Imo Free Education for Free Failure

James Thurber in his fable on The Owl Who Was God narrated that “Once upon a starless midnight there was an owl who sat on the branch of an oak tree. Two ground moles tried to slip quietly by, unnoticed. “You!” said the owl, “Who?” they quavered in fear and astonishment, for they could not believe it was possible for anyone to see them in that thick darkness. “You two!” said the owl. The moles hurried away and told the other creatures of the field and the forest that the owl was the greatest and wisest of all animals because he could see in the dark and because he could answer any question. “I will see about that,” said a secretary bird, and he called on the owl one night when it was again very dark. “How many claws am I holding up?” said the secretary bird. “Two,” said the owl, and that was right. “Can you give me another expression for 'that is to say' or 'namely?'” asked the secretary bird. “To wit,” said the owl. “Why does a lover call on his love?” asked the secretary bird. “To woo,” said the owl. The secretary bird hastened back to the other creatures and reported that the owl was indeed the greatest and wisest creature in the world because he could see in the dark and because he could answer any question.

“Can he see in the daytime, too?” asked a red fox. “Yes,” echoed a dormouse and a French poodle. “Can he see in the daytime too?” All the other creatures laughed loudly at this silly question, and they set upon the red fox and his friends and drove them out of the region. Then they sent a messenger to the owl and asked him to be their leader. When the owl appeared before the animals it was high noon and the sun was shinning brightly. He walked very slowly, which gave him an appearance of great dignity, and he peered about him with large starring eyes, which gave him an air of tremendous importance.

“He is God!” screamed a Plymouth Rock hen. And the others took up the cry “He is God!” So they followed him wherever he went and when he began to bump into things they began to bump into things, too. Finally he came to a concrete highway and he started up the middle of it and all the other creatures followed him. Presently a hawk, who was acting as outrider, observed a truck coming toward them at fifty miles an hour, and he reported to the secretary bird and the secretary bird reported to the owl. “There's danger ahead,” said the secretary bird. “To wit?” said the owl. The secretary bird told him, “Aren't you afraid?” He asked. “Who?” said the owl calmly, for he could not see the truck. “He is God!” cried all the creatures again, and they were still crying “He is God!” when the truck hit them and ran them down. Some of the animals were merely injured, but most of them, including the owl, were killed. Moral: You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.

This fable and its didactics, could be likened to the introduction of FREE EDUCATION in Imo State. Indeed strange things are miracles and the principal actor or importer, a god! At the implementation of the free education as promised by Rochas Okorocha during his 2011 campaigns (and being for the first time, the first contemporary Imo politician who lived then by his word as bond), all Imolites were magically convinced that indeed Owelle was the greatest and wisest Imolite. And like the owl, he wittingly saw everybody in the dark and answered in his rhetorical prowess all the questions asked him. Even I, was also very sure that he was the greatest and wisest of all Governors that have ruled Imo State since its creation in 1976, because he could see in the dark and because he could answer any question. Like the secretary bird, I wrote an article published in the Sunday Statesman: July 3, 2011- “Declare State of Emergency Now! 1” and the subsequent week the II, etc. The journals and electronic media also were replete with suggestions and cries of “He is God-o-oh!” and thus Rochas became the rescuing god on rescue mission, because “He's God!”

Our hopes were high, our prayers were at last answered by the Absent God, our schools- Primary and Secondary all filled to the brim, and the discovered god made further theistic benevolence acts- The feeding of 5000 pupils per school daily, and indeed our hopes were high and turned to the trans-Jordan manna experience of Israelites. Many critiqued this benevolence as un-educational but all that was got from the faithful believers of the new god in the field was like the noon vision-impaired owl- “To wit?” Soon again, free unique school uniforms from China for the Igbo African were brought to the children in free to amend seizes, and all that asked “Can he see in the daytime too?” were expunged from the region of Imo African solidarity and tagged ndi iheoma na-asa afo. Soon again, the tertiary students became beneficiaries and at last the 'youths must work' entered as teachers to salvage the fast declining education in Imo State after three years, our hopes were high again that the better may come at last since “He is God.”

But what become of this godly discovery and gift in the State? Every now and then, the education system dwindles, and many turned accusing fingers to the “God” that we made our absolute leader then, having followed him in pumping into things because he bumped into them. But in actual sense, who is to blame for the free failure in the government owned primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the State today? Are the pupils and students to blame? Or do we shift it to their teachers? What of their parents and the sabotaging society, are they to blame too? Is Okorocha (the greatest and wisest of all because he could see in the dark and answer any question) to blame? Did the office of the Commissioner of Education ever exist since the introduction of the free education turned to free failure? If it did, then, is the office or Commissioner to blame? If it did not, then, was it right for the God to be both the rescuing deity and platoon Commander of the free education or should instead appoint lieutenants, annihilating the office of the Commissioner for Education? We the masses, men and women of the media that ought to be the infallible voices of the society, don't we have share in the blame too? Certainly we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of academic success in Imo State, and since we the fathers have eaten grapes of silence and malfunctioning, our children's teeth and future as set on edge, with empty brains flowing out of the programmed head-roll out of 6-3-3-4 per annum!

