HOW REALISTIC IS EFA 2015?
I recall that in early 90's, citizens of this country were promised and assured that education would be for all by the year 2000. Based on this proclamation, Nigerians, especially the down trodden who were worrisome and nightmarish about how to give their children and wards at least secondary education suddenly became sanguine and confident that their children and wards would, not only taste secondary education but would become university graduates.
What a turn around!
When the utopian year every person was looking forward to eventually came non of the promises materialized. A decade is almost dragging past, yet government is still dragging its feet towards making education affordable to the people.
Instead of improving on the phenomenon, both in quality and affordability it continue to allow education to deteriorate and remain unaffordable to an average Nigerian.
The government recently made another pronouncement that education would be for all by the year 2015. In other words, after five years there would be no street urchins or children of school going age hawking wares on our streets. They would be busy in the classrooms studying.
But how realistic is this dream when presently our schools, especially primary and secondary schools are nothing to write home about in terms of in frastructure and academic standard? Our public schools, both primary and secondary, where 80% of well trained teachers are posted have become dumping ground for children of the poor.
These children no longer receive adequate lessons from the teachers because the teachers themselves have become disenchanted and uninterested due to nonchalant treatment they receive from the government by way of irregular payment of their salaries and other packages. Because of the hopeless condition they find themselves, they resort to engaging in sidelines in other to keep body and soul together.
As at now no visible plan on education in terms of repairing the dilapidated school buildings, furnishing their science laboratories and libraries is noticed yet government target for education for all is year 2015.
The bottom line is that the government should start immediately to san itize the education system in line with other western countries who have been in the system before us in other to achieve the expected goal. Otherwise, the whole scenario would be a mirage, a tantalizing will' o'the'wisp.
•Nkemakolam Gabriel
St John The Baptist (Ang) Church Akoli Aba