Are there education idols?

THE question of whether there are education idols is one that should indeed be pondered upon by various academic stakeholders within the country. It is indeed unfortunate and saddening that Nigeria which unarguably boasts of numerous educational intellects only prioritizes programmes that are designated to breed, nurture and celebrate icons in the entertainment world while the educational sector on the other hand has lost its relevance.

The relevance and attention given to entertainment programmes by corporate entities, government functionaries and other concerned stakeholders is not only disheartening, but also alarming. Entertainment programmes like Big Brother Naija, Project fame, Nigeria idol and others have consistently enjoyed the light of day in terms of sponsorship and relevance while the few geniuses in the academic field are not given a befitting and well deserved recognition or relevance.

It is only in Nigeria where an academic intellect or a first class graduate is offered 50 thousand naira or even less while entertainment idols are showered with mouthwatering money. This has consequently continued to delimit the educational atmosphere as most youths who should have become idols in the field of education now show nonchalance towards the field. A good evidence of this distasteful incident is a case of the best graduating student of University of Nigeria, Nsukka who was awarded ten thousand naira as cash gift. This indeed speaks volume of the level of relevance we attach to academic endeavors as a nation.

The government of the day has clearly not done enough to foster and revamp education in the country. It is grossly impossible to achieve the feat of producing an overwhelming number of idols in the field of academics in a situation where enough funds are not disbursed to revamp educational institutions which could have gone a long way in producing intellects. It is not news that Nigeria is far from the UNESCO funding threshold for education pegged at 26 per cent of any budget cycle. The consequence is that teachers are underpaid; there is lack of healthy learning environment and absence of commitment as well as passion by those who work in the sector. This has been at the heart of most industrial actions in the education sector often led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. But all stakeholders are at one that only through empowerment of the citizens through education can any country achieve transformation

The lackadaisical nature of many students has also worsened the issue; majority of them are not passionate about achieving and actualizing a remarkable feat in the academic field. In recent times, it has been scientifically proven that majority of the students have chosen to dissociate from fervent reading, participating in educationally oriented programmes and research etc. They prefer to expend their time on phones checking or downloading entertainment stuffs that has no significant and notable impact on their academic prowess.

Without mincing words, it is essential to note that a nation who fails to build on the pedestal of education will sink abruptly. To avert such menace, it has now become imperative for all hands to be on deck to revamp and reshape the educational section of the country as this only can guarantee its relevance and consequently produces worthy idols in the field of academics. The government must strive to ensure that the funding of the educational sector in the country is improved in a way that it will align with the recommendation of UNESCO.

Olaleye Komolafe,

Ibadan.

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