Former Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Professor Michael Omolewa, has emphasised need to reduce the educational imbalance among states and regions in the country.
Omolewa said it is time for the leadership of the country to reflect on the arrangement of a system which fails to encourage merit and competence in determining admission to higher institutions.
He stated this recently while delivering a keynote address at the National Conference of Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele, Abeokuta, with theme ‘Pedagogies And Policies Amidst Global Educational Challenges’.
He urged government to consider alternative strategies in addressing the imbalance, by expanding access to less-developed areas or increasing enrolment by building more institutions and providing staff and facilities.
“The focus on merit will stimulate healthy competition in society and ensure that no preferential treatment is given to any section of the Nigerian population,” he said.
Omolewa equally called for the revisit of the school curriculum and the need to bring back history as subject to be learnt in school.
The ex-UNESCO official said, “We should revisit the school curriculum and bring back our history; after all, the new national anthem talks of honouring “our heroes past”. But there are currently limited avenues through which to identify who those heroes are, what makes them heroes and how they became heroes.
“This is what history as a subject can unravel, not the growing catalogue of biographies, many of which lack historical depth and analysis.
“A new education policy on the language of instruction must be developed and the possibility of a common language for the Nigerian nation must be explored. Policy makers, planners and education practitioners must be made to appreciate that education is not merely the learning of facts: it is rather the training of the mind to think.”
The Provost of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, Dr Nelson Aderemi, in his presentation, lamented that the teaching profession is gradually losing its values, advising government to find lasting solution to it.
“The challenges that education is facing in this country are learning; poverty and out-of-school children; the quality and quantity of teachers; challenge in teacher education; challenge of pandemic; insecurity and educational challenge; Educational policies and policy implementation in Nigeria; Child right policy and Universal Basic Education (UBA) and Policy.
“Teaching profession is stylishly losing its values which the government should find solution to it. Teaching profession shouldn’t be the least of and the last hope of people who are not have interest in teaching,” Aderemi said.
Dr Rafiu Soyele, FCE provost, in his welcome address, enjoined students to be resilient, focus and always ready to face challenges.
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