The plight of Nigerian students, parents

An English adage says education is the best legacy. But it is so pathetic that, today, Nigeria’s educational sector is moving backwards. In the past, education was handled with seriousness.
Now, parents cannot afford to pay their children’s school fees in primary, secondary and tertiary schools. And most students are now distracted from their academic pursuits as they have to hustle to meet the demands of the academic environment.
It is so unfortunate that a lot of money is being spent on the entertainment industry, but not on education. For instance, the sum of N25 million was issued to a winner in the Big Brother Nigeria (BBN) reality show while N10,000 was recently given as a cash prize for the overall best student of the University of Calabar, Cross River State. Students are being discouraged from even taking their academic pursuit seriously.
Another bombshell is that a number of tertiary institutions across the country have, for some time now, been increasing their tuition fees as a result of poor funding from the federal and state governments.
I, therefore, implore the three tiers of government to follow the steps of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who fought for the masses to get education.

•Ajibola Esther
Ibadan, Oyo State.