By: Abolanle Ogunlami
Different sectors make up a nation. They include economic, health, agriculture, finance, education, etc. Wikipedia describes education as a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. It is a process of receiving or giving systemic instruction, especially at schools, community, etc.
Education can be formal, non-formal and informal in nature. While formal education takes place in institutions structured and guided by teachers, non-formal education is more flexible, and it is community, work, civil and society based and informal education occur in daily life, family or any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks and behaves.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, a prolific Journalist and Author who was known for his literary, religious, social and political commentary defined education simply as the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.
The strength of a country lies in the strength of its citizens who are predominantly youth. This is why they must therefore be well educated as they are responsible for building wealth for the nation, driving technology advancement for the country.
To ensure stable and progressive nation-building, citizens must be thoroughly educated, at least at the elementary level. In doing this, common goals and visions for national building can be properly disseminated. In addition, it will also ensure that everyone beginning from childhood can imbibe the required mind-set and value essential for the ever challenging task of nation-building.
Sadly though, this sector remains one, which is vulnerable to different attacks; thereby undermining its existence, hindering it from achieving set goals globally. The major victims of these attacks unfortunately, happened to be children. These attacks continue unabated.
The protracted nature of conflicts today is affecting the future of entire generations of children who are supposed to be the future generation and strength of the nation. Children’s right to education cannot be achieved in an unsettled and conflicted environment. Without access to stable and qualitative education, children will grow up without the skills they need to contribute to national growth.
Premised on these incessant attacks on education, the International Day to Protect Education from Attacks was established by a unanimous decision of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020. Observed on 9th September of every year, the day generates attention to attacks on students, teachers and educational institutions across the world, the use of schools for military purposes as well as efforts aimed at promoting and protecting the right to education and facilitate the continuation of education in armed conflict areas.
In 2021, the day was observed with the theme “Protect Education for Sustainable Peace”. It presented the opportunity for stakeholders to highlight recurring attacks on education, with an alarming increase in incidents of kidnapping of school children and youths. The event focused on the critical issue of monitoring, reporting, and how global leaders, local communities, groups, government bodies, academia and media can engage fully, to systematically prevent and protect education from attacks.
Dakuku Peterside, a policy and leadership expert, in one of his opinion write-ups suggested that Nigeria, as Africa’s biggest economy and the most populous black nation is having it hard, as its education sector is faced with attacks that are beyond description adding that human capacity development and economic growth is at a very low ebb.
Crisis facing the sector is evident in various challenges of insecurity, and strike actions that takes away children from their institution of learning. Many have had to flee from war disaster and crime-related areas with their family members, while others have been kidnapped and some have lost their lives. All these and other unfortunate encounters led to stagnation of educational pursuits.
It has to be said however, that it is the primary responsibility of government at all levels to provide protection and ensure that quality education is made accessible to all learners.
Consequent upon this, the Ogun State government, under Prince Dapo Abiodun, on assumption of office in 2019 declared a state of emergency in the education sector to allow for urgent, comprehensive and disruptive approach.
He convened an Education Stakeholders Summit where stakeholders in the sector met to discuss and proffer solutions to the challenges confronting education, from Early Child Education (ECE) to Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Schools as well as Technical and Vocational Training. Visitation panels were set up for fact-finding missions to some of the crisis ridden institutions with outstanding resolutions and solutions to ensure conducive teaching and learning.
Since inception of Governor Dapo Abiodun administration in Ogun State, the face of education sector has been transformed to conform to the administration’s electoral promises that were aimed at revamping the sector to an enviable height among comity of states.
The infrastructure need of schools were attended to; over 956 schools have been rehabilitated with needed furniture across the state, Motorcycles were procured for the 20 Local Government Education Authorities, Central Education Management Information System (EMIS) for data gathering, analysis and presentation was repositioned and constructed, Internal and Access roads of Tertiary Institutions were rehabilitated among others.
Furthermore, the administration abolished all forms of levies in public schools, Academic Laureates were celebrated and honoured, Ogun Digi Class was introduced to facilitate teaching and learning during Covid-19 lockdown, scholarships were approved for outstanding students in all the State Tertiary Institutions, some Teachers were trained in collaboration with Non-Governmental Organisation, West African Vocational Education (WAVE) on soft skills for effective teaching in classrooms, continuous and regular inductions of Principals and Zonal Secretaries, etc.
The move to reposition this sector and save it from different attacks does not exclude the category of people classified as “Special Need”. With reference to the National Policy on Special Needs Education which stipulates the integration of special needs students into regular classroom and free education for exceptional students at all level, Dapo Abiodun-led administration resuscitated the State Braille Book Production centre, purchase and distributed 55 Wheel Chairs to learners with limb challenges across the state, five of the schools for special needs children located across the state were renovated and equipped with reading and aiding tools, and 50 percent increase in feeding allowance for learners on Special Need Schools were implemented.
It is worthy of note to point out that, in Nigeria, efforts put in place by government to reposition the education sector by providing conducive learning environment for the benefit of citizens and societal growth, are under threat by various forms of insecurity.
For all the opportunities provided by the government to yield the desired results, parents, leaders (community, religious, political, etc) must collectively be committed to eradicate all forms of insecurities and numerous attacks against education sector.
Ogunlami, wrote in from the Ogun State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
