08 November, 2013

Friday morning musings

"There is fire on the mountain and nobody seems to be on the run" That was Asa singing four years ago. Writing or thinking about Nigeria most times has a way of putting someone in a despondent mood. Anytime I think of writing about my beloved country, I subconsciously discard the synopsis that was already formed on my mind. Why should I go through the mental torture of birthing what was on my mind, putting pen to paper or typing it out as the case may be and still feel like "alarudale bi oko tipper"-a truck?

It is very easy to give up on Nigeria. It is very easy to gloat and adopt and castigate someone for not voting for your preferred candidate in the last elections. Buhari or Ribadu would have done a better job, some people would argue. What people forget easily is that a society that does not care so much about its human capital will pay a very stiff price.

Some people miss the point, they say our leaders are bad. Babangida institutionalized corruption. Obasanjo was corrupt...blah blah blah What have you done to actually better yourself and make yourself a better member of society?

At the tertiary education level in Nigeria, it hasn't been good since the 1980's. A lot of people were vying to get into University and there were not enough universities to cater to the increasing number of applicants. A lot of students got enrolled to study courses that had little or no semblance to what they were interested in life. The situation didn't get better until some private universities were granted licenses to commence operations about a decade ago. With the addition of the private universities, a lot of students who hitherto would not have had the opportunity to attend a good quality university due to JAMB and other issues were enrolled and finished their studies in the time period they were meant to study.

A lot of students now though, sadly more than in previous years are not guaranteed to study at tertiary levels even when they have the pre-requisite grades. A lot more are settling for courses that they probably never knew existed before they got told that if they want to enroll, that is the only available department. It is not difficult to find students who wanted to study computer science and were told to enroll for Botany instead. There are students studying Philosophy who wanted to study Law to become lawyers.

It may surprise or shock you to know that 1.2million prospective students from a total of 1.7million people who wrote the JAMB exam this year will not be able to attend University in Nigeria even if they pass the examinations. Only about 500,000 students will be able to enroll into university this year...federal, state and private universities included.

Most of those who were denied good quality education starting from the 1980's are now adults and the quality of public discourse to a very large extent reflects the kind of education that they got. Majority of those born in the 1990's who have not really known a good Nigeria. People who could afford private schools attended private schools up to secondary school level. They either continue their studies in a private higher institution or check out options abroad. However, it is increasingly becoming very difficult to see the advantage of having attended a private institution where one was supposed to receive a good education and public institutions that are clinging to questionable maxims.

It is very incredulous to find out that someone who purportedly wrote the WASSCE or NECO examination and passed with a very good grade in the English Language subject cannot write a formal letter. The best they will tell you is that, "Oh Ok, they used to give us this thing as an assignment back then."

Look no further than the major online forums that shapen the public discourse among the 15-40 age bracket in Nigeria today e.g. Linda Ikeji,forums on Nairaland and Naijapals, etc., it is either they are talking about Kelly Rowland flashing her undies or Kim K's butt. Hardly do you find most of the online forums and accidental celebrities championing a good public cause. They would rather convict public officials who allegedly dip their hands into the till, irrelevant stories from Dailymail, UK and the shenanigans that someone in the US or Europe has been up to. Bad grammar, uncouth attitudes and blatant disrespect for the opinion of others are a common thread on these forums.

While it is the right of these kinds of groups or individuals to exist or put out whatever it is that they do, their influence and domination of popular culture is worrisome to say the least. Their acceptance by a society who should demand better is the real tragedy. It is not too late to save the future generation by investing in a good society that takes education very seriously.

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