PROMOTING EQUITY AND STANDARD IN
SECONDARY EDUCATION IN KOGI STATE
A
PAPER PRESENTED BY MR. OWOYEMI S.O. AT THE STATE ANNUAL DELEGATES’ CONFERENCE
OF THE ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS, KOGI STATE CHAPTER, HELD AT
KEWON HOTEL, LOKOJA, ON 7TH
MAY, 2014
Courtesies
Preamble
The
topic of this paper is most appropriate at this time when attention is
increasingly being focused on the child at local and international levels. The
UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the child on 2
September 1990, 30 years after its Declaration of the Rights of the child, which
affirmed, among other things, that every child is entitled to receive
education, “on a basis of equal opportunity…. In a recent review, the UNICEF
believes that 25 years after the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
there is much to celebrate…. but today, “old challenges have combined with new
problems to deprive many children of their rights and the benefits of
development”. To meet these challenges, UNICEF is of the view that “we need new
ways of thinking and new ways of doing things” related to the wellbeing of
children. It is in recognition of this that the UNICEF has declared 2014 as the
Year of Innovation for Equity – to
focus the world’s attention on showcasing and developing innovative solutions
for children’s well-being. The best interests of the child shall be the guiding
principle of those responsible for his education.
Equity
Equity,
according to the Merriam-Webber’s online dictionary, has to do with fairness or
justice in the way people are treated; it connotes freedom from bias or
favouritism. It is a philosophical issue, and people vary in their conception
of what is equitable or otherwise. Educational equity describes the extent to
which there is fairness in the opportunity children have to receive education.
In the developed world, equity and excellence have become key goals in
education reform since the turn of the last century. Educational equity depends
on two main factors. The first is fairness, which implies that factors specific
to the learner’s personal conditions such as gender, race, religion,
socioeconomic background and disability do not interfere with his or her capacity
to succeed academically. The second important factor is inclusion, which refers
to a comprehensive standard that applies to everyone in a certain education
system. These two factors are closely related and are dependent on each other
for effective attainment of educational objectives.
The
growing importance of equity in education is based, on the premise that now, more
than ever before, an individual’s level of education is directly correlated to
the quality of life he or she will live in the future. Therefore, your desire
that our academic system should emphasise equity is well placed because here
equity operates, it is recognized that some learners are at a greater disadvantage
than others in some specific areas, and arrangements are made to compensate for
these learners’ problems and disabilities to ensure that everyone is capable of
attaining the same type of healthy lifestyle.
Educational
equity is closely related to another much discussed concept in education, that
is, equality of educational opportunities. Equality is defined as free access
to life opportunities on even terms for everybody; a level playing field where everyone
is entitled to the same conditions of access that they can avail themselves of
if they so choose. lt connotes that no one person has an unfair advantage. The relationship
between the two is that equal opportunities guarantee equity. However, everyone
can never be inherently equal.
Standards
Standard
on the other hand has to do with a level of quality of performance or
achievement that is considered acceptable or desirable. Educational standards
are therefore criteria for making judgment or decision about the correctness,
rightness, adequacy or otherwise, of the curricular and co-curricular offerings
in schools. Usually, educational standards are usually imposed from above by authority
figures and institutions like the
Federal and State Ministries of Education and their agencies.
The
Federal Ministry of Education has the responsibility for setting national
standards, while state Ministries of Education set standards for schools within
the State. States may vary in their educational standards only if extant
national standard setting instruments permit such variations.
Standards
could also be set by custom or general consent. For example, everyone believes
that 75% is a good score for any student in any subject, even though that score
could turn out to be the least for the group.
Why do we need standards in education?
ln
many areas of our life, we expect-and demand-high standards. We know their
great value. They help bring out the best in us. When you get on an airplane you want a pilot who
has been held to the highest standards of flight training. When you need an
operation, you want a surgeon who has been held to the highest standards of
medical education. And when you think about the Green Eagles, you know they
won’t win gold unless they have trained to meet the highest standards of
international football. If we do not hold students to high academic standards,
the result can be low achievement and the tragedy of children leaving school
without ever having been challenged to fulfill their potential. Establishing high standards allows everyone in
the education system know what to aim for. Standards allow every student, every
parent, and every teacher to share in common expectations of what students
should know and be able to accomplish. Students will learn more when they know that
more is expected of them, in school and at home. And standards will help create
coherence in educational practices from one school to another.
Standards
are both normative and prescriptive inputs into policy formulation. They serve
as guideposts for schools, teachers, parents and students. They are used as
tools to focus on what is taught at each level and in each subject. Educational
standards are important because they help to set the tone and goals of the
school. Without standards, there is no way to ensure that children are learning
what they should, and as they should at the appropriate level. Standards serve
as yardsticks for evaluating the education system, the work of the school and
the performance of each child. Standardized tests are given each year to measure
whether students are learning according to standards.
