The Nigeria Education Sector

The education system is based on the National Policy on Education (NPE) document of 1977 (last revised in 1990). The policy document addresses the issues of imbalance in the provision of education in different parts of the country with regard to access, quality of resources and girl child’s education. Education is organized into 6 years of primary education, 3 years of junior secondary school, 3 years of senior secondary education and 4 years of university/ polytechnic/ college education (6:3:3:4 system). The administration of the education system is shared mainly amongst the Federal and State Ministries of Education as well as statutory bodies referred to as Commissions.

There are Commissions established for different sub-sectors of the education system and are charged with various responsibilities for the sub-sectors. There is a National Primary Education Commission (NPEC), the National Secondary Education Commission (NSEC), the National Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education Commission (NMEC) and the National Universities Commission (NUC). In addition there are other major role players at local and district levels and in the immediate environment where the school is located. The system grew rapidly in the late seventies and early eighties. The growth was mainly in size and not in the quality of education.

There have been problems in the implementation of policies for the expansion of the education system that have contributed to their failure to assist in the social and economic development of the country. Lack of capacity for planning and management, limited financial resources, inadequate information systems and monitoring systems are some of the problems that led to rapid and unplanned growth.

The Role of Education in National Development

It is an accepted norm that education is sine qua non for national development. It is also an economic rule that an increase of one year in a country’s average schooling level corresponds to 3 to 4% in long term economic growth and development. Harbison (1973), asserted that human beings are the active agents who accumulate capital, exploit natural resources, build social, economic and political organization and carry forward national development. Clearly, a country which is unable to develop the skills and knowledge of its people and utilize them effectively in the national economy will be unable to develop anything else. The sector which serves as a vehicle that carries an economy from the Dark Age to the age of enlightenment is the education sector. All developed countries have used education as the key driver of modernization, a platform which creates and facilitates capital and technology.

An economy sees no evolution and sufficient exploitation of emerging global opportunities without its populace being educated. Education sector, be it formal or informal contributes to human capital empowerment and skills acquisition.

In addition, the improvement of knowledge of the people leads not only to the economic growth but enhances social development. In addition education sector helps increase labour productivity, eradicates poverty, enhances trade and aids technological advancement, serving both as an output and input. As an output, it offers utility to its consumer which increases his/her self-worth and esteem for national development while as an input helps in the day to day operation of other sectors of an economy for greater opportunities. 

Some of the earliest research on economics of education argued that a primary effect of more education in an economy is to improve the productive capacity of labour. Because highly educated citizens are more literate and numerate, easier to train for complex tasks for nation building. High, efficient and sustained investment in human capital through education sector is germane to creating productive and decent economy. It is essential not only to explore natural resources but also to create resources that provide access to education, health and physical infrastructures and resources that facilitate inclusive growth and development of the economy. Education sector is a necessary, if not a sufficient condition for broader national development, enlarging the scope for individuals to be productive and creative.

The world bank policy paper on primary education (1999) embraced human capital theory, observing that education, particularly at the primary level increases the productivity of the work force through improved literacy, numeracy and health status. Nigeria is not far from the belief that education is the sure way to escape abject poverty and economic misfortunes. People see education as the best investment and insurance not only for their future but also as a vessel of sustenance in their old age in form of entitlements for retirement. 

It is not surprising therefore that due concentration has been given to education sector in Nigeria beginning from 1960 when political independence was attained. Historically, between 1960 and 1974, education facilities were expanded culminating in the takeover of privately owned primary and secondary schools by government. In 1975, the Government also took over the Universities and other tertiary institutions. More attention had been paid to the expansion of the system due to political pressures than from a concern about the provision of greater access to quality education. The expansion program has not been matched by a comparable increase in funding, to ensure that the quality of education is maintained. 

Inadequate funding has had an impact on the organization and management of education at all levels. This results in shortages of material and human resources for education: lack of qualified teachers; a brain drain from the public sector; few instructional inputs, shortage of classrooms, and a host of other problems. There is a need for the reconstruction of the infrastructure to ensure quality learning and teaching. Concerns about quality and standards have been raised over and over again. Major stakeholders such as the private sector and the public have lost confidence in the system. The education system is fraught with malpractice in admission practices and administration of examinations, strikes (both staff and students). 

Other problems are a result of a complex combination of the need for greater access to education on the part of the society and political pressure on politicians to satisfy their constituencies, in return for continued political support. As a result, political decisions were taken in a number of areas including staff and administration appointments, as well as revision of admission policies. For example, merit as an admission criterion has been lowered to 12 percent of the new intakes into the Federal secondary schools and 40 percent for the Federal higher education institutions. Emphasis has been put on other criteria, such as set quotas for numbers of students admitted from the States into Federal institutions, quotas for students from the defined feeder zones and some discretion by administrators. Admission malpractice includes bribery, corruption, and nepotism in favor of less qualified candidates. This has led to growing mediocrity as politics began to play more of a role than concerns about high quality academic standards. Examinations that determine access to the next level of education are fraught with cheating which has become embedded in many parts of the system. The introduction of special tribunals for speedy trials and stiff penalties has not stopped a practice that is deeply engraved in the system.

