While Nigeria is still grappling with the concern of a high number of out-of-school children, which is more prevalent in the northern parts of the country, there seems to be a bigger issue of the learning crisis, where pupils are attending school but learning little or nothing.
The learning crisis cuts across all states in the country and deserves more urgent attention.
The Baseline Assessment of primary schools carried out by the Enugu State government in November 2023 showed that 50 per cent of pupils in the state cannot read in English or solve basic mathematical problems.
The Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who disclosed this recently during the convention of the Old Boys Association of Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, in the state said: "Our findings were shocking. After six years of primary school, 50 per cent of our children cannot read a single word in English and those who can read struggle with comprehension."
He further said: "50% of our children cannot solve simple subtraction challenges. What we found out in Enugu State is written widely across our nation."
While noting that in Nigeria, 3 out of 4 children who complete basic education lack proficiency in literacy and numeracy, which has been tagged as Nigerian Learning Crisis by the World Bank, UNICEF and UNESCO, Onyia lamented that the teaching methods currently employed fail to equip children with vital skills in science, technology, productivity, and digital competence.
This situation, which cuts across other states of the country, is a sad reality of the state of Nigeria basic education currently and thus, many children are not learning even while attending school.
The question is what could be wrong or who is to be blamed in the situation where children who are going to school on a daily basis, got taught in class, write examinations and get promoted to the next class fail to read or solve basic numeracy problems at the foundational level? One could rightly ask; what is the use of examination in schools, if not to assess academic abilities that get one to the next class?
Who should be blamed for the poor learning outcomes?
The World Bank analysis in 2021 showed that 70 per cent of children are not achieving basic foundational skills. This is in addition to low public spending on education as 1.7% of GDP is allocated to education and that qualified teachers are in short supply, as 27 per cent of the teaching staff are unqualified.
It also said there are insufficient physical resources, with a high classroom learner ratio of 1:55 in primary schools and low school readiness, as at least 10 million children aged 3 to 5 are not enroled in ECCDE services.
With the above analysis, it is easier to note that the issue of poor learning in foundational classes in public schools needs urgent attention.
Some educationists who spoke to Daily Trust blamed the government, system and teachers as well as the parents.
A former teacher in a government school in Nasarawa State, who prefers to be called Rita recalled her experience in a school where she served as a teacher for one year before she got another job.
Ms Rita who said she was teaching SS1 students said she was surprised when she discovered that some students in her class could neither read nor write.
"It was a rude shock to me because these students supposedly went to primary school, attended class, sat exams and got promoted to the next classes and then proceeded to secondary school and did JSS 1 to JSS3 and then wrote Junior School Certificate Examination and proceeded to SS1 and you cannot not read and write simple sentences," she said.
She said the surprising thing is that they do not understand anything but they are always in school and attending classes.
"I remember talking to the head teacher about it and he said, yes, that most of those students' mates had long graduated and those ones were still struggling. I asked how they made it to SS1 and he said they were helped and I could help too in my own way.
"I spoke to them and took it upon myself to teach them during my extra time, so I asked them to come to me whenever there was free time or during break. Two of them came to me and after a short conversation; I understood they did not understand what was going on in class.
"I started teaching them two-letter words in SS1 and can you imagine they couldn't even identify two-letter words nor comprehend and after a while they stopped coming and ran whenever they saw me because they dIdn't want to be stressed," she said.
Ms Rita said she later understood that the teachers and the system were not helping such students.
"After examinations, I marked my papers. Of course those students failed because they didn't write anything other than copying the questions. I submitted my result to the head teacher then, only for him to summon me and tell me that I had to change the result because the performance was too low and that I failed those students."
"I said sir the scripts are there for you to see and surprisingly he said, "Yes I know you are right but we have to help them. We feel since they have interest in school and have been pushing we just pass them with a weak mark and let them go." I then understood how they got to SS1 without knowing how to read and write," she said.
She however said there should be serious overhauling of the system because the learning crisis is not only at the basic level but cuts across.