Current trends
The
trend in developed countries today is that educational standards are
consciously and rigorously established as part of what is termed Standards-Based
Education (SBE); a systematic approach to improving instruction and learning in public schools based on the assumption that
all students can achieve to higher levels by:
·
Setting high expectations for all students
·
Defining clearly stated standards
·
Teaching to support the achievement of all
students
·
Development and use of standardized test to
measure learning outcomes among students
·
Holding schools and students accountable for
their performance
Where does Kogi state stand in terms of
Equity and Standards in Education?
The
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria places education on the
concurrent legislative list. This gives each state the power to make laws to
regulate certain aspects of its education system. One would therefore expect
significant differences in educational practice from one state to another in
terms of equity and standards. Like the
Yoruba people say “arun t’ onse Aboyade,
gbogbo Oloya lonse” that is, Aboyade,s afflictions are common to every Oya
worshipper. This is why my handling of this topic is generalized for Nigeria as
a whole.
Legal
Framework for Standard and Equity in Education in Nigeria
The
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the Laws of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, the National Policy on Education (2008), the 4-year
Strategic Plan for the Development of the Education Sector 2011-2015, and the
Universal Basic Education and other Related Matters Act of 2004 all form the
legal basis for education provision in Nigeria. Other normative/legal
instruments incude:
1. The
Child Rights Act which most of the 36 state legislatures have ratified.
2. The National
Policy on HIV/AIDS for the Education Sector in Nigeria;
3. The
National Policy for Integrated Early Childhood Development in Nigeria; and,
4. The
National Policy on Gender in Basic Education.
5. The
mandatory establishment of the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) in all
36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
All
these documents regulate public and private initiatives in education delivery
in Nigeria, and dwell extensively on matters touching on equity and standards
in the nation’s education industry. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria for example provides the basic legal framework for the education of the
Nigerian child. It guarantees the right of the child to the same education
opportunity available to other children at all levels. It also provides the
legal basis for the three tiers of government to participate in the
responsibility for the establishment and maintenance of minimum standards at pre-primary,
primary, secondary and teacher training outside the university system on the
shoulders of the Minister for Education throughout the Federation.
Standards-setting at the university level is vested in the National
Universities Commission (NUC). It is to the 4-year Strategic Plan for the
Development of the Education Sector 2011-2015, however, that we must turn for
an insight into Nigeria’s aspirations for ensuring equity and standard in our
education system.
The
Nigerian 4-year Strategic Plan for the Development of the Education Sector
2011-2015 dwells extensively in Section 2 on Access and Equity, and in Section
3, on Standard and Quality Assurance. It is clear from the content of the Plan
that government is aware of the challenges facing the development of education
in Nigeria, has mapped out strategies for overcoming them. Unfortunately,
beautiful as the proposals are on paper, we have little to show by way of
concrete achievement even though the terminal date of the plan is just about a
year from now. Like everybody knows, this is the problem with Nigeria-beautiful
plans, poor execution.
Constraints to equity in
education
Socioeconomic differentiation and
inequality: Children from higher socioeconomic status
(SES) background have better opportunities than those of lower SES. Higher SES
parents can afford things like private schools, private tutors, and holiday
coaching classes to improve their child’s chances of succeeding. This puts such
children at an unfair advantage and distinct class barrier. Perfect equality
does not obtain in any society. Thus, hierarchy in social and economic status,
standards of living, capacities for effective demand or purchasing capacity for
goods and services, uneven spread of facilities and opportunities are common in
every society, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Consequently, a
significant number of children would normally be left out from the mainstream
of educational or other developmental opportunities. This is where government
comes into the picture. If there is no intervention by the state, the gap
between the better off sections of society and the weaker sections in regard to
access to educational opportunities and the profits that flow from the same
would go on increasing.
Cost of education: The
cost of education in Nigeria is undoubtedly high even in states that provide
free education. Poverty is the greatest constraint creating of a “level playing
field” for all students in Nigeria. High-achieving low-income students do not
have the means to attend selective schools that better prepare a student for
later success. Because of this, low-income children do not even attempt to
apply to the top-tier schools for which they are sometimes more than qualified.
Lack of the political will and
corruption: someone once said that Nigeria has everything
about its development well figured out. The problem with us is the political
will to translate our objectives into concrete achievements. And even when a
modicum of this will is demonstrated, prevailing levels of corruption swallows
up the manifestation of our heart desires.
Community Level Obstacles relates
to any bias in education arising outside the school environment including child
labour, lack of parental involvement, harmful practices like child marriage and
predetermined gender roles. School and
Education System Level Obstacles include lack of investment in quality
education, inappropriate attitudes and behaviours, lack of female teachers as
role models and lack of gender-friendly school environment are all factors that
promote gender inequity in education.
