The Obaseki's Education Policy: A Commentary
by
Okoemu Okoemu Okoemu
okoemu1@gmail.com
07060497264

Even those who are none Obaseki government's admirers would appreciate the government's interest in the Edo Child. Even though there might be obvious lapses. A lot of people who attended public schools knew exactly the laxity at which teachers carryout their jobs. They come to school at will; especially, after the flemsy excuses to the headmaster or principal. Most of them even when they come to school spend the whole day splitting melon or loosing hair. They must have one or two things to do that would make them not to carry out their duties diligently. In fact everyone lost faith in public schools because the system was practically dead with teachers preferencing their private businesses at the detriment of the children's education. It was this ugly situation that gave private schools prominence and advantage over public schools to the point that once glorified public schools gradually became a shadow unto itself. A place for the only the less privileges because it could not offer anything any longer. It was worst that children would spend a whole day in school without being taught any subject, on few occasions they would have a teacher come to class, it was to give note that they will never explain. Most of them even relaxed in the staff room and give the note to students to copy. This failure in teachers' responsibilities was what fuel the rise and consolidation of examination malpractices. It is true, you cannot give what you do not have. The teachers did not teach and so the students did not learn for them to have something to write under examination condition. Why won't malpractices be the devil's alternative?
There are some people today who if they go back to the school notes will discovered that a whole session could not exhaust mere sixty leaves note book simply because their teachers where reluctant to carry out their responsibilities.
Of course there are always reasons for everything. Especially, every failure has backings. Teachers don't earn much... Teachers don't get paid... etc, etc. there is this school of thought that says 'motivation is what makes one efficient and effective in his work. What is this motivation? A commensurate wage that is paid timely.
When Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State wanted deal decisively with the loopholes that was ruining public education system in Edo State, he started by motivating the teachers by paying them promptly, a thing most government in the past failed at. Aside the motivation, public schools teachers ruined public schools with their laxity mainly because there was no check and balances. There was practically no one monitoring them. Even the local inspector that ought to be doing that once awhile would announced days ahead that he was coming which usually gives the respective teachers room to be of their best behaviors and appeared to be serious about the jobs. These inspectors visit schools not for observing errors and correcting errors but for the items they must be given. That to wet their beaks and no negative report will ever be made.
It is welcoming that the Godwin Obaseki administration brought a change. Because of Quality Assurance Officers and Learning Development Officers, who are now monitoring the activities of public schools teachers, for the first in a long time we have teachers in public schools seldom absent themselves from school, we have them not missing or skipping classes or using time to teach their students to run personal matters. Things they do before now with all impunity. The governor did not just set out to monitor them using the QAs and LDOs but also, set out to monitor the monitors using technological gadgets. In this case, all officers and teachers are on their toes. Hence we have students being occupied round the clock. However, the workforce is still below average. Most schools especially in the hinterlands are short of teachers, QAs and LDOs. The efforts of the Commissioner for Education, Joan Oviawe cannot be shove aside in this remarkable feat which is worthy of sustainability. I've had interactions with few Education ministry workers, from their point of view though displeasures one could observed that Honourable Oviawe is a leader who kept them all on their toes. Of course, a lot of employees do not appreciate such a boss.
However, the Obaseki education policies had lapses. Areas that need to be improved upon. Holistically, the policy has a fine objective - prioritizing the Edo child. In as much as this is a welcome and laudable development, the direction of the government is omitting discipline and embracing over pampering which is detrimental to the growth and development of the Edo child. Practically, in Edo State, teachers are instructed strictly not to discipline the wards in the care but only resort to counseling. Words of mouth are nothing but counseling, they are not in themselves effective. In fact the evidence of these is United States of America, they were the proponents of this don't touch the child of a thing. You cannot even shout at a child. All these extreme measure of protecting the child only end only in damaging the child. This is why in America today, there are children littered in all corners exhibiting all manners of deviant behaviours, viz-a-viz rape, mass shooting etc.
In many ways, this government has been missing it. A critical look at the policies stamped out would show that it is a one way oriented policy. It has no consideration of other factors. For instance there are many Guidian counselors experts, foundation and management but in the team, without knowing them, with the results glaring, there are little or no curriculum and instruction experts. The teaching guide is porous. With what I have of the lesson notes and plans, effective learning cannot take place. I quite understand, they tried to simplify the teaching but they failed because their concepts of simplification of subjects ended up being substandard or lower in quality. The pattern recommended for teaching is going counterproductive, because the teachers are condioned to abandoned their inborn potential while banking on already made contents and style of delivery. You cannot effectively teach with a scripted teaching method. This method no matter how it is perceived separate the teacher from teaching. Teaching is different from drama. If you must prepare lesson notes for schools, you must not be the one to determine the method of teaching. Teaching methodology should be dependent on the nature of students and the topic of the day and each group of students are peculiar. So, the methods should be left at the teacher's discretion. In order to get this properly done, the government must involved curriculum and instructions experts.
The government's concern about the Edo child includes not involving the children in any form of labour as that to the government amount to child labour. This is not entirely correct. The concern of government should be to guide the schools so that no form of measure should be taken to it extreme. To say no corrective measures no labour in schools is a death warrant. If the government want a productive citizens tomorrow, this is definitely not the best way to go. Education is a holistic venture and as such schools must be given freehands to adopt any reasonable measure to inculcate anything that would aid productivity in the children. It is not for the moment, it is for posterity sake. You cannot shove aside certain fundamentals and expect the best from the children. Don't spare the rod and spoil the child. School children should not be made to brush around their environments, yet the only provisions made is that community youths should take that responsibility. No wonder these children are learn in the forest. How then will the children learn that craft? As beautiful as most of the policies sounds, drawing inference from it inconsiderate nature, the government might have an ulterior motive which could be to either ruin public schools or ruin the futures of the children of the poor which to me is a political move.
Even Universities in the state seem to be left to ruin by the government. It is more like a situation of government nearly abandoning their responsibilities of the Universities. Edo State owned Universities and other tertiary Institutions pay fees as if they were a private Institutions. I believed if there is a careful research, our state owned Universities pay heavily more than some private Institutions around, yet they lack most facilities of learning including shortage of lecturers and others. The way our educational systems are being handled by our governments, is the reason they have none of their loved ones in the schools.
In a bid to put public schools in Edo State in check which includes finance management, the government is being a bit too stringent. For instance, the state wants to be in full control of finances in school. This means that school heads can no longer have direct access to such funds as the come in. Like PTA supports, donations of funds from philanthropists which is not in itself a bad idea. However, this is where most heads of school fall back to, to get money to pay part-time teachers in areas where government is not proactive. Most schools especially those in villages lack teachers a great deal, the school heads in collaboration with the village employ either 'community teachers' or part-time teachers. Now with government going to be the sole body to have access to the funds, the school heads might not be able to continue such act towards the growth of the school. The primary concern of government here I feel could best be handled in such a way that everyone is in check. Why not have monthly reports or quarterly reports of school heads to the government? There are many ways to pursue transparency here and still being in check. The Edo State government must work with care in order not to have it's aim defeated. In every policy, the spirit of the law achieve more profitable results than letter of the law.