The news that ASUU is planning a 5 day warning strike got me thinking. The disdain the Nigerian government has seemed to show towards education never ceases to amaze me and just goes to show a real lack of understanding into the role education plays, especially at university level. The sector is so messed up and impoverished with no direction, leadership or serious needed funding. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS. And let me explain why? At the way things are going, we are squandering the potential of our intelligent youths who go through the education system which has a lack of basic facilities and outdated information. Even without loking at things from that prospect of underfunding, many of our universities have lecturers with questionable standings. A friend of mine who was just starting in an institution in Rivers State was telling me when i visited Port Harcourt that one of her lecturers came into the class and boldly told them straight out that if they did not buy his book, they will fail. Apparently, buying the book gets you 50% of the course mark. If you pay him some money (forgotten the ammount), you get another extra 10%. And guess what, the book was completely useless, i read through it briefly and it contained very vague information that a reasonable child could write up so it was no surprise that he wrote it. So by just buying the useless book and the paying some money, you have passed that course? At what point has the knowledge transfer or skill in all of this been achieved? Let us also not forget about those lecturers who insist that for the female students to pass the course, they must sleep with them! Most institutions don't even have adequate measures in place to check these things. I asked her to report the lecturer to the institution about the whole book issue. Apparently that is shooting yourslef in the foot because most cases, he would just get scolded then he would come back to make sure the student who reported him fails. The sad part is that there are some good lecturers (quite a significant number too) in some Nigerian institutions but the reports you hear sometimes is very disheartening. How does this affect Nigeria you may ask? I will tell you how. So at the end of the day we have a lot of people leaving our institutions with degrees, so how do you know if it was due to their ability as students or just simply by buying books and sleeping with lecturers that a student achieved that degree? You have graduates claiming to be engineers, doctors and so on. When they graduate, if they work in Nigeria they become part of the Nigerian work force, they would become part of Nation building. Would you feel confident living in a house that a one handed beggar you just picked of the streets built? Is it any wonder that our country's infrastructure is built mostly by foreigners? The Nigerian government has no confidence in Nigerian graduates (and very understandably so). Now this is the part that is really annoying. They have no confidence because they know the situation on the ground, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO FIX IT? If as even the blind leaders of Nigeria aknowledge 'children are our future' then we are destroying our future. ASUU keeps striking and what are they asking for? VERY BASIC THINGS. They keep asking for funding from the government to improve the institutions. Buy some lab equipment, some books, etc. This is what they have been striking mostly about and asking for. I was informed that the last time Ghana had a strike it lasted for well over a year (forgotten how long but it was quite long). They got the message to the government and the sector in ghana was given due attention and since then there has never been a strike in Ghana till today. A lot of people leave Nigeria to go to Ghana because their institutions frankly puts Nigerian ones to shame (hands down). We have students who apply for a 4 year course leaving in like 8 years because of strike and the government continues to ignore this sector. This even affects the economy because we keep paying foreigners a lot to do things that Nigerian graduates should be able to do, i am sure if Yaradua's toilet in aso rock gets blocked he even gets german engineers to fix it. What hope is there for the education sector in Nigeria?

Oh Don't worry. You will soon get people posting things like. " It takes time to change things in Nigeria" Or " Change is happening even though we may not see it for the next 20 years". LMAO!!!!

I love the tweedle dee-tweedle dum crowd we have in here. LMAO!!! Someone's going to come in to challenge what you said about Yaradua and maybe tell you that Nigeria's problem is too complicated for him to maybe resolve in a matter of months. Most all ASUU has required for about 20 years now is funding but no, this problem can not be solved in a month or two, it will take another 20 years to solve it, they might say. LMAO!!!

