Foreign education and strain on the naira

I T is no longer news  that Nigerian parents pay about $1billion as tuition annually for their children studying abroad. This is part of the strain the naira is facing at the moment, which has made it so weak against other world currencies.

I know those in the middle and lower cadres in the society are not guilty of this. For one to be able to send one’s child abroad for tertiary education, then one will be in government, or be a rich businessman or woman, or one will be into pipeline bunkering.

What is painful here is that those who have their children studying abroad are also those who contributed to the decay we are experiencing in the education sector today. Okay, you might say not all of them, but I believe a larger percentage of those in the top societal cadre are responsible for this.

Why have we failed to upgrade our educational system? The answer is simple; the powerful people in the country are aware that education liberates, and the only thing they can use to keep the people down perpetually is by denying them qualitative education. Therefore, the easiest way to do this is simply by neglecting the education sector. To know how terrible this situation is, one needs to visit public primary and secondary schools around the country. One will weep for our upcoming generation.

Most of the buildings are dilapidated, and it is not uncommon to find students learning on the floor, or under trees. At the end of the day, those who had left the shores of the country will return to have dominion over those who had their education in dilapidated classrooms.

I believe President Muhammadu Buhari is out to change the situation of things in this country. We have seen how many of the supposed big people in the society got their money.

It is high time the Nigerian people started discriminating against those who have been linked with corruption. We should see corruption in the negative light, and not celebrate those who have stolen our commonwealth.

In fact, it will be better if laws can be enacted to commit corrupt people to life behind bars, or even death by firing squad.

Nigerians have trust in President Buhari to bring about a change to the lives of Nigerian children through education.

• Jeremiah Galong,

Jos,

Plateau State.