The Insight by Lateef Adewole
“In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.” –Lee Iacocca
This Monday past, 5th of October, 2020, marked the commemoration of the annual World Teachers’ Day. I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate our teachers and felicitate with them on this occasion. The position of teachers in our world is unrivalled and their sacrifices are unquantifiable. They remain the pillar of support to the continuous existence of a sane society. I wish anyone and everyone who is a teacher, happy teachers’ day. May you be rewarded both in this world and in the hereafter.
I might not forgive myself and some people might not forgive me as well if I let this week pass without writing about this. Nigeria is like a rollercoaster with myriads of issues to address on a daily basis and I had set my mind on a few of them. In fact, as at Sunday, I already wrote the draft of this Saturday’s article which is completely different from this topic. It was something that emanated from an interaction I had with a long term friend that Sunday morning. But to celebrate our teachers, I had to step it down.
Also, many people have stereotyped me as one of them (teachers) and the question of why I am not teaching in the University has refused to leave me alone (lol). People formed that opinion based on my pedigree. The same question was still asked in an interview I granted to Engineers’ Forum last week. The complete interview can be found on their website. I was able to elucidate my stand in the interview. It became clear that, I am actually more of a teacher than I care to acknowledge even while in business.
My company, Zobot Resources Limited, has arms in Energy Consulting (Oil & Gas, as well as Power) and other Engineering interests. We are also provide trainings for other organisations like companies, schools, and also organise our own independent training for people in different fields of Engineering, especially the Renewable Energy (Solar and Inverter systems). We plan to build it into a stand-alone Training Institute in future. It will be a melting pot for the academics, researchers and industry practitioners, with the sole objective of solving societal problems.
By my personal involvement in teaching some courses of the various programmes, I have been called a teacher just that it is not within the four-wall of the University and I am very proud of it. I proudly display it in my bio on twitter (@lateef_adewole). So, it is my utmost pleasure to celebrate all teachers in this week-long programme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day with the theme; “Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future.”
There could not have been a better theme than this at this time of global crisis foisted on the world by the Covid-19 pandemic. The educational sector to which teachers belong was worst-hit despite it having affected and still affecting many professions. Schools were completely shut. Students could not attend classes for six months or more. The consequence of this is enormous and such a challenge, if not properly managed, could cause irreversible damage in the life of the students, given that, any time lost can never be regained.
However, while many other sectors and professions became helpless, teachers globally, rose to the occasion to salvage the educational sector from total collapse. The ingenuity of our teachers and school administrators in conjunction with governments at all levels were deployed. With necessity being the mother of all inventions, unconventional but innovative ways of teaching were employed to deliver value to the students at home.
Teaching was done over radio, television, as well as online platforms like Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype, conference calls, and all possible means that permitted the strict observance of Covid-19 safety protocols. Continuous assessments, tests, examinations were conducted. Most terminal exams and entrance examinations into secondary schools were conducted through some of these media. It was awesome. This helped students to remain active in their studies to some extent.
But all these efforts would have been impossible without our rare gem professionals; The Teachers! They made it happen. Our gratitude as parents and society goes to them. They are our heroes!
Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the people who suffered immensely during this pandemic period were the teachers, particularly those teaching in private schools. And sadly too, it is this group that dominates the educational sector now because of the preponderance of private schools and institutions at all levels. The public schools have lost their pride of place substantially in the sector. Many government schools are dilapidated and are nothing to write home about.
Ironically, it is the same private school teachers who worked tirelessly during the pandemic with online classes while most, if not all, of them were not paid. Proprietors of schools did not pay them salaries on the excuse that students did not pay school fees as well. Looking at it from a business point of view, they were right. Can we blame them? If governments have not abandoned their responsibilities of providing quality education for the citizens, would we find ourselves in such quagmire?
The public school teachers are public servants, hence were paid by governments as regularly as possible “Oga ta, oga o ta, owo alaaru a pe”. Disappointingly, it is the public schools students who suffered more setbacks in their studies during this period. The government employed the least effective with least cost by broadcasting the teachings on radios and television, unlike the one-on-one online platforms used by private schools, at huge costs to both the teachers, schools owners and the parents of the students. But, they were more effective and worth it.
The pandemic exposed the vulnerability of teachers in Nigeria beyond what we previously thought of. There was a viral video at the peak of the lockdown. A grown-up man was seen crying with mucus coming out of his nose, as he spoke in the video begging and seeking public supports, not just for himself, but for all teachers, particularly in private schools. He asked that nothing was too small to help any teacher around us, even if it is a cup of garri. My heart broke watching that video which was even played on a national television. It was that bad.
Like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said and I quote; “A teacher is like a candle- it consumes itself to light the way for others”. Unfortunately, the neglect of teachers at all levels of our educational system has demeaned the profession even when we all know that it is the mother of all others. Like the opening quote of this article, any serious society, country or government, will not joke with their teachers and the education of their citizens, but the reverse is the case here.
That is why the announcement made by President Buhari as delivered by the Minister of Education on Monday to mark the occasion of Teachers’ day, was received with loud ovation. Special salary scale, extension of retirement age to 65 or 40 year in service, Special Teachers Pension Scheme, increase in allowances, and many others. If such policy measures are implemented to the letter, they will substantially incentivize the profession and begin to restore it to its pride of place.
