ASUU strike and other flaws in education

Making lemons out of lemonades may be the reasonable resolution for Nigerian students in their pursuit for a chance at a good life in this country. Over the years, the government has perpetually made a play thing out of the educational pursuit of its citizens and ridiculed the very essence of education.

There is no nation greater than the standard of its education. It follows then that if the government is not serious enough with the future of its youths, then they are preparing a nation that would self-destruct. They are conveniently spearheading, sponsoring and setting up the future of our nation for an irrecoverable catastrophe.

Young intelligent students are already giving up and are opting for personal entrepreneurial gains since the educational system is failing them. Can we blame them? It now seems like the strike is finally encouraging them to pursue their passion.

This is not to mention the already rotting system as if designed to churn out mediocre and low-performing students. How is it that the minimum qualification to teach at a government primary school is NCE where those directed to colleges of education are those with the lowest UTME cut-off? Shouldn’t the requirement for teaching be among the highest in schools? A teacher who is not academically sound should not be fit to teach in the first place; but the opposite is the case.

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The profession has been ridiculed and bastardised by an improper prerequisite system. Sadly, examinations at virtually all levels are set for students with varying comprehensive capacity, but are equally graded. This includes students with learning difficulties and those with academic talent. Take for instance there is a child in a school with dyslexia or dyscalculia. How many government-owned institutions are you aware of that provide special teaching services to these kids? How many are there in Nigeria and how proficient are they? We have made a general requirement off education that those who are divergently built would not make headway in life but become nothing but a laughing stock.

With the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) insisting on the strike till the Federal Government meets their requirements, it would only seem disgraceful that they toy on with the destinies of their youth, boldly exhibiting incompetence thereby deliberately wasting the destinies of the very youths who the torch should be passed on to for the mantle of leadership!

Efe Ronald Chesterfield,

Oyo State