In
order to actualize our dreams for an equitable education system, there is a
need to vigorously pursue a no-child-left-behind approach to education
provision: and the ultimate solution to inequity in education is free education
at all levels. If that is not immediately feasible, scholarship and other forms
of assistance should be given to the truly indigent students. The irony of our
scholarship system is that the children that need it most have the least access
to it, no to mention that the amount doled out is grossly inadequate. In
addition Kogi State Ministry of Education should take urgent steps to:
1. Mainstream
Early Childhood Care Development Education into public school. We need to
develop and enforce a comprehensive ECCDE curriculum. Standards of scholastic
achievement evaluation procedures should be established. Kogi State is
currently doing very little in this regard.
2. Open
new schools/Expand facilities in existing ones
3. Make
public schools competitive with private ones
4. Revisit
private schools’ law. New standards should be established and rigorously
enforced for opening new schools. It is unfortunate that most of the private
secondary schools in Kogi State today do not merit being described as schools.
Steps toward achieving high standards in
education in Kogi State
1.
Quality Assurance: Professionalization of the
practice of education quality assurance. The team monitoring and supervising
schools must be properly equipped, and adequately staffed with experienced
officers. They should also be properly motivated. We also need to intensify
capacity building school managers, supervisors and quality assurance practitioners.
2.
The ministries of education should come up
with an Education Standards Policy for each of the curriculum areas. Measurable
levels of achievement should be established for learners, and the appropriate instruments
for assessing and evaluating learning outcomes should be developed.
3.
Rehabilitation and development of
teaching-learning support services: The role of an Education resource centre in
this regard can never be overemphasised. Kogi State is one of the few states in
the North that has not established an education resource centre. lt is
gratifying to know that the Ministry of Education is leaving no stone unturned
in this respect.
4.
infrastructural decay: In spite of huge annual
investment into education, facilities are in short supply and over stressed:
laboratories, libraries, etc
5.
Adequate
attention to teacher-related issues: This is the core of the problems associated
with raising standards in our schools, issues such as recruitment, training and
retraining through in service training, teachers’ welfare, professionalization,
implementation of the teacher salary structure, and making teaching attractive
by elevating the status of teachers in society. Incentives like housing, car loan/refurbishing
loan, national honours and merit awards, are focal points. lt is generally
recognised that the quality of our education can never be higher than the quality
of the teachers. A situation in which whole sections of our education system is
shutdown for the best part of a year because the teachers are on strike is most
unacceptable, demeaning and disgraceful to the education system. And this is
why today, there is an insatiable demand for private schools even though we
know that most of them are money making ventures for investors. The Teachers’
Registration Council of Nigeria, the National Teachers’ Institute and other
teacher-related bodies should come up with concrete proposals and strategies
for revamping the image of teachers in Nigeria.
6.
Adequate funding for building new schools and
reequipping existing ones: Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Nigeria and
making it difficult for good quality education that is capable of bringing
about sustainable development is inadequate funding by federal, state and local
governments. The UNESCO recommendation of 26% of national budgets should be
taken seriously.
7.
Intensify the deployment of information and
communication technology education. E-learning is gaining currency all over the
world: e-library, virtual learning environments, computer-supported
collaborative learning(CSCL) Web 2.0, even handsets, i-pads, tablets, and other
mobile devises are increasingly playing significant roles in the education
system worldwide. Some of our existing stereotype just have to be thrown
overboard.
The
steps that could be taken in tackling the challenges of Education in Nigeria
include:
·
Implementation of the UBE Act and ensuring
that all forms of school fees are abolished
·
Dealing with the quality issues including
size of classes, number of teachers and provision of materials.
·
Massive investment in infrastructures in all
levels of education
·
Promotion of child friendly school
environment
·
Respect and protection of the rights of
children in school including protection from violence in schools especially of
the girl child.
·
Review of school curricula to promote
critical and relevant learning
·
Proper governance of schools and
implementation of Schools Based Management Committees
·
Tracking of resources to ensure proper,
adequate and accountable utilization of resources budgeted for education.
Conclusion
I am very grateful to the leadership of
Kogi State Chapter of ASUSS for the honour done me by asking me to address this
august gathering of the shakers and movers of the education industry in Kogi
State. I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to this Association for the
honour done me when I retired from the service in August 2013. We are immensely
proud to be associated with ASUSS, and
in particular, with its leaders. The
thrust of the presentation is that I whole heartedly identify with your concern
that equity and standards be entrenched into our education system: that all
children should have access to quality education within an equitable system. Schools
should be places where children's rights especially those of girls and other
rnarginalized groups, are respected, injustices are challenged and lives
transformed. Education helps children to acquire the confidence and knowledge necessary
for accessing and making use of information that can improve their lives. To
actualize these loft objectives, however, we need to stop playing lip service
to education. Policy pronouncements guidelines are only means to an end, and
should not constitute ends in themselves.
More importantly,
teachers must be honoured,
must be honoured, must be honoured,
teachers must be honoured in our schools
every day.
Long
live the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools.
Aluta
continua, Victoria ascerta.
Solidarity
for ever.
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