DailyEd

DANGER! THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT TO DRAG NIGERIAN EDUCATION BACK TO THE STONE AGE! From 2027, the Federal Ministry of Education wants to force EVERY private and international secondary school in Nigeria to make students sit for WAEC, NECO or other approved Nigerian examinations, even when those students are already pursuing internationally recognised qualifications. Schools that refuse risk losing their licences! Instead of urgently modernising our outdated curriculum, fixing dilapidated public schools, building functional science laboratories, training teachers and introducing globally competitive learning standards, we are busy creating policies that threaten educational innovation. Why are we more interested in forcing successful schools to conform than in raising the standards of failing schools? The world is moving towards artificial intelligence, robotics, critical thinking, practical skills and competency-based education. Yet we are obsessed with forcing everyone into the same examination system. We should be exporting educational excellence, not restricting it! Nigeria cannot become globally competitive by punishing schools that dare to do things differently. This policy must be urgently reconsidered before we sacrifice another generation’s educational opportunities on the altar of regulatory control.

Only First Class and Second Class Upper graduates should qualify to become teachers. Teachers’ starting salaries should be a minimum of ₦500,000 per month. Teachers should be required to take professional qualification examinations every two years. There should be an Education Bank where teachers can access very low-interest loans for car financing, home financing and other essential needs. Teaching should be one of the most prestigious and highly respected professions in the country.