One thing we shud note that ASUU will not wake one day and say all they want is to stay home and rest, but all this probs fall on our bad leaders,

1. the probs of an average nigerian is not theirs.
2. Their Children will not skool in Nigeria, and if they were to skool here, they go to private university.
3. If these leaders are sick they are flown abroad for treatment
4. they are hardly held by traffic (siren and convoy paved way for them, thats if they are not on private jet)

@ Sky Blue

These Strikes is one of the factors that aid our strong nature as Sons and Daughters of PAPORORO, which makes us faces challenges any time and day,

n_delta:

One thing we should note that ASUU will not wake one day and say all they want is to stay home and rest, but all this probs fall on our bad leaders,

1. the probs of an average nigerian is not theirs.
2. Their Children will not school in Nigeria, and if they were to school here, they go to private university.
3. If these leaders are sick they are flown abroad for treatment
4. they are hardly held by traffic (siren and convoy paved way for them, thats if they are not on private jet)

@ Sky Blue

These Strikes is one of the factors that aid our strong nature as Sons and Daughters of PAPORORO, which makes us faces challenges any time and day,

ASUU has been striking for decades, as in over 20 years now. I mean back and forth ASUU has been doing the very same, and so far, no lasting solution yet. I do not think this makes us stronger. If anything, it should be a sign to those in ASUU now that the best way may be to find alternative ways to get needed funding. ASUU should know it's power and it's problems and design solutions around them. Another strike is not necessarily going to solve anything. The Students in the end may loose again as they have continued to for decades now. There has to be a way for them to get funding from the private sector instead of continuing to wait hopelessly for the government.

Kobojunkie:

Oh Don't worry. You will soon get people posting things like. " It takes time to change things in Nigeria" Or " Change is happening even though we may not see it for the next 20 years". LMAO!!!!

you forgot the most classic excuse . . . we the people are the problem with Nigeria.

4Him:

you forgot the most classic excuse . . . we the people are the problem with Nigeria.

LMAO!!!!! considering those who continue to make excuses for why we should not urge the government to change things or leave, the problem exists with us. We continue to make excuses for the riff raffs while they continue to buy time on the seat and when they leave, we start over with the next person to take the seat, give excuses for why the person should not be rushed and what have you. GOSH!!! Almost makes me want to pull the hair in my nose out when I think of the stupid things we do to ourselves in that country. OH LORD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL !!!LMAO!!!

Vision 2020 or whatever name they give it is a pipedream if they don't lay the foundation in the educational sector NOW. It's a vibrant middle class that drives any successful economy and that middle class has to be the product of a good home-based educational system. It's not rocket science to fix Nigeria's problems. In fact, a lot of problems can be fixed within a four-year term, starting now. Unfortunately, a lot of Nigerians celebrate things like Yaradua not spending security votes etc. As far as I am concerned, Yaradua hasn't done anything to be celebrated in view of where Nigeria is today. Certain things are commendable for sure, but his adminstration is moving at a snail's pace. It is possible to have a functional and efficient power and educational system within two years, it's not rocket science!

at father ab, if you were the ASUU chairman, would you want your daughters to school in Nigeria if you could afford by some other means to send them abroad? So it is completely understandable and is even a testament to the state of our affairs that even ASUU chairman wants his daughters to get a good education (that is abroad). He is simply being a good parent. People in power go abraod to treat headache but won't fix the health sector, it is just a vicious cycle. There are so many youths without jobs and with nothing to do, and hence no surprise that armed robbery has increased to such an appaling state. Education has the potential to inspire people to be passionate about something, it also has the potential to introduce knowledge to people, knowledge which can be used to lift them out of poverty. I just can't believe the neglect something as important as education has suffered in Nigeria. The neglect has meant that a lot of the good lecturers have left the country to teach abroad. Why you may ask? Because in Nigeria education is not appreciated at all. Lesotho is one of the poorest countries in Africa and University lecturers are among the highest paid people in the country and they are paid more than in Nigeria. I visited Lesotho and the University of Lesotho puts all Universities i have seen in Nigeria to shame (hands down). And this is a country which relies a lot on aid, yet they know the importance of that sector. Compare that to Nigeria?

i regret ever doing my bsc in this country

It a very sad situation. How can someone pay through his nose to get a degree and at the end of the day it's rubbish?

A Nigerian in my office told of her experience when she just got here. She has a degree (BSC) in microbiology. She was told that Nigerian university degrees are not seen as degrees here. It's so sad.
ASUU is not helping matters. How can we keep hearing of strikes all the time? I'm so scared for Nigeria. THere can hardly be a atraight academic year without a strike. Education in slowly grinding to a halt.

amsky:

It a very sad situation. How can someone pay through his nose to get a degree and at the end of the day it's rubbish?

