By Innocent Nwankwo
The mass failure of JAMB candidates this year is a true reflection of the collapse of our educational system. The collapse began in the 90s with the Curriculum Development centre tinkering with Syllabuses. What to read and what not to read.
In the past, early 90s and backwards, students were studious. Reading extensively to pass examinations. Some nearly slept in the libraries. Curriculums kept changing, often watered down to abysmal pedestrian levels. Students no.longer read books. You no longer see them clutching novels, bound past questions or Syllabuses of JAMB and WAEC. In their steads are Android phones.
What actually made for the decline of education and scholarship? Multifarious. Beginning with the clear military askance and enmity with scholarship. Militarism replaced earned scholarship. The race to renown was laced with acquisition of clout and money. Properly connected to the military, you morph into a multimillionaire overnight. Why then the labour and struggle to earn a BA, BSc or a Ph.D whereas holders have become errand boys and housekeepers to the military boys. Some of whom.barely passed Class 4. The debasement was great. Academically accomplished ladies willingly became mistresses to barely literate military boys.
On the other side, traders or businessmen properly called, accorded little respect to the educated who are now assigned recognition by the weight of their pockets. Most educated people are not moneybags. It became fashionable in Igboland during Revenue drives or launching of Projects to deride the educated by asking that “too much Grammar is not needed here”. ” Let us see the bulk of your donation”. That was the nadir of the educated man. Sheaves of self-hate and pity.
Then the school Administrators hastened the collapse of education. There is a drought of teachers in most schools. The menfolk especially have found teaching at the lowest rung of social reckon. Salaries are bemeaning such that teachers have lost respect and regard from students. I had a personal experience in 1990 when I was posted to the Model Comprehensive College in Nkwelle-Ezunaka. A prospective landlady asked her children whom they would prefer as their tenant. Myself and another fellow, a bank clerk, also newly posted to the First Bank, Nkwelle-Ezunaka branch. In unison, the children preferred the Bank clerk. This incident played some fringe role to quicken my decision to quit the teaching profession in 1991.
Another painful dimension is the lack of interest in reading among the students. Nobody bothers to dig deeper. In the past, Newspaper stalls were teeming with student readers who cluster for “a Free Readers Association” session. Today, maybe Okada riders or cart-pushers do throng to those stalls which are getting fewer these days.
Schools lacked libraries. Principals do not even bother to build up one. Has the Principal even read a newspaper for the last 6 months? Of course not! He would be busy thinking up new PTA levies. Government on its part never remembered “Libraries” in their Annual Budgets. Education has been sunken. By the Government itself.
At the end of the day, extraneous hands are hired to solve WAEC questions. Most principals participate in the hiring plot. There is now a supplementary school levy called “Expo” fees. The idea is to have top grade outing in WAEC. Invigilators – internal and external – are happy partakers of this scheme. Hence the revolving annual WAEC “excellent performances”.
Until JAMB gives the true picture of the student’s academic make-up or prowess.
There is no need for lamentations – we killed Education a long time ago. Many degree graduates cannot put up a one-paged essay within 15 minutes.
A very tall order!
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