"I blame everyone from the government who fails to make education a priority to the system and the teachers who compromised. I believed that if the teachers did not compromise, the students would have been able to learn to read from primary school," he said.
On who to blame, Olasunkanni Opeifa, a Global Teachers Prize finalist, said all hands must be on deck to achieve learning outcomes so all stakeholders who will enjoy the results should be blamed too if the results are less than the expectations.
"Let's start from the system. If the policies in books are implemented, the system will work fine to a large extent. So, those in the helm of affairs need to wake up to the responsibility of not just forming policies but implementing them," he said.
He said parents too should realise that teachers or the system can't be left alone to give their children the needed education but they should be up and doing to ensure the learning is meaningful and hold whoever is in charge of education responsible where they need to.
"They should ask their children specific questions about their learning beyond "how was school?" he said.
He further said: "Teachers too need to upgrade themselves and be 21st century compliant. They should be lifelong learners. Draw achievable learning goals, rethink assessment and feedback methods. They should equally integrate technology in education too."
Oluwabunmi Anani, the 2020 Malitina Teacher of the Year, said it takes two to be wrong, hence, everyone, school and teacher, including parents are culpable.
Most children are naturally drawn to play and pleasure. Only few have the natural propensity for self-motivated or intrinsic hard work. So, unless motivated by external drivers and supervised consistently, a child may not take ownership of his or her learning.
"We need school systems that will see education for what it is: a humanitarian cause - not a venture for excessive profiteering by any means possible. We need parents who are nurturing, responsive, collaborative, and impact-driven that are sensitive to the needs of the child and the efforts of the teachers. This way, we will be on our way to building future leaders who take personal ownership for their learning and reflect same in their learning outcomes; cognitive, affective, and psychomotor," she said.
Another award-winning teacher, Abanika Taiye, blamed the system, saying it comes first and lays the foundation for teachers to thrive."It is what the system presents that has led to the dwindling education system we currently have. The system should restructure the curriculum to make it more relevant to the creative world of researching and providing products and services that promote economic well-being of all citizens. The school should be the hallmark of all development and growth as it is in the western world," he said.
The Educator at Rhethora Educational Consulting/ Reach African Child Empowerment Initiative (RACEEI), Jude Badaki, said: "It is simple logic. The ingredients provided for the cook decide the outcome of the dish placed for the eating. Ingredients are also in high and low grades, if you understand my drift."
He however advised that the government re-calibrate the system and stall the decline, adding that it should be made compulsory for people aspiring to be lecturers at the higher institutions to spend considerable years teaching at the lower levels before gravitating to the ivory tower.
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"I have met such lecturers. They are simply je ne sais quoi," he said.
Government stands
Following the World Bank report, the federal government in partnership with development partners has put some measures on ground to address the learning crisis, which includes the introduction of Learning Passport, a digital platform to boost learning skills and if schools are shut down, it will serve as a platform for continuity of learning.
It also held a National Basic Education in Nigeria Bootcamp (BEN-B) Summit in September, 2023 to re-invigorate their focus on basic education including ensuring the harmonisation and coordination of resources and activities among all tiers of government and development partners.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, recently said the summit was succeeded by a National Conference on Learning Crisis in Nigeria which has resulted in a framework of action to address identified challenges and bottlenecks to foundational learning in Nigeria.
"To do this, we are placing a high premium on foundational and basic education, strengthening integration of existing non-formal schools into formal education systems, scaling-up adult literacy and non-formal education interventions, increasing opportunities for girl-child education and forging partnerships with all tiers of government as well as our development partners," he said.
The minister also disclosed that being conscious of the importance of teachers in the education system, especially at foundational and basic levels, they have revised the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) in collaboration with all stakeholders.
"The review intends to chart the course for teacher education and development in Nigeria and ensure that it equips our educators with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to provide high-quality education. The draft document would be validated by stakeholders early in 2024 for implementation," he said.
