Something has to give within the education system, and if what gives is the cycle of incompetence guaranteed by weak political will and irresponsible unions, then so be it.
In Kaduna State right now, over twenty thousand Nigerians are facing imminent job losses in the state’s civil service. Nasir el-Rufai, the state governor, plans to replace them with more suitably qualified personnel. The news sends chills down the spine of the average person, especially in the current unfriendly economic climate in Nigeria.
The spine-chilling horror of the proposed move will probably turn to a mixture of disbelief and strong approval when one learns that the more than 20,000 civil servants are teachers who had just failed examinations set for primary four pupils. Images of some of their test scripts have been released online by the state government to justify the governor’s decision. The scripts reveal errors in spelling that would earn primary two pupils sharp rebukes by their teachers. The incoherent sentences on some of the scripts are heart-breaking.
The governor is now torn between calls for his administration to be “humane” and desist from carrying out the extreme action and others cheering him on to save the children of Kaduna State from a mediocre future. It does not help that the governor has acquired a reputation for harshness and blind resolve in his past appointments. This uncomfortably comes into play to steer the conversation away from the real issue, which is that the future of the Nigerian child should not be toyed with.
The truly gulling reality is that this could have happened anywhere in the country. While teachers from some states may fare better than others, there is just no guarantee, and this is a sad point indeed. An optimal result will be that no teacher scores below 80 percent in this kind of test, but it is doubtful that this will be the case in any state school anywhere in Nigeria. The Kaduna State situation should therefore, be considered as a litmus test in the resolve of the country to break through the chains of primitivity and mediocrity in the educational sector.
The unenviable situation el-Rufai now finds himself is accentuated by the threat of strike made by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kaduna if the governor persists in his decision. It is understandable that the NUT is a trade union by description and as such is expected to protect the interest of its members, suitably qualified or not, as it is. However, the body ought to have a frank discussion amongst its members with the interest of the children at the forefront of their thoughts.
The selfish interest of teachers, who are largely not qualified, has been demonstrated before through age falsification and irregular certificates in Edo State. Adams Oshiomole, then governor of Edo State had a chance to set the tone for reform of state schools in the country at that point. In a popular video, the governor is seen besides a teacher who could not read the contents of her own certificate after being prompted to do so by the governor. Oshiomole hatched a plan to conduct competency tests for teachers at the time, which was resisted by the teachers on spurious grounds.
Today, if there are incompetent doctors who cannot differentiate between a stethoscope, proctoscope and otoscope, will the medical association defend them or will they be allowed to continue practice? This is where we are with many teachers and the sooner all involved realise this, the better.
Even then, the NUT threatened and Oshiomole’s former comrades at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also mounted pressure until he made the political decision to settle for a “training and re-training” programme instead. The ‘programme’ has now led nowhere. Oshiomole sacked only 936 teachers then, a decision which he reversed after the mounted pressure. This helps to put into scale what el-Rufai is about to embark on.
After the capitulation of Oshiomole to trade union pressure, el-Rufai’s mission takes on much more significance, not just because of its scale. The future of public school education may now rest on the outcome of the showdown between el-Rufai and the unions. The NLC and NUT are already active in protest in Kaduna and Nigerians should keep watch on developments there as it may have ripple effects on other states.
If the strong-willed el-Rufai manages to overcome the unions and carry out his plan, a bold precedence will be laid. The power of the unions against crucial personnel overhauling in public schools will be weakened and the reform can spread far and wide. Now is the time for extreme measures because public education has barely survived a sustained crisis since the early 1990s. It is now at a critical point.
Many years back, a person with a standard six certificate (First School Leaving Certificate) could speak and write very well. These days, a school certificate holder and even graduates struggle to make sense in English. With the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently dropping cut-off marks to record low levels, with the lowest levels for intending teachers, it is obvious that the quality of education is only sinking lower.
We are at a point where the only options for recovery are extreme choices. How does one retrain a teacher that cannot pass primary four examinations? Surely, the children do not have the time it takes for the teachers to go back to primary school, which they ought to do.
The future of Nigerian children cannot be mortgaged for political advantage by our leaders or the selfish interests of the unions. Too much is at stake in a fast growing world for Nigeria to jeopardise its position in an increasingly competitive space on the global front. Of the current crop of millennials, many have been adjudged to be unemployable, and the others have only excelled despite the educational system. Better qualified teachers will make intelligent demands for teaching aids from the government and task the students to do more to achieve their potentials.
The NUT needs to re-invent itself as a body and re-evaluate its mission and values. It must be aligned with the better interest of the Nigerian child. This can only happen if the body can indeed play a part in ensuring teachers are adequately trained in the actual sense, not just bearing certificates that say they are.
Something has to give within the education system, and if what gives is the cycle of incompetence guaranteed by weak political will and irresponsible unions, then so be it. el-Rufai may be unpopular in many quarters, but if it takes an unpopular man to take the unpopular decision that may start the educational revolution in Nigeria, then it is fortuitous that he is a governor today.
As for the unions, the NUT and NLC should rather be thinking towards a deal to make the transition from ill-qualified to better qualified teachers as dignified as possible. This is achievable if the affected teachers are provided with an option of re-absorption if they manage to improve themselves in future. The one thing that should be non-negotiable is the quality of education the Nigerian child receives.
While the popular saying that teachers’ reward is in heaven may be a stretch too far, it is also true that selfish interest is not a leading quality in a good teacher. The NUT needs to re-invent itself as a body and re-evaluate its mission and values. It must be aligned with the better interest of the Nigerian child. This can only happen if the body can indeed play a part in ensuring teachers are adequately trained in the actual sense, not just bearing certificates that say they are.
Helpless children in Kaduna State are being placed between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they may be denied what little education they are getting through strike action by the unions, while on the other hand, they may continue to be taught by teachers who cannot themselves pass the examinations the students are assessed by.
Competency tests should be carried out for teachers all over the country to ensure that the students are indeed getting an education and not just attending school. It is better for us to know where we stand and safeguard the future, than for the unions to maintain the job security of their members. The individuals who populate these unions must begin to see every Nigerian child in the eyes of their own children and make the best decision for them.
Today, if there are incompetent doctors who cannot differentiate between a stethoscope, proctoscope and otoscope, will the medical association defend them or will they be allowed to continue practice? This is where we are with many teachers and the sooner all involved realise this, the better.
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