Problems in Nigeria Education and factors affecting educational planning in Nigeria includes lacks adequate funding for school, exploitation, untrained teachers, poor learning environments and so on.
Education facilitates learning and acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. It ensures imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally, prepares one for intellectually mature life.
Regardless of its many benefits and importance, education is faced with various challenges in schools.
If the Problems Facing Education in Nigeria are not tackled from the roots, they will continue to persist, just like a tree that grows back when it is cut instead of to uproot it.
The current state of affairs in Nigeria leaves both standard education and higher education in a dire situation. Due to poor leadership, lack of funding, low supply of teachers, lack of resources and more, Nigeria suffers from a multitude of hurdles, including:
General Problems in Nigeria Education.
1. Exploitation and Extortion
Students are subjected to undue of exploitation by school heads at both private and public schools in the name of enrollment fees and assurance of success in their examination and this they do in collaboration with the ministry officials who ought to inspect and monitor activities in schools to ensure quality assurance.
In like manner, students are being surcharged in a number of ways in tertiary institutions either in the name of dues that are not accounted for, force purchase study materials at exorbitant rate.
2. Acute Shortage of Teachers
In many schools across Nigeria, don’t be surprise to find an English Language teacher giving lessons on mathematics or even Biology. This is because these schools lack a complete set of teachers. Consequently, a school lacking a Mathematics teacher might allow a history teacher to give lessons mathematics lessons.
This is the more reason why one may not have the gut to quarry the mass promotion syndrome been practice in schools because the system itself is not balanced.
3. Lack of Funding:
The entire country lacks adequate funding for school, but the situation is worse in the north. In fact, the UN estimated that about 53% of kids don’t go to school in the region because of poverty. Throughout the country, the minimum wage is only $90 a month and so, when it comes to affording a higher education, it can be difficult to afford. This is because the average cost of public universities is $125-$500 per year, and the average cost of private institutions is $2,700 annually.
4. Gender Inequality:
Culturally, Nigeria has practices that limits or stops females from getting an education, starting from a young age. This gender inequality is also stronger in the north, and the negative effects are seen throughout a woman’s life.
5. Overcrowding
The schools are tremendously overcrowded. Some areas in Nigeria have a student-to-teacher ratio of 100 to 1.
Additionally, the lack of schools means that some students have to go to far lengths to even attend an institution, and then when they do, all students are placed in one classroom.
The lack of universities and seats means that there is a higher demand for those seeking education than the country can fill.
6. Lack Quality of Education
Because of the poor conditions and lack of infrastructure, and at times, not even having teachers available, the quality of education is undoubtedly inferior to other countries around the world.
This is why so many Nigerian students choose to study abroad or online. Nigerians tend to study in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Germany to make up for the low quality of education within their home country.
7. Untrained Teachers and Low Salaries:
The poverty-ridden country also means that the teachers who show up don’t get paid well.
Therefore, there isn’t a high incentive for people to go into the profession to make up for the low supply. It’s a cyclical problem.
8. Conflict-Ridden Country:
Nigeria has faced its fair share of internal conflict. For example, in the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa), because of war and political instability, 802 schools are closed, almost 500 are destroyed, and about 1,392 are damaged, but are said to be repairable.
9. Poor Orientation
In view of the current state of events in Nigeria’s schooling system, (with promotion and encouragement of examination malpractices and other related irregularities in schools at all levels), the habit of reading, procurement of books and other skills development materials has fallen greatly among a number of students.
This days, Nigerian students are more interested in ‘sorting’ to pass examination.
This trend is also observed to have close relationship with rising sexual promiscuity among students.
10. Poor Preparation and Examination Malpractices
In view of the rising costs of education (school fees, enrollment fees, cost of books and other materials) students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects, hence will go to any length to ensure success.
In some cases, some teachers at the secondary school level are involved by way of encouraging students to contribute money (cooperation fees) in order to secure the needed assistance during such examinations. The teachers do this because of greed.
Majority of students in secondary schools on annual basis choose to enroll and sit for their final year external examination in schools in the interior and some private schools where they are very sure they would be allowed to cheat and pass the examination.
11. Poor Parenting/Guidance
Parenting, entails caring, protection, guidance, provision of basic needs for a child up keep in order for him or her to be properly equipped to meet with the challenges of life, in accordance with the laws of the land.
However, some Nigerian parents aid examination malpractice by paying teachers to effect malpractices in order to brighten the chances of their children or wards in qualifying examination to higher institutions and some even progress on this act through the tertiary level of education.
Nigeria’s schooling system has reached a level, which deserves the declaration of a state of emergency.
Poor education, over the years, has bred indiscipline and indiscipline is the bane of the Nigerian society today and calls for restoration of a proper academic culture in Nigeria.
Possible Solutions to the Problems Facing Nigeria Education.
- Reviving the educational system in Nigeria lies in the hands of the government. Necessary steps need to be taken in order to restructure and save educational sector in Nigeria. The government at all levels needs to commit to the delivering of a competitive standard of education across the country and with other countries.
- Also, the right investments need to be done in order to get the desired results. Adequate funding with good management will provide high-quality education in Nigeria. Funds for renovation of schools and institution, acquiring quality training facilities, research grants, decent teachers’ salaries and welfare, etc. are the things that need to be increased, released and spent appropriately.
- The level of corruption in education ministries and regulatory bodies needs to be taken seriously and tackled. The level of exam malpractices needs to be curbed by a joint effort of the government and examination regulatory bodies.
- The teaching curriculum needs to be reviewed and updated. It needs to be more practical and research based. Teachers’ salaries must be reviewed and improved. Fair wages will also motivate teachers to do their job on a high-quality level. Also, there should be regular payments of teachers’ salaries. This will attract qualified and dedicated teachers to public schools and will change the attitude of young people towards the teaching profession and youth will study to become teachers.
- Proper training of teachers with current and up to date materials and technology also will improve the condition of education in Nigeria.
- Necessary vetting measures should be taken to make sure that only qualified teachers are employed. Admissions into tertiary institutions should be based solely on merit level.
- Admissions into tertiary institutions should be based solely on merit level. In conclusion, we will be able to see real changes in the level of education in Nigeria, when power will belong to visionary and selfless leaders who understand the importance of quality education. Our future is in our hands.
