Teachers, unfairly treated in Nigeria - Taiwo Alabi

Hon Taiwo Alabi is the former Special Assistant (Adult Education) to Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed. He is an educationist and Proprietor of the Future Leaders Group of Schools, Ojagboro, Ilorin. Alabi this interview with PILOT EDUCATION speaks on sundry education issues. Excerpts.

As former Special Assistant (Adult Education), what is your assessment of Governor Ahmed's education policy in the last four years and what are your expectations in the second term?

Governor Ahmed's administration gave priority to education in the first term of his administration. Let me start with my own office, in the entire country, there is no governor that appointed any officer to monitor adult education for his administration; Governor Ahmed is the only one and this was confirmed by the National Council on Adult Education when the body visited the state for a conference. Apart from that, the governor has contributed immensely in terms of education from primary school to the secondary level, it is free, and for the SSCE students are not paying. Also, Kwara is not among those 19 states listed to have owed the WAEC outstanding debt which was put at N4bn. For tertiary, we have our institutions paying lowest fees among other state-owned institutions in the country. In his first term, the tuition fee at KWASU was slashed by 50 percent. So, his administration has made education affordable and accessible to all and sundry in the state. In the second term as well, part of his commitment is that he wants to bring development through education. There can't be development without developing education. So, Governor Ahmed is committed to development through education.

As proprietor and an educationist, there is this belief that school establishment has been turned into business venture, are you one of those exploring the avenue?

When I started my own school about 22 years ago, there was no proliferation of schools as we have today. Though, one can see that people have turned it to be a business venture. But, those people I tell you, can't last a decade. Education is supposed to be a social service not a profit-oriented.

But what is your take on those operating schools under dilapidated buildings all in the name of school establishment?

Well, that is the duty of the Ministry of Education and specifically, the Bureau of Quality Assurance. They have the responsibilities of ensuring that any one that wants to establish school must be able to provide infrastructure, including classrooms among others. So, I want to urge the proprietors operating under temporary apartment to make sure that they get their own site where they can build structure suitable for school operation.

So far, would say you have been achieving your aim of establishing the school?

We are achieving. I started the primary school two decades ago. The secondary school is clocking 10 years now. But, the achievement I'm targeting is that I want to see these children we are nurturing, I want to see them contributing to the development of the community; that is when I can say I have achieved. Moving from temporary site to the permanent site, to me, this is not an achievement. The measurement of my own achievement is based on the out-put. I want to see these children in different fields excelling there. Then, I will make bold to say, I have achieved greatly.

Teaching of history in secondary schools is no longer being encouraged, what is your take on this development?

As Yoruba simple adage puts it “The River that forgets its source will dry.” History takes us back to the past to learn and determine our future. I will not subscribe to the cancellation of history as subject in schools. At the tertiary institution, you see students enrolling to study history and international relations but in secondary schools, history is going into extinction. I will want to plead with the education planners to re-introduce teaching of history in our secondary schools because it plays a vital role.

What is your view on the ongoing controversy over JAMB cut-off?

I want to align myself with the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) what are you saying when you are giving 150 cut-off marks for Colleges of Education and at the universities, you will say 180 is for those who want to study educational courses. Are you telling us that we should be producing mediocre teachers in the education sector? But I will not blame JAMB because it reflects the way teachers in the country are being treated and to me, it's unfair. Becoming a lawyer, doctor, engineer, ambassador or whatever, you are a product of teachers. So, why are we not putting teaching as a profession above all other professions? Teachers are not encouraged. Even our children, if you ask them what would you want to become in future? They will tell you engineer or an accountant. They know engineers and accountants are rich and lawyers are well respected in the society. Teachers are not respected because of their remunerations. If our governors, as being done in the health sector increase the by uplifting remuneration of the teachers, people will be encouraged; the brilliants, genius and intelligent ones would desire to be teachers. So, don't blame JAMB, but blame the system generally that underrates teaching as a profession. Primary and secondary schools teachers should be treated the way those at the tertiary institutions are being treated. When I was in primary school, teachers are respected in the society unlike these days. They should blame the system and re-adjust.

Would you support those who are calling for the scrapping of the Post-UTME?

I will not totally support that. The conduct of the examinations is the first thing that should be looked into. I don't know, but from every rumour, there are elements of truth. They say there are miracle centres for JAMB. If that is true, how would you expect the university to have confidence in those results? This is why institutions would have to do their own screening. But if JAMB sanitises the system and the result becomes a game of merit, then, I will support the cancellation of the post-UTME. Since that has not been done, I think universities should be allowed to screen their candidates.

Don't you feel the universities as well have turned the exercise into avenue for making huge money?

That is the area we have to look into. When you say corruption, you find it everywhere in Nigeria. The Post-UTME of a thing, I will say should continue but it must be regulated. The Ministry of Education should know what it takes to conduct internal examinations. The amount to be collected should be regulated.

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