Management of The Education System in Nigeria

Administration of Education and it Relationship to our Society.

As per our nation’s current data, I know not everyone has the grace to be formally educated. Our society constitute of Literates and illiterates, whether rich or poor. What I mean is that the government’s plan to develop our education system should benefit not only Literates but also illiterates of our society, thereby decreasing the gap between the rich and poor.

Effective Management of Our Education System

I define management as the efficient and effective use of both human and natural resources to achieve an entity’s set-goals which at the peak of good management is an offspring of education. However, it will not be an exaggeration to say that there is a crisis at each level of our Education system in Nigeria.

EFFECTS OF ILLITERACY ON OUR SOCIETY

 Illiteracy I define as the lack of knowledge gained through education, whether Formal or Informal.

- Illiteracy breeds ignorance which is evil. Educated individuals have been preventive of diseases but an illiterate is less-concerned about the a-z because he is ignorant of the results of such acts produce.

- Education has made our world safer & peaceful, thereby aiding the  electorate government to understand & respect laws & order.

- Education has been a source of knowledge & have answered some of mans how, what & where? Because education as a process from primary to secondary to tertiary & back to society will definitely answer some of our life’s question.

 - Education as a form of holiness, education encourages organization, orderliness, cleanliness which prevents disease and is next to serving the Almighty God.

-Education will let us identify difference between right & wrong, thereby aiding the nation’s development.

Problems affecting the Nigeria education system

1.    Lack of good government & management: - this problem dominate in many parts      of the system, which have with a crisis of leadership, administration & the problem has strongly affected the growth & development of our education system. To grow the education sector, all workers in any institution of learning should perform their tasks in a business- like way & give adequate professional support to their institution of learning.

2.        Poor Quality of learning: - Our quality of learning have diminished greatly over the years. I will say that this problem developed from the management team of the education sector, some female teachers & their supervisions have a love relationship & the male teachers offer bribe, all these acts done to win over the supervisor not to give adequate professional support to such institution of learning which negatively affects the development of the education system and of the nation. Also the SSCE at the end of the secondary school is the first external check on the performance in our school system, the poor results of our student have rained heavily  from the first  external check S.S.C.E and Jamb between 2010 & 2014 has served us warning to the destruction of the education system as a result of poor quality of learning.

3.        Insufficient Personnel: - the rate of our teacher in most communities of our country is low. Most teachers have divided attention at a time, a person teaching up to 5-subjects, I’m very sure such individual can’t professionally handle those subject, what he has is just an idea of the subjects, reads on it & believes he is capable, I disagree. It is only a professional that handles a profession. John Locke said “No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his experience” and “that the mind is furnished with ideas by experience” and education is a form of experience

4.        Low teacher Morale: - A potent problem is the low teacher morale, this problem is complex, because the causes differs depending on the problem of the institution. It is obvious that the vulnerability of learners & teachers in our school, colleges & other institution to crimes of Vandalism, carrying & using weapon, drug-dealing & many forms of physical assault whether inside or outside the gate of institutions. Such news creates insecurity & fear and destroys the basis of learning community.

Indiscipline among workers of the institution is a source of demoralization for discipline workers of the institution who knows and does their job efficiently.

In conclusion. workers (professionals ) at all levels may suffer demoralization if they are not professionally equipped or resourced to cope with new demands that are being requested in-line with modern needs of the nation. Poor learning is associated with poverty, bad or absent facilities, under prepared teachers, lack of culture of learning, teaching & service. The number of young people who study mathematics with any degree of understanding has decline, mathematical illiteracy is dangerous to our society & the pool of recruits for further education in the information & science-based profession is shrinking, a danger that couples grave implication for Nigeria's future beyond.