While growing up, the most revered set of people in any community were teachers. They were highly regarded in our society. They set the moral and intellectual compass for the country and society. And the country was better for it. Songs were composed and sang in praises of education and to eulogise teachers. Children were well raised, disciplined and turned out well. But everything collapsed over time.
It all began with the proliferation of the “business-oriented” private schools which evolved and became prominent due to complete abandonment of the public schools by the governments. The teachers were poorly paid. The infrastructures were left to degenerate until they collapsed. Students no longer had conducive environment for learning. There are still schools where students sit on the floor, under the trees or in roofless classes to study. What kind of education do we expect from such environments? The teachers are compelled to teach under such conditions. What cruelty!
The civil and public servants, elected or appointed, refused to send their own children to the same schools they were saddled with, to manage. Why will they be bothered about the schools and the teachers? Few years ago, Governor El-Rufai decided to enroll his son in one of Kaduna state public primary schools. That was interesting and laudable. But was the school not put in top shape before he did that? If all schools in Kaduna were upgraded to the standard of that school, what business will citizens have to take their children to private schools and be paying through their noses?
Conversely, if not for the evolution and quick expansion in private schools, with the conditions of public schools, many children would have become useless and their future destroyed. So, I am not blaming private schools or their owners in any way. They have come to our rescue. Most of us have our kids there, at least, at the primary and secondary levels. Those who have the wherewithal still send their wards to private higher institutions. But the whole blame is on government. They destroyed public schools, whether deliberately or otherwise.
Any country that does not treat their teachers well is doomed for destruction (literally). This is because, the teachers mould the children/ youths who are expected to become leaders of tomorrow, from childhood. This is another kettle of fish as far as Nigeria is concerned because, leaders of yesterday have refused to leave the scene for the children of yesterday to become leaders of today, a future they had hoped for while they were children. Our living “ancestors” are still in charge of the affairs of our country to a large extent.
Finland has the best educational system in the world. How did a small nation, not a world power, achieve that? They focused on improving the welfare of the teachers. Teaching was made the premium profession. Teachers earn more than most of other professions. Policies were enacted to attract and keep the best among graduates within the system. Most teachers are the top and best in the society. Top graduating students from the higher institutions were retained. Why would they refuse when they get far better remunerations and prestige than all other professionals, including workers in Oil and Gas which are often seen as “richest” (like in Nigeria)?
The sector was revolutionalised. The infrastructures, the learning environment, the scheme of works, the curriculum and all associated facilities were made top-notch. Education was declared free at all levels, even to many foreigners and foreign students for decades until recently when some higher institutions began to charge tuition fees, still reasonable when the quality of the education is considered. Finland is also one of the safest countries in the world. One then wonders why boko haram, insurgency, and crimes are at very high level in Nigeria and many third world countries.
Education is the key to liberating human minds. Lack of it is tantamount to enslavement. So, President Buhari deserves accolades for the newly introduced policies which we hope will be fully implemented. Nigeria will be better for it. We’ve had enough of seeing teachers as second or third-rate citizens. They are our divine recreators. They define and guide our paths in life to whatever profession we chose. They are our “guardian angels.” Teachers are the most valuable. They are the best!
It is possible to have bad eggs among teachers, especially since many are “accidental teachers” who only go into teaching because of joblessness. The larger number of teachers who dedicate their lives, sacrifice everything they have to groom our children, are who we are celebrating. Apart from better remunerations, better teaching environment, regular training and retraining in modern teaching techniques should be provided and made compulsory for teachers.
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for about eight months now. It was not too obvious because of the pandemic challenge. Now that normalcy is gradually returning and the FG has directed that higher institutions can reopen, what will now happen to the students in those universities? The demands from ASUU are largely for the betterment of our schools and students. And the strike was caused by FG’s reneging in fulfilling their part of the agreement they had with ASUU since 2009. Successive governments have failed to honour it.
Something needs to be done urgently to address the issue. The strike cannot be “ad infinitum”. We also appeal to ASUU members to go back to the negotiation table, give concessions on their immediate demands and conditions for resumption and go back to class. If not for anything, but for the sake of innocent students who are the victims in all of these. “Ibi t’erin meji ba tija, koriko ibe ni yio fara gba” (where two elephants fight, it is the grasses that will suffer).
As the commemorative week winds down and we celebrate our teachers, they should also live up to expectations. The teachers’ associations at all levels should do self-examination and re-examinations, and self purging to remove the wheat from the chaff. All kinds of unpleasant stories that often emanate from the schools like; sexual harassment, sex-for-marks, bribes-for-marks, exploitation of students through unnecessary handouts, dereliction of duties, irresponsible behaviours, lack of dedication and commitment to impact knowledge, and many others, need to be addressed. They should be stopped.
Once again, Happy Teachers’ Day to all our teachers.
God Bless Nigeria.
Lateef Adewole is a political analyst and social commentator can be reached by email lateefadewole23@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +2348020989095 and @lateef_adewole on Twitter