Education is said to be an ivory tower, where instructions are given and received without harassment and undue influence from the outside world. Thus, the universal conceptualization of the education sector is a community or committee of scholars, free to pursue knowledge without undue interference for the purpose of nation building. In the same vein, Hannah (1998) postulates that education is an enterprise that produces and distributes a public good, which is knowledge. Nigerian education has since independence, been playing the fundamental roles in the training of manpower for the nation’s growth and the development of their communities, through the knowledge they generate and transfer. 

In this regard, the education sector does all these forms of positive externalities through teaching, research and obligation to serve the communities. Nigerian education sector is an exception in this regards. The Central Bank of Nigeria in year 2000 reported that inadequate financing has been the bane of Nigeria's education system. It was rather unfortunate when the Federal ministry of education adduced to the report in 2003 that skeptical financing of education sector was among the factors responsible the epileptic state of the sector. The profound question bothering the mind is 'why should the government not properly fund education when the developed economies of the world today is knowledge based? Does the education sector no longer multiply to national development as reflected in other economies? 

Over the past decade, Nigeria has been plagued with frequent political unrest. This political instability has generated negative effects on the education system. These difficulties have been most pronounced at the foundation levels of education. Both primary and secondary school levels have been negatively affected. In 1997 the Federal Minister of Education, following a nation-wide tour of the schools, stated that the basic infrastructure in schools such as classrooms, laboratories, workshops, sporting facilities, equipment, libraries were in a state of total decay. The physical condition of most schools was reported to be pathetic. Nigeria as a reconstituted democracy has to address issues of a dual transformation. The country needs to re-examine its past and focus on development plans that will meet the challenges of the future. The need to work out a new developmental plan puts pressure on the political, social and economic sectors of the country. 

The new government has declared education as one of its priorities. The goal is to have a reformed system of education that will provide access at all levels of education and to improve the quality and efficiency of the entire education system. While these are lofty goals, the real challenge will lie in the successful implementation of them.

Education has been at the top of the priority lists of some previous Nigerian governments yet the education system is still far from being ready for the challenges of the new century. Nigeria is not the only country whose education system is unprepared and undermined. A closer examination of many systems, especially in a developing context, indicate that most of the educational systems in developing countries are not yet ready to prepare students for the contemporary global world challenge and the world of work. The education needs of an emergent Nigeria are well articulated by Pai Obanya when he suggests that Nigerian education should be marked by a continuous search for excellence supported by the political will for good governance and transparency. 

The entire education system would benefit from coherent national policy development rather than piecemeal reforms. The revision of educational policies is being considered as a long-term goal, due to other pressing needs. The discussion of new policies would benefit from careful attention to the recommendations made and adopted at international meetings hosted by UNESCO and other donors for the various sectors of education. New policies have to address the needs of a new democracy, its role in the new global order, while reflecting the realities of Nigeria’s economy. There is an urgent need for capacity building in the various Commissions charged with responsibility for governing and managing different aspects of education. Planning, supervision and monitoring mechanisms for the entire education system have been very weak. Management problems within the system have been cited often as a factor that impacts negatively on the success of projects that have been supported by international development agencies. The system has suffered from lack of adequate planning for the implementation of the policies that are vital to improved quality and expansion. 

The funding mechanisms for education must be re-thought by developing a sustainable financing arrangement in order for Nigeria to regain the ground it has already lost and become a serious player in the new global economic, social and political order.

In conclusion, financial efficiency is critical and could be attained through the improvement of administrative and management practices, rationalization, much better and more realistic planning. Major educational transformations are required in the Nigerian education system. The tasks ahead are numerous and daunting. It is quite clear that it will be impossible for these tasks to be tackled by the Government of Nigeria alone or with the help of a few international partners. The involvement of major Nigerian stakeholders, complemented by multiple partnerships with international agencies, NGOs, foundations, will be essential if the goals and potential of Nigeria are to be realized. The experience already gained through the implementation of various projects by the World Bank in the sector, particularly with the involvement of local stakeholders, has demonstrated the value of ensuring community ownership of projects. Lessons learnt from past experiences should inform future plans in the reform and development of education in Nigeria. It is only through research that Nigeria can achieve the fullness of its potentials and reach the heights of its glory for the nation to find order in disorder.

About the Author

Babangida Said Jamilu is an Economics graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He holds an M.Sc degree from the same university, in Economics still. He has worked with Igbinedion University, Okada, the then Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, and has volunteered for various organizations. He co-edited “The Frontliner Magazine’’. Babangida Said Jamilu is currently the Business Manager of StarVerve Tech Company. He is professionally certified in Project and Risk Management and is currently an Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) student. He has also received a number of Awards for his hard work and contributions.