Funmi Ogundare
18 November 2008
Lagos — There is need for the Nigerian government to evolve a functional educational policy for nation-building, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro has said.
Obanikoro, who made this call recently at the opening ceremony of a two-day educational summit, organised in Lagos by Magic Moments, said the country's educational policy had made room for a comprehensive and an all-embracing curriculum, but failed to set up a realistic regulatory machinery to ensure that standards were met.
The High Commissioner who spoke on 'Evolving Educational Policy for Nation Building: The Role of Teachers and Students', noted that the existing policy also provided for well-structured examinations for all students, but did not ensure that they master the technique to pass and be adequately fortified for all examinations.
Obanikoro, who was epresented by a Consultant in Training and Public Speaking, Mr. Henry Agbebire, said the poor educational policy had led to a stunted growth in creative and inventive capacities of many Nigerian graduates and an increase in the number of fraudsters, as well as persistent desires in youths seeking solace abroad.
He regretted that "The windstorm of endemic corruption has taken over our primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The dwindling performance of students in JSS/SSCE and university examinations has continued as a recurring decimal in our nation's history and the hue and cry about examination malpractice in our schools has not been subdued."
The Higher Commissioner stressed the need for students and teachers to develop a reading culture, support the fight against corruption and examination malpractice, be creative and inventive, as well as build their self-esteem.
"The government may have failed in its role of providing adequate educational infrastructure. The library may be begging for new and current books. Our economy may be in deep crisis, but a nation that breeds teachers and students who are not committed to assiduous reading would suffer stunted growth in its educational sector. If a lecturer cannot survive except he extorts money from students, he has not only betrayed his professional calling, he has sent a signal to the world that he is not fit to be a lecturer", Obanikoro stressed.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola who was represented by his Special Assistant on Education, Dr. Elijah Olu Adewale, regretted that the environment and the level of ones intelligence affects education in Nigeria saying that students most times prefer to watch television rather than read their text books. He added that most literate people were not making efforts to improve on themselves and that they should strive to update their knowledge.
Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Wahab Oba , who spoke on 'Mass Media as a Medium of Educating the Nigerian Child', stressed the need for education planners and curriculum developers to work toward evolving a curriculum that could accentuate vision 2020 development plan.
According to him, without a well crafted educational curriculum, the country cannot be one of the leading economies.
While advocating for more children oriented programmes, he called on the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), to put in place stringent laws against media organisations that do not adhere to stipulated percentage of children-oriented programmes to be aired and that government media organisations should also blaze the trail by paying more attention to it. "Understanding media influences, and how to use it constructively, may be an essential tool for those who advocate for children, young people, and their family welfare. Therefore campaigns and other forms of media education and entertainment, may be targeted at the child, with a view to encouraging positive attitudes in children", he said. The event witnessed the unveiling of the Magic Moments National Spelling Bee Logo.
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