But, let me ask again: What went wrong, where, when and how did the mighty fall in the midst of the battle? Michthiro Matsumoto, a Japanese has a country popular saying that “nothing is more costly than something given free of charge.” When one receives freely there are certain psychological implications of the free gift in the sitz in leben (living situation) of the receiver, most of which must be negative. First, the pupils and students started feeling no parental-cum family pains for undertaking schooling. They wake up late, are seen on the roads to school even till 9am. When they enter classes, certain lessons have passed, at times few devoted teachers wait for the classrooms to be ready before teaching and thus teach but twice and school time is over. Then, is Owelle to blame for this or are the teachers to blame? Why the lateness? Were the students held by household chores, most of which being sales which profit should be diverted to funding their free education? These make one believe that these children are doing so because they have no form of psychological sanction: Monetary or administrative that compels them to be industrious and serious in their career pursuit. Imo children feel shameless and free to fail, after all, the education is free, and they loose nothing having failed.

When these futures of tomorrow go to school, check their total daily and weekly lesson notes, especially those in the sub-rural, rural and sub-urban areas. They have at most 3-4 lessons daily. Who are to blame- The teachers, the parents, the Commissioner for Education or the Commander of the free education for free failure? I was present at Senator Chris Anyanwu's declaration at All Seasons Hotel last year and was startled by the statistics of teachers in Imo State. There are up to 640 secondary schools in Imo State, and in most of the subjects: English, maths, physics, chemistry, etc, her research and investigations showed that none of the subjects have up to 200 teachers. Some were 109, 123, etc. The question is: How can these numbers of teachers teach effectively in the 640 secondary schools? How can the students in these schools pass? In my alma mater today, my then CRS teacher decades back that studied B. Ed (CRS/SOS) is at present teaching same, as well as English Language and Government. Since the collection of this data, certainly many of the few remaining teachers have been retired. Have there been replacements to augment? Why should teaching loads be multiplied for less manpower? Can the few manage the curriculum well and thus ensure good learning environment and quality education? Who is to blame- Imolites for singing “He's God!” or the mute platoon Commander of free education?

The few remaining teachers that suffer to-die to teach, are they happy in their suffering and can a sufferer bear positive psychology for positive yielding? I went to a primary school 3 weeks ago and was shocked when I heard the head teacher (Level 14) raving and ranting that his salary has been deducted by 5,500 again for free education. I paused to ask: If teachers from GL 07 and above in the State should be compelled to this monthly deduction for free education from their salaries, how can they be happy to teach- Paying for children of unknown parents, meaning paying for children so that they come together for the same teachers to teach them, because their educated brains will burst if they the teachers did not have children to teach or their voluble voices will rust. Who is to blame? How can the teachers be happy in disciplining the children that make them loose their monthly hard earned salaries? How can they teach them to be useful, knowing that when they grow and take over the leadership, they may do worse than the present leaders? How many teachers today receive study grants and undergo new researches? How many of them are opportune to be WAEC and NECO examiners and thus learn the news and needful in answering external examination questions? Throughout my senior secondary school days, I recall my Physics teacher was teaching us with the old long note he had from the Idah Polytechnics in 1979. How can such a teacher teach modern scientific ideas for desired paradigm shifts in the present technocentric revolutionary societies and thus make students pass well?

In almost all the primary and secondary schools, hardly teachers go to school on time. The Inspectors at times do their work, but their reports end nowhere since the office of the Commissioner for Education is silenced under the booths of the platoon Commander, and because everything in education is gratis a gratis, queries for obvious erring and nonchalant teachers are gratis a gratis too, then “everybody to your tent oh Israel! (II Sam 20:1). Teachers refuse to teach; most of them sit like idle ducks gossiping during class period in the staff rooms and critiquing today's education system- The students, parents and government, which they confirm is never what was obtainable in their days. Most male teachers use class periods to ride Okada, Keke and cabs to make up the deductions from their monthly salaries, while some female teachers embark on sales of edibles in the schools to make up. Sometimes every fortnight, teachers leave schools for NUT or government summoned meetings in Owerri or in their zones, abandoning the students and pupils. How many schools today still do inter-house sports competitions, essay competition, quiz and crafts contests? The three domains of education are certainly dead- The cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, and we border not. Do we?

The 'youths must work' that were engaged as help-out hands to save the cataclysm as of today, are owed 7 good months salaries, (make calls now to certify) without being paid the meagre #20,000 (#600 daily for graduates that pay daily transport to work), without being graded, without appointment letters and other necessary employment documents for two good years, meaning that their employment is political and when they are dismissed, they can not seek for any viable legal redress as the 10,000 jobs of Ohakim did when sacked. “To wit! The Owl is really God and wisest.” How can they teach and how many of them are still in the work or go to the schools to teach with empty stomach? Gratis a gratis, all free to fall in and fall out; they jump to their feet, look up to the sky and devise means of self-subsistence outside the schools and our children return daily from schools with empty brains.