A Nigerian in my office told of her experience when she just got here. She has a degree (BSC) in microbiology. She was told that Nigerian university degrees are not seen as degrees here. It's so sad.
ASUU is not helping matters. How can we keep hearing of strikes all the time? I'm so scared for Nigeria. THere can hardly be a atraight academic year without a strike. Education in slowly grinding to a halt.

After so many years of the same, I will blame ASUU for the many strikes actually. I mean after the 1993 strike that lasted for like forever, one would think ASUU would have learnt that strikes in Nigeria actually hurt the students more than it does the "government". Think of this please with a wise mind, if what you keep doing hurts you more than it hurts those who you want to get their attention, what do you do?? Change strategy I would assume. If you ask graduates and current students of their life in college,you will come off with the picture that ASUU does not necessarily represent the interest of the students anymore. I mean sure funding is needed but strikes have not been able to solve the issue the first 10 times, how would it do the magic now??

why is the ASUU always waiting for federal funds. have they heard of something called research funding or private grants. oh wait i forgot nigerians was a first world country for a min. nigerian universities should strive for autonomy rather than waiting for the government to save them.

bawomolo i don't think that research fundings are used to build institutions. Research funding is used for just exactly that, research work. The fund is used to buy materials for the research, and all the things that a particular research entails. It can be used to buy research equipment but given that  researches can be about anything, i don't think that has anything to do with this. That arguement might only stand for private institutions and even with that, it is not used to build private institutions. There has to be something on the ground so i don't think research fund has anything to do with this. So you are saying that every single university in Nigeria should get research funding to use to build the roads in institutions, to buy something as basic as micrscopes, to provide security on campus, provide descent rooms that can be passed off as lecture halls, to buy basic equipment that an instituion should have? What i am thinking now is what ASUU can do different? They strike and all the government says is 'go back to work'. Yaradua has not done anything so far and i beginning to think, i can't believe we might be stuck with him. I hope the next four years aren't marked with inaction.

no one said live on research alone but no school should be 100% dependent on the government. more and more public universities in the US are striving for autonomy rather than wait for the federal government. they usually do things from selling bonds to alumni fund raisers. some departments are basically kept afloat through research and private endowment in many universities. maybe nigerian professors can raise more money by selling handouts

I think we should see the advent of student loans in Nigeria. . .

Hence Universities can charge for the full amount of a good education

The government as it stands pays for a substandard education and the Universities provide just that

And considering how much employment there is in Naija. . .i was shocked to find that many blue chip
companies were coming to London and God knws whereelse to recruit for back home. . .

The Universities should be lobbying hard to tailor their services to the obviously specific needs of these institutions

One common trick is to create Institutes within Institutes and establish a stellar reputation for the new institute.
a different class of degree you might say. . .

Cause they sure are damn too many of my peoples heading for University.

doyin13:

I think we should see the advent of student loans in Nigeria. . .

Hence Universities can charge for the full amount of a good education

The government as it stands pays for a substandard education and the Universities provide just that

And considering how much employment there is in Naija. . .i was shocked to find that many blue chip
companies were coming to London and God knws whereelse to recruit for back home. . .

The Universities should be lobbying hard to tailor their services to the obviously specific needs of these institutions

One common trick is to create Institutes within Institutes and establish a stellar reputation for the new institute.
a different class of degree you might say. . .

Cause they sure are damn too many of my peoples heading for University.

How much do you think universities in Nigeria should charge for standard education in Nigeria?? Don't you think that the cost should be based on the earning power in that country and not necessarily that of other countries?? Right now the cost is already too high for many of the people to afford still it remains substandard.  If we expect universities in that country to do for ASUU, I say we may have to wait another 20 years more to suffer this.

bawamolo, selling more handouts? lol. If the hand outs were actually with useful and genuine content and substance then i might be more convinced, although handouts should come as part of the lecture. I still don't get your research arguement. There has to be something on the ground and that is not what research funds are there for. So what can ASUU do differently? And about that suggestion with fund raisers. LOL. Fundraising in Nigeria at this point? What happened to police equipment fund, or funding by public for OBJs library, those are not the only cases by the way. But Nigerians can't keep paying taxes for services they don't get.