Solutions to the problem affecting the management and educational system of Nigeria

The overall responsibility for the effective management of education system rests with the minister of education. However, the following responsibilities should be dealt with by the individual, society\community and administrators: -

1.      The ministry of Education in all State of our great nation should work cooperatively with the federal ministry of education to study the problems affecting the system of education in Nigeria and work together to achieve the solutions.- Every year the State of our Education System should be discussed by all Education stakeholders, taking record of the collective progress/barrier in attacking the priority area of need, build solidarity among the main actors in Education delivery and department while pointing the way forward.

2.            Illiteracy must be destroyed among adult and youth – how can this be achieved? Ministry of Education should strategically use the available resources on how to destroy illiteracy among adult and youths. In support of our illiterate citizens, invitations should be open to any entity ranging from political, social, Education & community to design a major programme that will tackle illiteracy and then make facilities available to run it(the only way that organization can give back to their environment). Some organizations don’t give back to the community at which they operate despite knowing that they should & when they give they end up giving the rich thereby increasing the gap between the rich and the poor.

3.  Schools must become centers of community life: - the school will truly become a center of community & center of life if its facilities are used for community & cultural life, for sport & recreation. An idle building is a vulnerable place inviting vandalism. A busy school is a place the community will protect because its theirs.

          

4.   Make the learning institutions conducive for learning – a learning environment is defined to be conducive when the structures, environment and school’s fabric are of good standard. Thousand of schools in Nigeria have poor physical fabric and many are dangerous for human habitation, hundreds of schools have no water on site, no sanitation whatsoever or insufficient toilets. I use this opportunity to press on the management at federal, state, and local government to speedily address the dangerous and dilapidated schools, and providing water and sanitation services where they do not exist. To develop our education system, our priority should be set in accordance with the needs of our learning institutions.

5.        Developing the quality of our teachers - professional development support services, the efficient provisions of learning and support materials and the progressive elimination of in-human physical conditions in schools will make a major impact on teacher’s morale and the quality of service they render. In order to recognize outstanding teachers in all levels of the system, the ministry of Education should establish a national teacher award scheme, all these and other measures which seems professionally fit will help to realign the identity of the teacher in Nigerian society which will boost the quality of our teachers and student at all levels.

6.        Approach to education – it is important to recognize the damage which was done over the decades by the stereotypical approach to education which do not allow for the development of the power independent thought and enquiry. Outcome based education (O.B.E.) is an approach that embraces the capacity of learners to think for themselves, to learn from the environment and to respond to wise guides by teachers who value creativity and self motivated learning. I am not saying that we should implement O. B. E. as the education system, but we should review the current education system and compare it to other developed country’s education system, then analyze how to meet with the needs of our country through the approach to education. It is fully recognize that the success of any standard system of education is entirely dependent on the extent to which teachers are properly prepared to facilitate it with understanding and the extent to which appropriate learning support materials are in the schools, the availability of books in schools is a vital ingredient in keeping cost down and keep learning up.

7.        Creating vibrant further education & training system to equip youth and adults to meet the social & economic needs of the 21st century – as a bridge between general education and higher education or employment, this is a vital sector for young people & adults whose formal education has been cut short. This is an urgent need to review all educational programs in the light of community social & economic needs in the 21st century. Language programs, mathematics & science and information & communication technologies are priority areas for review. It is important that this program should be accessible to adult learners who were unable to continue their education because of poverty or lack of opportunity.

8. Provide a system that will tackle Nigeria’s intellectual & professional challenges of the 21st century – the country depends on education system to meet its high level human resources need and to be the engine for the creation of new knowledge & innovation & critical discourse. Our education system must produce a safe & secure environment conducive  to promoting the mission of teaching & learning, scholarship and research and community service. Violence should not be tolerated; our school must be reclaimed as safe learning & living spaces, particularly for women student.

 In conclusion, the administrators, the society & each individual must work together to build a Nigeria education & training system for the 21st century, so that the country can develop & grow into a developed country. To achieve this, unity should be encouraged among the actors of such development.
    THE FASTER WE ACT, THE BETTER IT IS. GOD BLESS NIGERIA, AMEN.