Salako’s letter to Governor Ajimobi (2
Continued from last week
3) Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy; and to this end Government shall as and when practicable provide: (a) Free, compulsory and universal primary education; (b) Free secondary education; (c) Free university education; and (d) Free adult literacy programme.”
4) Whether we like it or not, this is still the only constitution we have, irrespective of its numerous deficiencies, we still have to work with it. We can amend it now, to include the funding methods. Although, the proviso clause “when practicable” may be considered for inability of government to provide free university education and free adult literacy programme (subsection 3c and d above) due to the lack of fund. But alternative ways must be made either through scholarships or students loan scheme or both, to ensure that the children of the poor can also enjoy education to the highest level based on their ability to learn, not ability of their parents to pay. As a people, we MUST NOT allow Section 18, subsections 3a and b to be impracticable. Government, in conjunction with the entire society, must make public primary and secondary school education free and qualitative, whatever it may cost us as a society in general. That is not only an issue of legality for government; it is equally an issue of morality for all of us as a society. If government should fail in leading this, what then should the poor in the society benefit from the government? The writers of the manifestoes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also acknowledged the importance of free education, such that the idea of free school meal for primary school students, and later for secondary school students, is mentioned therein. I am glad the federal government is already about to implement this, even though I believe this should be an exclusive duty of the state government, or better still the duties of the local government. Therefore, the concept of free education is still very much valid in 2016, it only requires some thoughts on how to continue its implementation and make it better, considering the current financial reality on ground. I am almost sure, were Awolowo around today, he would equally seek better way to fund free education. Your Excellency Sir, you should not set a bad precedence in Oyo State for any non-progressive governor in Nigeria, by privatising or by seeking joint government – private ownership of any of the public secondary schools. Test running such an idea with 1 school or 31 schools or 100 schools out of about 631 public secondary schools in Oyo State is immaterial. The idea is simply inconceivable and should be jettisoned.
Now, let us look around the world.
- There is nowhere around the world where foundation education (primary and secondary) is fully privatized or run by public-private-partnership in the context you described with an example of road construction, or as you advertised by asking people to pay fee to express interest. At least, I can say of Scotland in the UK, Canada and the USA, where capitalism have not covered their eyes to the welfare of the less-privilege in their societies. These are not socialist countries, but they still believe that the minimum thing government can do to help the less-privilege is to make basic education accessible for all. The rich in these countries, through taxes, indirectly pay for the primary and secondary education of the children of the less-privilege in the society. In fact, in Scotland, government pays for the primary and secondary education of all children, all children, whether they attend public, private or religious schools. Whereas in Canada and the USA, government pays for all children except those who attend private schools. Even for those children attending private schools, their parents have a way of getting back, some of their educational expenses through tax return system.
In Scotland, government knows the cost of providing free qualitative education for a child in public school. So, if a parent decides to place his or her child in a private or religious school, government will pay for the equivalent cost in a public school, while the parent pays the balance. In fact, as recent as 2011, the former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, in defending and protecting the historic Scottish principle of “free education based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay,” said “the rocks will melt with the sun before he allows tuition fees for Scottish students.” He was speaking regarding to free tertiary education for the Scots.
In Canada, if any parent takes his child to private school, he first pays, but such parent eventually claims the money back, through the process of tax return. In fact, if the parent is unable to pay the school fees in a Catholic school, the school sends the bill to the government.
In the US where I currently work, we pay taxes. Our children attend public school because it offers the same quality as the others (private and missionary schools). The private and religious (missionary) schools are expensive, and they are merely for social class stratification as they do not offer better quality education than the public funded schools. We do not pay any fee in public school, but we are encouraged to freely donate, and the PTA determines how such donation is used. The children get breakfast at 7.30am, lunch at 12pm and snacks at around 2pm for only 40 cent, and they close at 3.00pm. We pay 40 cents per child for these meals because our income level is considered higher than been qualified for the free meals. Some parents get absolutely free school meal for their children. Some other parents also pay more than we do for the same meal, because their income is higher than ours. We are even allowed to appeal the school board’s decision for asking us to pay for the meal, if we are not satisfied. Any school material (e.g. reading books, notebooks, pens etc) we buy for our children, we claim the cost back in filling our annual income tax return. In fact, there are books for all students to borrow, read and return to the school’s library, even in primary schools. Now, this may especially interest you sir, the school nurses/audiologists/speech pathologists/psychologists etc conduct hearing, speech, and other tests to the children regularly in school, and they help them improve in their learning experience. Any serious case is referred to the hospital for treatment. Everything I have described here are as applicable in the state of North Dakota, it may be slightly different from what is obtainable in other states in the USA, but by and large, public primary and secondary education is free in the USA. I want to believe Your Excellency is aware about the American experience because you had also studied and lived there. Many other counties in Europe, Asia and the Middle East also offer free public primary and secondary education to their school age citizens. I believe these ideas can be replicated in Nigeria, indeed in Oyo State, with some possible amendments to fit our peculiar situations, if there is political will and determination to do so.
Your Excellency sir, my ideas won’t be a quick-fix process, but one that requires all indices to be considered, and all stakeholders to be involved. Your government is NOT solely responsible for the long time decay in the system but you can lead the process of formulating an acceptable education policy and funding options that will redress the comatose situation, and your successor can continue later.
- When I was conducting personal research into solving this problem in 2013, I contacted a good number of school teachers and principals in Oyo town. In one of the schools, for instance, I gathered, among other things, that:
- a) Out of 268 students in the JS1 classes, only about 30 of them have Mathematics textbooks. b) Out of 160 students in the SS1 classes, only about 25 of them have Mathematics textbooks. c) Ditto for English Language. Even worse for other subjects. d) Many (about 40 to 45%) of these students do not even have note-books! e) Many (about 65%) of them do NOT even come to school with ‘pocket – money’ to buy food for lunch. f) Many of them are NOT staying with their biological parents. A few orphans stay with the extended family members, who can hardly eat one meal a day. g) Few of them stay with a single parent (either mother or father). h) The principal said: “If you see some of the parents/guardians at PTA meetings, you will be tempted to give them alms, poverty clearly show on their faces. The situation is pathetic”
I believe the situation is similar elsewhere in Oyo State including the interiors of Ibadan less city. Therefore, any public-private-partnership arrangement that will involve profit making to the private partner will surely price education above the reach of the poor.
To be continued