Sky Blue:

bawamolo, selling more handouts? lol. If the hand outs were actually with useful and genuine content and substance then i might be more convinced, although handouts should come as part of the lecture. I still don't get your research arguement. There has to be something on the ground and that is not what research funds are there for. So what can ASUU do differently? And about that suggestion with fund raisers. LOL. Fundraising in Nigeria at this point? What happened to police equipment fund, or funding by public for OBJs library, those are not the only cases by the way. But Nigerians can't keep paying taxes for services they don't get.

I totally see what you are saying about Research money not being the answer. I don't believe the schools are actually willing to help the students cause if they were, they would have done quite a lot for them over these years. ASUU on the other hand can maybe start getting students information from day one on grants and money out there from international sources that they could tap into, to help them individually or better still ASUU could organize a program to raise money from international sources or companies to fund it's needs in Nigeria. I am almost certain companies like Chevron, Coca Cola, Pfizer and more would be willing to help if they go after them with zeal. It is a better alternative to striking today and then again tommorow.

@Kobojunkie

Not enough I suspect. . . .or else the multitudes still heading for the University turnstiles would be a trickle

I am not one of those of the view that every person should have a University Degree and we should do everything we can to get
them through. . . .Rather than the liberal bent

A University degree should be one of the routes but not the only route to quality employment.

And a university education is a commodity that the holder surely hopes will hold water in different constituencies
so surely the quality and hence the cost will come into it at some point and it will be measured against similar degrees,

Making it so cheap hinders many brilliant chaps and ladies who have to further their education to set themselves apart from the rest.


l

doyin13:

@Kobojunkie

Not enough I suspect. . . .or else the multitudes still heading for the University turnstiles would be a trickle

I am not one of those of the view that every person should have a University Degree and we should do everything we can to get
them through. . . .Rather than the liberal bent

A University degree should be one of the routes but not the only route to quality employment.

And a university education is a commodity that the holder surely hopes will hold water in different constituencies
so surely the quality and hence the cost will come into it at some point and it will be measured against similar degrees,

Making it so cheap hinders many brilliant chaps and ladies who have to further their education to set themselves apart from the rest.


l

Why does cost decide quality in this case?? I am not advocating for all persons to pass through the university system however, the educational system, especially the public system is meant to cater to those who are not able to afford private education and hence regardless of cost, it should be at competitive level at least. Just recently the wages for the lecturers was increased and since the public schools supposedly get their funding from the government, I see no reason why we should be having the debate that cost of education should be high for good education to be acquired.

Tuition have gone up over 200 % in public school system in the past couple of years. That has not solved the problem so I think the whole "throw more money at the issue" ideology, when it comes to the system is already been proven to not be the solution we need. For one, where does all that money go Tutors have already recieved an over 200% increase in wages under Obasanjo and that has yet to cure the problem.

doyin, i can't think of any country that sees education as the only route to descent employment. Experience is also very important and companies tend to look for experience too. But that is not the issue at hand. Does that really justify the appaling state of our Universities? Not everybody in Nigeria uses the airport but does that mean it should be a disaster? University education is not for everyone, but for those that want to pursue a university degree, it is useful and hence we should have something that passes for a university. Let me tell you my major problem with the situation. How much is it going to cost the Nigerian government to raise the standards of the Universities and improve it? Sometimes you have to spend money to make money and good universities would really have a significant impact on the economy. Do you want me to go into how it would impact the economy? We have all this foreign reserves and what is the point of having it if the country is in ruins? It is like a millonaire living in the gutter and begging for food. It won't cost Nigerian government an arm and a leg to improve the institutions, especially the federal ones. I believe Fashola is already addressing the situation with the state University in lagos a bit. Lagos seems to be the only place right now with a functioning government and no surprise too, it is not a PDP state.

@Kobojunkie

I am not conversant with the level of standards in the University system but if the
comments on this thread are anything to go by, no be beans.

Now. . . .I am actually advocating that students should be priced out of the market.

Are you telling me if these students had a choice they wouldn't head for shores outside this country.

