Need to curb Corruption in education sector

Corruption is the falsification of the truth in the mind of a person, starting with the child who has absolute trust in the guide of his thinking. Education is imparting knowledge, information and guide by whosoever and by any form of action.

The child is naturally endowed with the ability to reason but most of the time he/ she allows for influencing of his/ her natural instinct until an age of reasoning matures. It follows therefore that any information that runs counter to his instinctive reasoning is forced on the child, even when he is made to believe and accept the act because he is persuaded to accept that it is in his interest.

In Nigeria today, we have seen the manifestation of this corrupt tendencies in some surprising ways and we would like to speak on them to attract more attention. Our educational sector has become the most fertile/ veritable ground for all forms of corruption. It starts with age manipulation to enable a child benefit from admission into a higher institution.

A child of 21st century, even in the most remote civilisation in Nigeria, knows his birthday; it may be by inference where there is no official birth certificate. When the child thereafter seeks admission to secondary or tertiary institutions and the parent’s present affidavit paper that bears a different birth date, he will be silent because it is for his benefit but deep in his heart, he knows that there is a falsification. This early negative impression on the child’s concept of faith, truth and trust leaves a permanent negative concept on integrity and loyalty.

• High tuition fees: Over 30% carrying capacity of private varsities not utilized ― FG

The latest in the public domain worthy to be prosecuted to prevent repeat in the future are the cases of alleged impersonation by a Professor and some other PhD holders identified to attempt, or actually wrote the UTME examination for their wards this month. A similar case that is still under legal investigation is that by Sen. Adeleke and his brother in the NECO examination in 2017.

As this is undergoing judicial review we shall refrain from making public comments on it. But still in the education sector, we need to ask questions on several issues and ask that the Federal Government take urgent steps as we await the take-off of the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari.

For a start at the secondary school level, are the inspectors from the ministries and are WAEC and NECO honest in their recommendations for approval? Is the situation any different from accreditation of programmes in the tertiary institutions? At the tertiary education level, we ask, can government vouch for up to 60 per cent honest commitment of the TETFUND given to tertiary institutions actually and honestly committed to the projects they were meant for?

What accounts for the obvious drop in the quality of our graduates and school leavers? What are qualities of education were imparted? Do ministry officials and political officers lure applicants to offer bribes? Do honest and deserving applicants secure appointments as were the cases in the 1960s-1980s? What accounts for over population in examination halls in villages? Do the students pay for the fraud?

Prof Samuel Ibiyemi and Rev Gabriel Olaoye

Ilorin.