teachers are corrupt, they collect money from students in exchange for marks in internal exams and aid them in cheating in external exams. For this reason they don’t teach. If teachers who are the custodians of educational values could aid and mastermind the acquisition of paper qualification instead of intellectual qualification where is our future? In Edo State one can better describe the educational sector as pre-Oshiomhole and Oshiomhole era. The pre-Oshiomhole era was the dark days where everything negative was the order of the day. The Oshiomhole era is what one can call the transformation era which like any other transformational changes are always unpalatable and resisted. In the pre-Oshiomhole era the level of commitment to education on the part of government and teachers was very low. Nearly all the primary and secondary schools were in a state of total dilapidation. Children were learning under trees and sitting on the floor. Teachers were poorly motivated, educational/instruction materials were not provided, teachers were grossly inadequate, the few employment done were based on political patronage where party leaders were given slots, it was strictly who you know or cash and carry. Promotion and portfolio was not based on competence or seniority which are the universally known criteria. It was based on where you ‘fellowship’ or who your political father is. Many schools were broken down to several schools still in one compound just to create room for political loyalists to be principals/school heads. Level 13 teachers were heading teachers on level 14 above. Every action of government concerning education was purely political. Any teacher perceived to be in the opposition party was either demoted, denied promotion, suspended unjustly or transferred to a remote village school. Government shot itself on the foot by neglecting and politicizing education. Teachers on their part have to respond to governments act of irresponsibility. They have to survive in the face of very poor and irregular salary. They took teaching as a secondary job, any job that could put food on their table became their first job. To get money they have to sell anything sellable and that included examination marks. Edo State became a national exam centre. Students from other states were coming to Edo State in large numbers to enroll because the cheating rate was second to non in the country. Students naturally did not see the need to study since they can pay and get all the credits they needed. Teachers were happy making money while parents and students were happy buying result. Teachers were not ready to teach, students were not ready to learn and government was not ready to spend money on education. They were all comfortable, government was diverting the money for education into private pockets. Teachers were making money and students were getting paper qualification. There was a diabolic conspiracy to ruin the educational sector in Edo State. Government, teachers, parents and students were comfortable with the rot because of their individual immediate gains. In the Oshiomhole era we have seen a lot •of commitment on the part of government. Teachers welfare has improved, schools are being renovated, learning materials are provided, exam malpractices has reduced drastically, war against corruption/indiscipline is at top gear. But what is the response of the teachers? As the saying goes; bad habit is easy to learn but difficult to leave. Those benefiting from a rotten system will always resist change. Despite the fight some teachers are still adamant, they have refused to let go of their bad habits, they are opposing every reformatory move by the government. As at today, many still go to school late, some still stay away from school, they still collect money to aid cheating in external exams, some still go to school and stay away from class. Their only interest is salary and extortion from students. Edo State is now forward ever and backward never. Government is matching forward, teachers should get along. Red roof and white board is nothing without dedicated and competent teachers. Any one that says there are no non-dedicated and incompetent teachers in our schools is being economical with the truth. Qualification is different from dedication and competence, have we ever imagined the damages these non-committed and incompetent teachers are doing to our collective future? Certificate only show qualification, it does not show competence and dedication, only performers show these. I appreciate the Comrade governor for living up to his constitutional responsibility toward education. He has done much and is still doing much. There are some he can’t do before his tenure expires but there are some he can do that he has not done. Yes salary is regular and yes the issue of increment has been settle; Retired teachers should be taken care of so that the ones in service will be happy to retire. More teachers should be employed and promotion should be as at when due. If these are done coupled with the regular salary, teachers will not have any genuine reason not to perform.