R
ecently, Governors under the aegis of Northern Governors Forum, NSGF, bemoaned the parlous state of education in the region and took a position with a view to tackling the problem.
To this end, they resolved to introduce free education from primary to secondary schools throughout the region by abolishing tuition fees in order to encourage higher school enrollment. Among other things, the governors agreed to harmonise tuition fees in tertiary institutions, reintroduce the “Grade 2 Teachers Training Programme” in order to improve teaching standard in schools and to close the huge male-female students educational gap in the region.
Besides these far-reaching decisions, the governors, according to the forum Chairman and Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, would soon convene a conference on how to tackle the problem of poor educational standard resulting in mass illiteracy and Almajiri syndrome that has become a stigma in the region.
While we agree with discerning minds that this is a good development, we also think that it is shameful that it took governors of the region decades to give free education to their children. This is more so when most of them enjoyed free education in their days.
If the nation’s education system is historically contextualised, especially from the earliest stage of independence to now, northern leaders would really need to apologise to their children and people for the criminal negligence. While education was thriving in the Western and Eastern regions of the country from 1960s through 1970 to date, especially with regard to free education, the North has overtly rather promoted Islamic almajiri educational system than western education.
It is a pity that after the northern patriarch, Sir Ahmadu Bello, left the scene, development in education, industry and infrastructure died. Even the projects he built and left behind have been left to crumble by self-seeking profligate generations of leaders who are busy pursuing personal comfort rather than using public resources for purposeful governance.
There is nothing new in Governor Muazu’s exuberant statement about organising an education conference for the region. In the year 2000, Northern leaders convened a Northern Education Summit for the same purpose when Atiku Abubakar was the vice president. The leaders played to the gallery as the politically hyped summit ended without achieving any result.
Nigeria, according to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, is among countries with the largest population of out-of-school children in the world with appalling indicators. Another report by a research group, Africa Health, Human and Social Development Information Service stated that out of the 19 states of the region, eight including Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi and Jigawa have the highest problem of girl-child education. It pointed out that the rates of female illiteracy, adolescent girl marriage, underage marriage and pregnancies, with its concomitant maternal and infant mortality risks are extremely high. In the North-West, North-East and North-Central parts of the region, the rate of secondary education among females is very poor among 10 states.
It is rather unfortunate that despite its massive numerical strength, the north remains an underdog in human resource development. The criminal negligence of this fundamental aspect of societal development has constructed a master-slave relationship structure between northern leaders and the people. Leaders of the region should be introspective.
They should not point accusing fingers at anybody or government; they should accept responsibility of this historical failure and start genuinely confronting the challenge headlong.
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