THE FALLING STANDARD OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

THE FALLING STANDARD OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

By Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN)

The only way to rejuvenate our public schools is for the Federal, States and Local Governments to make it a condition for continuous employment in the public service that every public servant must not send his/her children or wards to private schools or abroad. No public servant should be allowed to have his children or ward sent to private schools or abroad by a feigned relation or friend.

The condition is not contrary to the right to education as enshrined under Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) because, any public servant who does not want to abide by that law is free to leave public service. For example, it is a Constitutional requirement that any public servant who intends to contest election in Nigeria, must resign at least 60 days before the Election Day even though the self-same Constitution guarantees freedom to every Nigerian to participate in politics without let or hindrance.  Therefore, any public servant who intends to send his child/ward to a private school or abroad, must also resign his or her appointment if he/she insists on sending that child/ward to a private school or abroad. It is not a violation of the Supreme Court decision in Okogie vs. Governor of Lagos State, where the ratio decidendi is whether anybody can establish private schools.

I have drummed this advice time without number in all the lectures I had delivered on ways to raise the standard of education in Nigeria. It is the only way Policy Makers can pay attention at all to the education sector in Nigeria.

Unless this advice is heeded, the quality of education in our schools will continue to decline tremendously whether ASUU goes on strike or not.

Yunus Ustaz Usman, (S.A.N.)

           (Ezienyi Ndi-Igbo 1)

Trustee, Int’l Islamic Relief Org., (World Muslim League).