Education
Mni — "If you can read this, say thanks to your teacher."
The report of a recent Gender in Nigeria study should give all educationists, parents and citizens cause for concern. It shows that disparity in educational opportunities is pervasive in Nigeria. 'Girls' dropout rates are high while Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children in the world. The figures show wide disparities between States and across communities It is sad that 70.8% of young women aged 20-29 in the North-West are unable to read or write, compared to 9.7% in the South-East. Several reasons explain this: early marriage, early childbirth, poor sanitation, and the shortage of female teachers. However, two reasons stand out. Fees and poor quality of education (Gender in Nigeria Report: 2012).
Another report shows that 'Girls are also swelling the cadre of children contributing to the household economy but also increasing the chances of being abused. About 15% of young girls studied in the Harmful traditional Practices HTP survey left school to get married, 23.1 % went in to learn a trade, and 24% to trade or work on the farm. Financial constraint was a major reason for leaving school (21 %) thus showing the influence of poverty on the life of the girl child.'
A group of distinguished Nigerians confirmed this sad story but they are not wringing their hands in helplessness. They came together to package a new education project, the Garkuwa Education Hall of Fame (GEHoF). Garkuwa in Hausa means a shield and education is really a shield that protects us from poverty.
The organisation has as its patron, former Head of State, a teacher and administrator, politician and farmer, Alhaji Shehu Shagari. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Professor Adamu Baikie, a celebrated educationist and former Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University. The other members of the Board of Trustees are Professor Gidado Tahir, teacher, education planner and former Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). Mrs Amina Az Zubair, former Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGS and now head of a new United Nations initiative on post 2015 development and Mr Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi, teacher, education planner, politician and former Commissioner in Kaduna State.
For the past one year, GEHoF has been working on boosting education through an innovative approach that seeks to give further impetus to the drive to enhance the fortunes of teachers and the teaching profession in the country.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Professor Baikie addressed a press conference at the Nigerian Union of Teachers Office in Kaduna on August 20 2012 where he drew attention to issues of concern in the education sector. I attended the event as a member of the GEHoF Media Committee which is promoting media visibility for the initiative.
Professor Baikie told media practitioners that 'The last two decades have witnessed a devastating decline in the quality of learning outcomes in our school system. Specifically, learning achievements in numeracy and literacy have remained very low. The performance of our children in external examinations such as NECO and the WAEC has been on the decline. At the tertiary level, the quality of graduates from one universities and polytechnics is giving cause for concern. In knowledge based - world, we cannot just watch helplessly this deteriorating situation which is capable of undermining our development as a nation. Education is the pivot upon which all forms of human development revolve. We believe that Nigeria's greatness is anchored on the quality of education we provide to our children.' The press briefing was a publicity event to announce the new initiative to Nigerians which will be formally launched soon.
The Garkuwa Education Hall of Fame (GEHoF) is committed to drawing public attention to the very important role of teacher, educational planners and administrators, researchers and innovators who have made outstanding contributions in education worthy of recognition either in their life-time or even if they had passed on. GEHoF believes that if the delivery of education is to improve, teachers must be accorded their rightful place as facilitators and engineers of human development. No nation seeking development relegates the importance of its teachers. The GEHoF is committed to provide the platform for discourse on education issues on a sustainable basis.
The Professor said that 'in recognising and honouring past and present teachers; we shall be doing justice to a group of unsung heroes without whose labour many of us would not be what we are today. By identifying and publicizing the achievements of such teachers we shall be stimulating interest in the teaching profession and thus, attract those who are genuinely interested in teaching.'
The Hall of Fame will recognise and honour deserving personalities annually. And arrangements for the Special Inaugural Investiture for 2012 are at an advanced state. The investiture ceremony will recognize very distinguished citizens who have made outstanding contributions in the field of education; they would constitute the pioneers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The selection of those to be honoured is based on the following categories in education: Educational Planning and Administration, Education Management, Education Innovation, Special Education and Technical and Vocational Education. Letters have been sent out to 19 Northern State Governments and the FCT through the Commissioners of Education, requesting for nominations. The Investiture Panel is made up of very distinguished educationists and it is already screening nominations so far received from the states.
When fully operational, GEHoF, which is the only one of its kind in Africa, will facilitate the collection of memorabilia on education from all parts of the North and the nation in general. It will also serve as a resource base with the primary aim of preserving and providing access to information on education for scholars, educators, policy makers, researchers, students, journalists and the general public. It expected that these will help in broadening awareness and understanding of the teaching profession and its contribution in expanding the frontiers of knowledge.
Professor Baikie said the inaugural investiture into the Hall of Fame promises to be an elaborate ceremony to be attended by policy makers, academicians, Education planners and administrators as well as international Development Agencies. Those to be inducted will receive a certificate and a plague of honour, and will be robed in the academic gown of the Hall of Fame.'
Beyond it focus on the North, GEHoF also has a national outlook through another programme - the, "One in a Million - Teachers Who Make a Difference" - Initiative. It is basically designed to facilitate the compilation of the names of one million teachers who have made a difference of Nigeria. In essence, anyone from any part of the country can place the name of a teacher in the archives of Garkuwa Education Hall of Fame. The idea is to place in the archives of the hall of fame, those teachers who have made considerable impact in the lives of others.
Professor Baikie ended with an appeal stressing that 'it is important to reiterate the dangers that lie ahead as a consequence of the decline in the quality of our education delivery particularly in the Northern States. All citizens must wake up in response to the deepening crises in our education system. The governments, parents, education practitioners and community members must rise in unison to save the future of our children and our nation."