The International Ford Fellowship Program Alumni, Nigeria (IFFPAN) has urgently called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on education in Nigeria. This plea underscores the pressing need to provide Nigeria’s children with a solid foundation for realizing their dreams.
Austin Aigbe, the President of IFFPAN, highlighted that in his 2024 Children’s Day statement, President Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing the quality of education and ensuring a safe learning environment for children. IFFPAN, a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, private nonprofit organization for Nigerian alumni of the International Fellowship Program of the Ford Foundation, emphasized the necessity of this commitment.
IFFPAN also urged state governors to prioritize educational investments, particularly in primary education, which forms the cornerstone of quality education. The organization called for increased budgetary allocations from both federal and state governments, and encouraged private corporations and individuals to support efforts in improving the education sector.
The urgency of this call is illustrated by a viral video showing a school in North East Nigeria, where students endure deplorable learning conditions. The school, with a dilapidated bamboo roofing structure, serves approximately 250 students from primary one to junior secondary school one, all taught by a single teacher employed by the state government.
IFFPAN specifically called on the Taraba State government to identify other schools in similar conditions and take appropriate steps to restore dignity in public schools. This call is relevant to all state chief executives across Nigeria.
Following a preliminary investigation, IFFPAN confirmed that the school in the viral video is located in Taraba State, which purportedly implements a free and compulsory education policy. In July 2023, Governor Agbu Kefas declared free education for all primary and secondary schools in the state. However, the conditions depicted in the video starkly contrast with this policy. The State Government had suspended the Principal and Examination Officer of Government Day Secondary School over alleged attempts to undermine the free education policy.
IFFPAN commended Governor Kefas for the free and compulsory education initiative but condemned the poor learning environment and the lack of adequate teaching staff. The organization stressed that the conditions in the school fall short of the minimum standards required for effective education.
The key requirements for compulsory education include equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs and the improvement of education quality to ensure excellence for all students. The current conditions, where one teacher is responsible for around 250 students, including those with disabilities, make it impossible to achieve reasonable learning outcomes.
The deplorable state of education is not unique to Taraba State but is a nationwide issue that necessitates urgent intervention. Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, the standard of education in Nigeria has continued to decline, highlighting the critical need to reform and save the system.
