BY ANDREW DARAH (J.P)
Education is a foundation for the development and progress of any society. It is a base upon which the whole building of human development stands. Getting proper education is necessary for success in life just like the food is necessary for the healthy human body. As it is often said, when you build a child, you build the nation because the bedrock of growth and development in any nation is education.
Quite unfortunately, the educational system of Nigeria as a country has become a thing of mockery amongst the international community and even other African countries.
The provided curriculum for the country is not competitive. It doesn’t give an edge to the students when they stand out in international debates, competitions, or other educational activities globally.
The deficiency in quality education in all sectors of the country has created room for inconsistency in the development and growth of the nation’s economy at large and in a time like this, there is a very urgent need for the education sector of the country to be looked at adequately
The following are some of the Ways to Improve Quality Education in Nigeria:
1. Provision of a good learning structure:
For quality education to be made possible, facilities such as good classroom blocks, electricity, water, and many other education-friendly facilities need to be put in place, and being that quality education is not based only on the theoretical aspects but also on the practical aspects, the schools need to have the means of practically applying what has been taught to the students.
This is not just the job of the government, it is also the job of the general populace especially the stakeholders in the educational sector.
2. The curriculum of the country needs to be reviewed:
There is no point studying in a school or country where you will be learning something that is no longer relevant in today’s world or may not be relevant in days to come.
So many things in the curriculum need to be scraped off and replaced with things that are more practical and addresses the current or future needs of the country.
3. Training the trainers:
The teacher is one of the most important inputs in the education system. He shapes the direction and influences to a great extent other educational inputs to achieve the stated goals of the education industry. The extent to which this can be done depends on the quality and quantity of training received by teachers since the quality of educational outcomes depends to a great extent on the quality of teachers.
Training and retraining can help teachers improve their teaching which in turn affects students’ performance. (Harris et al., 2014) affirms that when teachers are productive, it enhances students’ learning. Several authors have given series of expositions on training and retraining of teachers.
The teachers in the country at all levels need to be trained on how to deliver effectively because no matter how much better the curriculum may be if the teachers cannot interpret it, the students or learners may have difficulty fulfilling the national objectives of the curriculum.
4. Good pay package:
No matter how trained a teacher may be if what he or she gets at the end of the day does not measure up with what he or she delivers, demotivation usually sets in. It doesn’t have to be money, teachers need to be appreciated in all ways because they are the ladder on which all other professionals climb; they need to be properly taken care of whether, in the private or public schools, a teacher that has not received quality investment cannot give out quality service delivery.
The roles and importance of teachers can never be overemphasized. Apart from impacting knowledge which is the primary duty of every teacher at all levels, these wonderful creatures also serve as external parents, role models, guidance, and counsellor, among others in the lives of their students.
Contrary to the popular saying that teachers’ reward is in heaven, it should be noted that why it is true that teachers merit reward in heaven, they equally deserve to be honoured and appreciated while they are still alive
5. Subsidy on the cost of educational materials:
Most schools (both private and public) know where to go for quality educational materials but because the products or services are on the high side, they decline and need to improvise which sometimes does not support quality education.
Conclusion
Education should not be something that is looked upon with the eyes of politics as every other sector is in Nigeria. The country is going through a lot of ups and downs and it is only the light that education brings that can put an end to some of the current economic challenges that we face on earth.