Less students to cater for and the meagre student resources will go round
what we have now is the sustenance of a false economy in University degrees that props up a mirage

Delaying the inevitable. I'd rather we dealt with the problems of job creation sooner

doyin13:

@Kobojunkie

I am not conversant with the level of standards in the University system but if the
comments on this thread are anything to go by, no be beans.

Now. . . .I am actually advocating that students should be priced out of the market.

Are you telling me if these students had a choice they wouldn't head for shores outside this country.

Less students to cater for and the meagre student resources will go round
what we have now is the sustenance of a false economy in University degrees that props up a mirage

Delaying the inevitable. I'd rather we dealt with the problems of job creation sooner

Now I am confused.

So, you are advocating to have the number of students in the system reduced as way to deal with the problem? WOW. I am so glad you are not the president right now. All these people are asking for is better labs, better curriculum that actually gives them information on what they really need and not more handouts that contact information that is completely useless.  What they want is more up to date information be offered them. An environment that actually caters to help them in their struggles, not one that continues to work against them, Is that too much to ask??

Overcrowding is not the problem in most of those schools, infact, many of the classes remain small. I have been to classes with more students in them here than I have in Nigeria. Imagine a hall where over 300 students attend classes at once, three times a week. We have them here. Universities are usually built to cater to large groups of students at a time. Let us get past this idea that Nigeria is overcrowded and that is reason why things are bad or government is not doing it's job. Nigeria has not always have numbers as high as 140 million people, yet the problem has been around, even before the numbers became this high. Come on!!!

doyin, that is a pretty radical stance, government is meant to cater for everyone not the few rich. I have said it again, the resources don't have to be meagre. Have you not seen news? Oil is now selling at just over $100. A record high, and the budget was based on a much lower estimate. Money is there, but is being squandered. The resources don't have to be small in the first place.

What I am saying is many won't be there if not for lack of opportunities elsewhere

And rather than spreading ourselves thin in order to help as many as possible,
we should avoid capsizing the ship and throw some useless hands overboard

Now the system of testing will have to be tighter. . . .

Rather than the grants, student loans are perfect as an incentive to encourage the
academically able to go to school, but enough of a disincentive to weed out those
who are not capable of holding their own in a rigorous academic environment.

Hence you help the poor as well.

And I agree with you SkyBlue that we must spend some of this money, but I would still
carry out this 'environmental excercise'

This I must stress is pertaining to a DEGREE EDUCATION alone.

Monies should also be poured into technical schools, where the specific needs of certain industries will be met.

It cheapens the degree when our graduates are being employed in banks as manual cash counters

A University of Lagos could have an institute that meets this need for example perhaps on a diploma basis


Rather than standardising higher education, stratification should be introduced and those who don't have to spend
five years, their brain stultifying like Alaba Jogogo will be set free.

doyin13:

What I am saying is many won't be there if not for lack of opportunities elsewhere

And rather than spreading ourselves thin in order to help as many as possible,
we should avoid capsizing the ship and throw some useless hands overboard

Now the system of testing will have to be tighter. . . .

Rather than the grants, student loans are perfect as an incentive to encourage the
academically able to go to school, but enough of a disincentive to weed out those
who are not capable of holding their own in a rigorous academic environment.

Hence you help the poor as well.

And I agree with you SkyBlue that we must spend some of this money, but I would still
carry out this 'environmental excercise'

This I must stress is pertaining to a DEGREE EDUCATION alone.

Monies should also be poured into technical schools, where the specific needs of certain industries will be met.

It cheapens the degree when our graduates are being employed in banks as manual cash counters

A University of Lagos could have an institute that meets this need for example perhaps on a diploma basis


Rather than standardising higher education, stratification should be introduced and those who don't have to spend
five years, their brain stultifying like Alaba Jogogo will be set free.

I am getting the notion that you were right when you said earlier you had little knowledge of the problems in Nigerian universities. How do you expect to give loans to people in a country where unemployment rate is so high and less than half of those who graduate become gainfully employed in the first 5 years after graduation?? What has giving the students loans to do with this?? When I spoke of grants, I meant to help students who already have a problem paying the already high cost of attending schools or funding their needs in schools. Loans to me would be digging the hole deeper where we actually do not need a hole at all. Once again, Overcrowding is not the problem in Nigerian schools, infact that happens to be the excuse used by many who do not want to deal with the main issues as they really are. The schools are poorly funded. That happens to be the bulk of the problem. Tuitions costs have already been increased over the years, as measure to deal with the problem but we know how things happen in Nigeria with these things.

