is a clear vision and
pathway that will ensure
that every Nigerian child
gets a universal and quality
basic education. Until this is
done, the money budgeted to
commence the schools meal
programmes might as well
be flushed down the drain.
The greatest resource that we have as a country
is not our oil and gas reserve in the Niger Delta
or the countless solid mineral resources strewn
across our land from Abia to Zamfara. The most
valuable resources that we have as a country is
the over 170 million human beings that
comprise Nigeria, which makes it the most
populous country in Africa; this makes one out
every three black persons on earth a Nigerian.
However, the true value of human capital
resource is not in the numbers but in the state
and quality of the mind of the people. The
nations leading the world politically,
economically, militarily and socially have one
thing in common – they value the human
resource. They invest a lot in human capital
and respect the right and dignity of the human
person.
Today, India is fast becoming a global
leader in science and technology. Indians are
the CEOs of a number of global technology
companies, from Google to Microsoft. Today,
about 15 percent of startups in Silicon Valley
are founded by Indians. Indians are said to be
the biggest power players in Silicon Valley.
Almost all the major US technology companies
have technology pioneers of Indian descent.
This Indian story is a product of a solid
education programme and a well planned
human capital development process.
Nigeria today has the
highest number of out of
school youths in the world.
Nigeria is one country where
you will find millions of
children and teenagers who
have never seen the four
walls of a classroom.
Nigeria has the highest
number of millennia in the
world who are illiterates.
My
heart breaks when I meet
young people born after the
magic year 2000 who can
neither read nor write –
whose only life skill is to dig,
hew wood, fetch water, ride
motorbikes, drive "keke
napep" and cause accidents
because they cannot read
road signs.
According to a report Universal Basic Skills: What
Countries Stand to Gain by the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), "economic growth and social
development are closely correlated to the skills
of a country's population." Research shows the
causal relationship between a nation's skill – its
knowledge capital – and its long-run growth
rate, making it possible to estimate how
education policies affect each nation's expected
economic performance.
Third world nations became first world nations
walking the same old and sure path of
education. Great nations know that making all
the preparations ahead of the challenges and
opportunities that tomorrow brings starts and
ends in the classroom.
It was the ruler of Dubai
who said you can predict the future of any
country by looking at the classroom. Nigeria
today has the highest number of out of school
youths in the world. Nigeria is one country
where you will find millions of children and
teenagers who have never seen the four walls
of a classroom. Nigeria has the highest number
of millennia in the world who are illiterates.
My heart breaks when I meet young people born
after the magic year 2000 who can neither read
nor write – whose only life skill is to dig, hew
wood, fetch water, ride motorbikes, drive "keke
napep" and cause accidents because they
cannot read road signs.
I don't want to start on
the sorry state of classrooms in most public
schools and the dearth of teachers.
The state of education in
Nigeria is one that calls for
the declaration of a state of
emergency.
It is time to
come up with a national
education philosophy that
will shape the policies and
programmes of government,
and the participation of all
Nigerians.
With the right philosophy, we will have the
best of us teaching the rest of
us in all schools from
kindergarten to post-
graduate studies. Our
classrooms will be a space
for knowledge acquisition
for problem solving.
At the core of the economic and social
transformation of Singapore from the book
Third World to First World is a solid, robust and
aggressive human capital development drive,
driven by a number of radical education
policies.
Government should channel its energy
and resources toward educating the everyday
Nigerian. Nothing impacts and releases value
like quality education. The state of education in
Nigeria is one that calls for the declaration of a
state of emergency.
It is time to come up with a
national education philosophy that will shape
the policies and programmes of government,
and the participation of all Nigerians. With the
right philosophy, we will have the best of us
teaching the rest of us in all schools from
kindergarten to post-graduate studies. Our
classrooms will be a space for knowledge
acquisition for problem solving.
What our country needs now is a clear vision
and pathway that will ensure that every
Nigerian child gets a universal and quality basic
education. Until this is done, the money
budgeted to commence the schools meal
programmes might as well be flushed down the
drain.
Sunday Ogidigbo is the Lead Pastor of Holyhill
Church Abuja. You can connect with him on
Twitter @SOgidigbo
Source :Premium Times Blogs
No comments:
Post a Comment