Save Nigeria’s public education from collapse

By Israel Igiri

In the words of the legendary Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Education continues to be considered a quintessential tool needed for national development. Education is of great social importance in contemporary society. Its ability to complete the socialization process, transmit cultural heritage from one generation to another, enhance the formation of social personality, facilitate the reformation of attitudes process, equip citizens for occupational placement, train in skills that are required by the economy, foster participant democracy and serve as an integrative force in any given society.

Today in Nigeria, the public education sector which encompasses members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, and social groups, faces serious challenges. These challenges have persisted over the years as a result of poor funding of the sector by the government. 

According to the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), a country’s budget should allocate at least 20% to the education sector. UNESCO also admits that 4-6% of the country’s GDP has to be allocated to education to achieve the sustainable development goal of quality education. However, Nigeria’s allocation has been below this benchmark.    

Budgetary Allocation to Education Since 2016

In the past 10 years, Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to education has consistently fluctuated between 5 and 10 percent of the total budget. 

– In 2016, the National Assembly approved a total budget of N6.06 trillion, and N480.28 billion was allocated to the education sector, about 7.9 percent of the total amount budgeted for the year.

– In 2017, N448.44 billion was allocated to the sector, representing about 6.1 percent of the N7.30 trillion total budget for the year. 

– In 2018, the approved budget for the year rose to N9.2 trillion, and N651.23 billion, about 7.1 percent, was allocated to the education sector. 

– In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari presented N8.83 trillion estimates to the National Assembly as the year’s budget. The education sector got N745.53 billion, about 8.4 percent of the total budget. 

– In 2020, the sector received a total of 686.82 billion, which is about 6.5 percent of the total approved budget for the year. 

– For 2021, the education sector received  N742.52 billion allocation which is about 5.7 percent of the total budget for the year, the lowest budget the sector had ever received compared with the previous budgets allocated to the sector in the past. 

– In 2022, out of the national budget totaling N17.13 trillion, a sum of N923.79 billion was allocated to the sector. Though the figure increased, the budget was at 5.4 percent of the total budget approved by the National Assembly. 

– In 2023, a sum of N1.08 trillion was allocated to the education sector from a total budget of N21.83 trillion, representing 4.93 percent of the total budget

– In 2024, the education sector got N1.54 trillion, representing 6.39 percent of the total budget. 

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An Ailing Sector

The low funding and inconsistency in the budgetary allocation to the sector have proved inadequate for the essential development needed in the education sector. Given the level of infrastructural decay in most basic schools across the country, the capital expenditure for the education sector in the nation’s total budget has not made a significant impact in the last decade. School enrolment figures are huge and the state of infrastructural dilapidation is overwhelming. Speaking while briefing the former Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman in September 2023, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi noted that “Nigeria needs additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms to absorb the frightening number of the out-of-school children in the country,” which a 2022 UNESCO report put at 20 million of its 200 million population. Statistics from the 2022 National Personnel Audit (NPA) conducted and released by UBEC in June 2023 revealed that Nigeria has a total enrolment figure of 47 million pupils in 177,027 basic schools.    

Today, there are inadequate classrooms for learning in most public secondary schools. Classes are always overcrowded with a large number of students. Imagine a class designed for 40 students being occupied by 80 students. Where parents cannot provide classroom furniture, students sit on the bare floor or share desks; sometimes under a tree. Similarly, libraries and laboratories are lacking in public schools. Some who even have them are managing the old ones which are almost dilapidated. This, no doubt, affects the learning process of the ‘leaders of tomorrow’ as there is no conducive environment for them to thrive. More often than not, they struggle to be grounded in the foundational aspects of their various courses. All these pose serious implications for society. 

Another implication of poor funding is the high rate of examination malpractice in public schools. There is a high probability that students will be involved in this act when not properly taught. No one can underestimate the importance of an effective classroom experience between the teacher and the students. An effective classroom experience can enhance the pace at which subjects/courses are internalized and understood. When teachers are not motivated, their lackadaisical attitude can adversely affect the motivation and zeal of the students. 

Furthermore, workers’ industrial actions by academic unions in the country have continued to jeopardize the nation’s education sector. In the last decade, strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), and a host of other academic unions, have been common occurrences. These stem from underfunding of the system and workers’ struggles for better pay. This has adverse implications for teachers and students as academic calendars are disrupted and altered. Students do not graduate as at when due as they are forced to spend extra years before graduating. This kills their interest in getting a formal education. The situation has been further exacerbated by the brain drain hitting the sector. 

The Way Forward

While governance is critical to the development of a nation, only a well-funded system of education can guarantee the good leadership needed to drive the country to good governance. This makes quality education indispensable for national development. While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has promised to reform Nigeria’s education sector, he needs to act fast. A “Renewed Hope” is crucial for education at this point. As such, concrete steps must be taken by this current administration to address these issues which have engulfed the public education sector as they pose serious threats to national development. As the government commences preparation for the 2025 national budget, there is a need to refocus attention on the delivery of quality education by not only allocating adequate money to the sector but also ensuring that what is allocated is effectively utilised through proper monitoring. 

A properly allocated budget for education would have positive impacts on students, teachers, and society as a whole. When school infrastructure is invested in, including buildings, classrooms, libraries, and laboratories, an environment favourable for learning is established. Furthermore, properly cared-for facilities are crucial for efficient instruction and education, influencing student presence, drive, and scholastic success. 

Also, teachers who are well-remunerated are well-motivated to teach, resulting in enhanced student performance and involvement.

As a nation, until we realize former American president John F. Kennedy’s submission that our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education, our requirements for world leadership, our hopes for economic growth, and the demands of citizenship itself in an era which require maximum development of every young individual’s capacity will not be achieved because education remains the solution to many of the challenges facing the nation.