Educational Issues
Education; The Pathway to Nigeria’s Ultimate Success -By Barakah Adesanya
They believe that sending a lady to school is absolute waste of resources as they would later end up in their various matrimonial homes. They seem to forget that these women are also humans and might feel marginalized when their brothers become doctors and engineers and the rest, while they remain economically non viable at home.
It is no longer news that the educational sector in Nigeria is depleting rapidly and is on the verge of collapsing. Education, as we all know, is the building block of any nation. It serves as the bedrock for the development of any country. Infact, it is a very vital component of national development.
In Nigeria, a lot of people would prefer to live abroad. They vision developed countries as heaven on earth as they are well-equipped in all aspects and more comfortable to live in. I believe that anybody offered with a chance to travel to the United States of America would not think twice before accepting the offer, forgetting that even the USA was not originally how it is now; it was gradually developed with all sense of patriotism and national commitment. What then, are the developing factors of such nations that Nigeria can’t afford to put in place?
It is imperative to note that nothing can be achieved without education. This is in the sense that nations that attach no importance to education are bound to fail. However, Nigeria is not exempted. In Nigeria, people view investing time and money in education as a waste of time and resources especially in rural areas. Parents, and specially in the rural areas nowadays, are usually not keen on the education of their wards especially the female gender. They believe that sending a lady to school is absolute waste of resources as they would later end up in their various matrimonial homes. They seem to forget that these women are also humans and might feel marginalized when their brothers become doctors and engineers and the rest, while they remain economically non viable at home.
Additionally, technological advancements in developed countries are as a result of scientific knowledge, which is in form of learning. But, in a country like Nigeria, where cognisance is not attached to education, how would the talented spread their wings into inventing beneficial products that might help change Nigeria into a better place when nobody cares to give them a chance to explore themselves and their abilities through education?
Furthermore, Nigeria is still a developing nation which aims at becoming a developed one. But with the attitude of the citizens and even the government, there is no hope in sight as the educational sector is demoralising at a fast rate. For instance, imagine the number of talented youths we have roaming the streets in search of food! Some of them are actually dropouts, whose parents feel that since they are not progressing in a particular field of study, they should rather go for vocational training because everyone has his or her own area of specialization. It is also worthy to note that if one is supported in pursuing his or her dreams, he or she would definitely achieve something great, thereby impacting positively on his or her family and the nation at large.
To end with, all hopes should not be lost as Nigeria can also be a developed country and this can only happen when all hands are on deck to promote the educational sector of the country.
Undoubtedly, no nation can move forward across all spheres without education. The Nigerian government should therefore provide free education, especially at the basic levels, well-equipped schools and engage competent and committed teachers to teach all learners. They should also provide public enlightenment in the rural areas to educate the masses there on the need to have their wards educated at all costs.
