Dr Smart Olugbeko is the outgoing National President of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU). In this interview with TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE, he explains the union’s stance on the newly introduced dual mandate programmes for colleges of education in Nigeria and why teacher education should be accorded a deserved priority, among others. Excerpts:
How do you assess Nigeria’s education sector, especially teacher education in the last 65 years of its political independence.
Whichever way we look at it, Nigeria has not been able to make much impact in the education sector, and this is largely because of the poor attention given by the successive governments, especially from the mid 80s to the sector. The poor state of Nigeria’s economy today is a factor of the level of our education as it defines the development of any country.
Everyone knows that education is the bedrock of development. We all know that without quality, the country cannot move forward in terms of development.
However, we pay lip service to the sector too much. Any country that takes education seriously will not treat teachers the way Nigeria’s government is treating them.
So, until we take the sector very seriously, we will continue to grope in the dark because teachers play a critical role in the nation›s development. Teachers are the producers of other professionals across fields, including teachers. Governments should therefore give the sector adequate priority.
How do you think this can be done?
The improvement we crave is such that should reflect in every aspect of education from primary to tertiary schools. Teachers, for example, deserve good conditions of service, good welfare and salary packages as well as allowances. They need a conducive environment. The infrastructure deficits in public schools must be fixed. Well-equipped libraries and science laboratories are also important. This is the era of technology, schools must be provided with computers and internet facilities. Students’ hostels for boarders must also be in good condition. It is also important that government should provide an enabling environment for private school operators to grow and thrive.
Are you saying that so far the government has not done anything right in the sector?
That is not the message, but the message is that we are still far from where we should be as a 65-year-old nation.We are not supposed to be complaining about many things as we are today and that is the message.
However, I will say that there are some ongoing efforts by the current administration, especially the Federal Government to reposition the sector. Technical and vocational education is a good example. Lack of it has become a substantial bane of our development.
The reintroduction of it can become a magic wand that will take Nigeria out of its current economic and technological backwardness. Another aspect where this government should be given credit is on the granting of dual mandate policy to the colleges of education. This is what COEASU has been fighting for many years.
Various past presidents have been ignoring the Bill to that effect, though passed by the National Assembly. Unlike others, President Bola Tinubu signed the Bill into Law not long after assumption of office. This is a great step to genuinely enhance teacher education. You know why? Dual mandate will give colleges of education the opportunity to award NCE and degrees concurrently. The policy will encourage many brilliant brains to colleges of education. They will also be happy to take up teaching appointments after graduation and do well on the job. This will in turn enhance quality and professionalism if the implementation won’t be a problem as it appears to be at the moment.
Can you expatriate on this?
It is about the length of years that NCE holders will use for degree programmes under dual mandate. What we advocated is that NCE holders who want to proceed for degree programmes will spend just five years all together and not seven years to obtain their degrees. They will spend three years for NCE and another two years for degrees to make them double qualified; this was how it was done in those days. If you have your NCE, especially with good grades, you could spend just two years in the university for your B.eD. It is expected that the graduates from this arrangement will comfortably be able to teach in secondary schools and at the basic education level.
This can be likened to what is happening in the medical field, whereby somebody can be double qualified as a nurse and also as midwife. All along, teacher education has not been able to attract many people as I said. People just don’t want to be a teacher just like many don’t want to be farmers. It is simply due to poor conditions of service and welfare packages for Nigerian teachers.
We should understand that those who go to medical line, architecture, engineering, oil and gas, accounting and lots more are doing so not on the basis of patriotism. They believe those professions can easily enhance their financial wherewithal and boost their reputation in the society.
Go and ask the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for statistics of students seeking admission to study education courses nationwide, you will be shocked that only very few usually apply every year not only to CoEs but also to universities. When it becomes very difficult to gain admission for courses such as Law, Medicine, Accounting, Engineering, Pharmacy and the likes, education courses are always undersubscribed. We cannot continue in this manner as a country and expect to be great. If we continue to treat teachers as if they are not important, the country will continue to suffer. Teachers need to be more recognised. It is not a crime for example that teachers who distinguished themselves can be honoured with the prestigious Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) by the Federal Government. We have over 500,000 teachers in Nigeria. Is the government saying there is no single teacher among those numbers who is qualified for such a national honour? I’m not talking about the awards strictly for teachers but the NNMA.
Not everybody can be a politician or government appointee to get such honour. Government should consider teachers too.
It’s like you don’t see hope in the sector?
There is hope, I must say. I will illustrate it from this angle, that even for someone is terribly ill or even bedridden that does not mean there is no hope again for such a person. There is hope as long as someone is still breathing. So, hope is not completely lost in Nigeria›s education sector.
As COEASU, how did you commemorate this year’s World Teachers’ Day held on Sunday, October 5th?
We are yet to mark the day. We shifted it to this Thursday (today) to celebrate ourselves. We will hold the event in Abuja being the nation’s capital city. We have many activities for the day. We are to give a N1 million scholarship award to the overall best college of education student nationwide and half a million naira to each of the best students across the six geopolitical zones of the country. Also, five individuals who have contributed meaningfully to teacher development in the country will also be honoured by the union. Our academic journal will be unveiled while a new executive will be installed to steer the affairs of the union for the next four year. I will also handover the baton of leadership to the new President during the event.
Can we know the individuals to be honoured apart from students?
Of course, why not? One of them is Professor Kabiru Isyaku, who is the President of Nigeria Academy of Education and former Executive Secretary of National Commission for Colleges of Education. We also have Dr Yusuf Sununu, who is a former Minister of State for Education and now for Humanitarian Affairs. We also have Professor Jamila Shu’ara, a former provost of FCE (T) Bichi and now Vice Chancellor of Baze University is another person. Professor Shu’ara will also be the guest lecturer at the event. The remaining two are Mr Abdulmumin Oniyangi, who is the Director of Public Affairs of TETFund and Prof Josiah Ajiboye, former Registrar of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria. These individuals contributed substantially to teachers’ development and the nation’s education sector generally. They are lovers of good education. We are convinced that their efforts need to be recognised and celebrated. When we do that, it would encourage them to do more and also encourage others too.
ASUU is mobilising members for a nationwide strike by next Monday. If the Federal Government fails to respond positively to its demands, how will you react to that?
Though I cannot speak for ASUU, I think the union gave the ultimatum may be as a result of collapsed discussion with the Federal Government. Probably they think the best way to get their differences resolved with the government is to do what the law permits because giving an ultimatum is a function of law. I wouldn’t want to say more than that on the matter.