But have these teachers done well to the Imo society at large or been to their best by treating these futures of tomorrow thus? Have they been courageous enough to air their dissatisfactions to the platoon Commander than vouch to give him chieftaincy title- Okwaturu Umuschool Dum of Imo State or what educational title and honoraris causa, and the teachers having themselves been the Ezes of failed students? Are they sincere in their hearts that they love the Governor whom I hear most of them criticise die, or have they not already concluded that they will do him as they did Ohakim, who even failed in his Government House? Lips service surges from the mouth of the Imo NUT for sure. They, the children will certainly abandon these teachers when they become feeble and retired, and must use their pension funds to fill the hollows in their hearts that are now created by the now serving teachers who refuse to teach them well and to be useful citizens of Imo State. And when they will do so, the retiring teachers will die at most 6 years after retirement (check the statistics of demised retired teachers), except those who are lucky to have well-stood children. Who is to blame- Is it the platoon Commander now of free education for free failure, the parents or we Imolites that cried “He is God-o-o?”

'Now that things have fallen apart and the centre cannot hold, and mere anarchy is formed around the world, the best lack all convictions and worst are full of passionate intensity,' what do we do- Sit down to seek who to blame or rise in fury to make decisive and immediate change? Certainly, Owelle Rochas was most human and kind in this free education that later turned to free failure by sabotages. He opened Imolites' eyes, which all the past Governors kindly and wittingly closed. God bless him and his generations for this. But he failed to be elastic and devise means of sustaining his vision to avoid sabotage and mess, this and many more factors have led Imo State to falling from their position of 2nd in academic performance in pre-tertiary to the 34thposition in the 36 States and FCT, thereby making the free education a regrettable venture.

This makes one ask, why freeing education to produce empty brains? And this certainly is the reason why even the top officials of Okorocha's administration, all send their children to private schools, where they will learn better. Private schools thus become yardsticks for government schools to look upon than the other way round, as it used to be before this free education for free failure. Have we been able to ask ourselves, why is it that despite the free education, private schools are opened in every nook and cranny in the State; especially in some abandoned Post Offices and are waxing stronger, and parents compelled to pay through their noses, and they are happy there than sending their children and wards to the free schools for free failure?

Noccolo Machiavelli in his Il Principio said “men are so simple of mind and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.” We were deceived by sudden discoveries made by two night meanders that discovered for us the owl that is God; who indeed is blind at noon and is hardened to lead us away from the highway, even as signals of oncoming truck are given by foresighted followers. The God has come indeed and led us as desired; many of our institutions are dead academically, others bruised while some were expelled ab initio as heretics.

Now that free education has come to stay and nobody or gubernatorial candidate can remove it, of a truth, time has come for us to stand up. We need a better equipped team this time around that will be elastic and take up the challenges of our failed educational system. I don't want to enter into the tertiary institutions that have lost their accreditations, etc. All the gubernatorial candidates are interested in, is in self-altercation as they were doing on March 20th at Concorde Hotel and at the other previous venues for the political Iko onu and iya aja than political debate. I have silently followed the top 7 political parties in their campaigns but have again come to a tentative conviction that somebody among them can deliver us from this present education quagmire and cataclysm, but I'm very prudent this time around not to be the secretary bird in confirming, praising and singing “He is God.”

All the gubernatorial candidates, being aware of this abysmal failure of education in the State and the systemic failure of the sector and its head, promise quality education, but how? This, none of them but the UPP squad has elaborated vividly. I will not doubt Dr Osmond Imo Ukanacho when he promised absolute free education more than Okorocha's, (whether he will keep it because Rochas has proven credibility to electoral promises and no wise gubernatorial candidate will refuse the continuation of the free education and will be voted for). His absolute free education: Fee-less Common Entrance, WAEC & NECO, 'JAMB,' etc, will benefit Imolites following him than Rochas, because everybody is looking for better greener pastures, and knowing fully well that he has elastic personalities in his squad, and as it is said: Onye bu igu di ndu ka ewu na-eso!

These notwithstanding, I have serious doubts about Ukanacho whether he will be elastic till the end of his tenure and beyond, but whenever I reflect deeply on the calibre of personalities in his gubernatorial squad and their antecedents in their different fields of occupation, it seems he has better hands than any other candidate for the desired change in the educational system, and thus has all it takes to bring Imo out of the failure in the free education. The UPP squad has professional philosophers: The Governor, the Deputy, as well most PAs and SAs are all philosophers and lecturers, and as Plato said in his Republic, it is only when Philosophers become Kings that the system can become ordered.

I doubt too, if Imolites will see beyond big parties whose apex members will send their children abroad and to private schools where fees are high and because they can afford such, and seek now the Divine team of Philosophers of Education- Ukanacho/Uzorma that has sworn to make education in Imo State absolutely free and positively qualitative in all ramifications, this being one of the top priorities of the administration if elected. I believe that God will send this team to rule Imo; since it has what will make His people better; just as he answered us 4 years ago when we yearned for change, and gave us Owelle Rochas that brought “free education.” Onuora Nzekwu (in his Wand of Noble Wood) said that 'no god will be unhappy or will refuse a good living condition for his people' and thus God will answer Imolites and entrust the next leadership of the State in their hands

Prince Stanley U Okoroji (08064378213)