Renowned educationist and former President of the Nigerian Association of Economists (NAE), Prof. Innocent Eleazu, has advised the federal government to stop its planned scrapping of the 6-3-3-4 system of education policy currently in place in the country and replace it with a continuous 12-year stretch of basic (primary and secondary) education programme.
Speaking on educational issues, Eleazu told New Telegraph that there was nothing wrong with the basic 6 years of primary, 3 years in junior secondary and another 3 years in the senior secondary level.
He noted that while planners of the system made good policy proposals and spent huge public funds in building structures, acquiring equipment and computers and setting up laboratories and workshops in schools, poor management and zero security arrangements with no maintenance policy lead to the stealing and vandalisation of the locations, thereby rendering the system impotent.
The former lecturer and school proprietor regretted that Nigeria lacked prioritised economic policies to employ its scarce resources for the overall benefits of reaching the highest use value, blaming policymakers for prioritising politics in place of the socio-economic well-being of the citizens.
Eleazu posited that as an emeritus principal and proprietor, versed in secondary education management, he was in a better position to provide quality counselling to the government on the issues at hand, stressing that abandoning the current system was akin to one joining others to make the same mistake twice.
“Right now, the problem of primary and post-primary education in Nigeria is not restructuring; it is the provision of better learning environments, laboratories, infrastructures, qualified teachers, etc. Most of the schools are dilapidated, lacking teachers.”
He said that it is unfortunate that Nigeria does not have a prioritisation policy, an economic policy that prioritises the proper use of the nation’s scarce resources so that limited resources can reach the highest use value.
“Our policymakers allow political considerations to override their economic decisions. In this circumstance, why should the federal government want to reform the 6-3-3-4 education system now when it has pressing multiple economic and political problems?
“I recommend rather that the government make provisions for budgetary allocation on how to secure the laboratories, equipment, computers and locations where these schools and workshops exist instead of bringing in another programme.”
He further advised that the money that will be mapped out for the new 12-year system should be applied in salvaging Nigerians now wallowing in hunger and poverty.
“For example, right now, the overwhelming majority of Nigerians cannot put one square meal on the table; there is hyperinflation in the country, what the layman calls runaway inflation: a situation when you buy something at a certain price and within a short time, the price increases.”
On the proposed reforms to reposition the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Eleazu gave the federal government a passmark, emphasising that the new concept, when in place, will create an enabling environment for the school leavers observing NYSC to acquire skills and engage in meaningful trades after service without waiting for white-collar jobs.
He, however, pleaded that the military training aspect of the programme be retained to instil discipline and ensure good health habits in the corps members.