If you increase the tuition to the point where many are unable to get an education anymore, where should we send those?? Where will they find work?? I mean these solutions should be tailored to the existing situation in the country. We already seen high crime rates, you price more people out of the educational system, what do you think you might create Cheap education is not the same as low quality education. I think we should get that straight here. There are countries around the world where education is free for the masses. Does not mean the work force there is of low quality, that is not the case for most of the places in the world today where education is free. Free quality education is possible. Better still cheap Quality education is a reality, just that we need to get it right in Nigeria.

i never said price them out of the education system

price them out of the degree pipeline. . . .

degrees are not for the rota learning of facts. . .there are there for innovative scholarship

the deluge of people into the system turns these universities into secondary schools

A DEGREE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

SOME FORM OF EDUCATION IS. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A DEGREE

doyin13:

i never said price them out of the education system

price them out of the degree pipeline. . . .

degrees are not for the rota learning of facts. . .there are there for innovative scholarship

the deluge of people into the system turns these universities into secondary schools

A DEGREE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

SOME FORM OF EDUCATION IS. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A DEGREE

But the very fact that the majority of those in there actually pay for the degree means they are interested in it. I mean why should they be deprived of that right to want a degree and to go for it if they can??  If 1 million students a year paid for entry exams, passed and where awarded seats into various universities. Why should the system decide they can not all go just cause of your idea that the deluge of people into the system turns these universities into secondary schools If they were all deemed qualified and there are no shortage of seats for them in the schools, why should they then be denied these existing seats based on your argunment there

I believe in Education for all. What you decide to do with it is up to you but the government should not play GateKeeper when it comes to who can get an education ( degree or non) and who can not. The Governments place is to make it available to all those who want it and ensuring that the standards are maintained regardless of the number of students enrolled in the program at one time or another. Mind you, not all people to come in through the door go out with degrees, the system is meant to give degrees to those who earn it and not to those who do not earn it. Plus, the job world also does additional weeding needed but it is not up to government to decide who can and who cannot get an education at the university level.

doyin thanks for at least elaborating. If i understand you correctly, you are saying the tuition fees is going to weed out people who are actually serious about a university degree in the first place, from those who are there because there is nothing else for them to do? I see how that can also be important, but i really don't think tuition fees being increased is a good way for achieving that, what you would have instead is a situation where the people who really want an education and are very capable but poor are also punished as well in your proposed scheme. One way of achieving the seperation you speak of is by providing good and viable alternatives and opportunities for those who don't want to necessarily pursue a University education. But again, the universities should not suffer becasue of this, because they are very important on so many levels other than education. And again, Nigeria can afford it. Improving the universiies and developing viable alternatives to it that are still important the workforce are not mutually exclusive concepts.

The idea that the best way to deal with the Nigerian University system's inability to cope is to somehow "discourage" potential graduates from taking up degree programmes is preposterous.

It sort of reminds me of the Zimbabwean who claimed that his country men's starvation to death will help alleviate the food situation since there will be fewer people to feed.

The question is whether too many Nigerians are going to University.With a literacy rate estimated at 57%,how can we claim that there are effectively too many people seeking an education?For a nation and economy of its size,the actual numbers of University graduates in Nigeria are comparatively far smaller than other similar nations.

It is not only the Nigerian University system that is failing to cope with the number of potential users.We haven't got sufficient tarred roads vis-a-vis Nigerian motorists,should we restrict the number of people who can drive?Even at Sec/Primary school levels,we face challenges,why not reduce the amount of people who seek to get an education in the first place?

The Nigerian University system only reflects a greater Nigerian malaise-the abject lack of resources to meet the needs of Nigerians-and the solution is not to discourage and reduce potential users but to work on developing these resources.

I think Sky Blue more than Kobo Junkie gets my argument.

I mentioned the importance of rigorous testing in one of my previous posts

Ability will still be the crucial factor in determining who enters the University regardless of means.

They might be a legacy of debt post graduation, but in such a system with the ensuing valued degree
the ability to pay back will be enhanced.