In
life, Joseph Onuorah Nzekwu, now
deceased, was an obscure journalist but his novel, ‘’Eze Goes to School’’, is an
all time classic. The book, as timeless
as ever, is relevant today as it was 53
years ago, when it was first published. In 1961, he wrote ‘’Wand of Noble Wood’’ and the book, his
first major outing, got a rave of
positive reviews. In fact, Encyclopaedia
Britannica gave it a favourable mention
but ‘’Eze…’’ resonates more with the literati. Last week, Malam Nasir El Rufai, the governor of Kaduna state,
enrolled his child into a public school. Like Eze, Abubakar also went to school and the
new pupil, unlike the fictional character, was the cynosure of all eyes on September 23. The
event, from beginning to end, was captured by the media as the six year old
took his faltering steps in learning. Thereafter, a barrage of commentaries
followed the enrolment. The motive,
utility and various interpretations have been argued back and forth in the last
two odd weeks.
Broadly,
Malam Nasir El Rufai, as APC candidate, had promised to provide security,
enthrone peace in Kaduna state, create jobs and improve healthcare and
education in the ‘’Centre of Learning.’’
In retrospect, five years down the road, he has largely delivered on
these promises but it is still
work-in-progress. Education, according to him, is key to solving most problems,
empowering the citizenry and bringing development
in any society. The governor, on various
occasions, has flaunted his public school education as part of his success
story. In particular, he attended an L.E.A Primary School in Kaduna, went to
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and came out with flying colours. Similarly, in
both private and public sectors, he has given a good account of his quality education.
However,
over the years, things went south in the education sector. In fact, only the
never-do-wells, children of the working class and urban poor attend public schools in the
country. The rich, powerful government officials and elites gave them a wide
berth. In droves, their wards went to either private schools or
schooled abroad. El Rufai, on the campaign trail, had promised to reverse this trend, vowing to
lead by example. In summary, he pledged to restore public schools to their past
glories, revamp the entire education
sector and above all, enrol his child
into a public school. The governor, on
September 23, fulfilled his covenant with the electorate, as Abubakar
went to Capital School Kaduna.
In part, before the
enrolment, El Rufai has changed the face
of public schools, upgraded the education sector and boosted enrolment figures
in Kaduna state. Indeed, things are still not where they ought to be, but they
have left where they were pre-2015. Specifically,
he met a pathetic situation in Kaduna state on
assuming office, as most of the 4,000 public primary schools and 1,000 secondary schools were in shambles. In particular, infrastructures
had decayed, most had blown off roofs,
the floors were without cement and the
buildings lacked windows and doors. In
addition, most schools lacked toilets,
water and electricity and more than
50% of the pupils sat on bare floor .
Similarly, school enrollment was low and students’ completion
rate stood at 24.17% for primary schools, 54.94% for junior secondary schools and 70.14% for senior secondary schools.
Likewise, classrooms were crowded and the learning environment was hostile.
Consequently, the state performed as poorly as 4% in WAEC in
2010 and 10% in the succeeding year.
Alarmed, El Rufai declared a state of emergency on the education sector, when he assumed office. In addition, he
enforced the Universal Basic
Education Act, making basic education free
and compulsory. Likewise, free uniforms were issued to every pupil and secondary school student. Above all,
massive infrastructural development
ensued, so did the provision of instructional
and educational materials to pupils and teachers. Specifically, for four years, the education sector got the highest
budgetary allocations since El Rufai became governor. In 2016, it got 33% of the budget, representing
N27.89billion. In 2017, it got 35 % and this translated to N43.98 billion.
Subsequently, the sector got N33 billion in 2018 and in this year’s budget, N25
billion was allocated to it.
However, these efforts notwithstanding, Kaduna
state did the unprecedented in 2017, when it weeded out unqualified teachers
from public primary schools. Earlier, the government had conducted a
survey and the result was both revealing
and unsettling. In 2015, Kaduna state
had 33,000 primary school teachers but 42%
were unqualified to teach. In October,
all public primary school
teachers, across the 23 local governments, sat for an examination and only 11,
220 scaled the 75% cut off point. Subsequently, the
failures were booted out and the government, via newspapers adverts, asked eligible candidates to apply for the vacant
posts. Thereafter, the applicants sat for a qualifying examination and in the
end, 25, 000 passed the rigorous process.
Significantly, within one year, the dividends
of the reforms started manifesting in Kaduna state. First, pupils enrolment jumped
from 1.1 million to 2.1 million in 2016
and it is still counting. Fundamentally,
teaching and learning have also
improved, going by the performance Kaduna state in NECO and WAEC examinations
in the last three years. In 2016, 2017and 2018, Kaduna state came first in the northern states
and overall 12th in the country in these two national examinations. Last week, another
endorsement came from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria(TRCN), when
it ranked Kaduna state as one of the top three states that boast of qualified
teachers. Prof Segun Ajiboye, TRCN’s
Registrar, mentioned Oyo state as first
on the list, with 5,200 qualified teachers, followed by Lagos state which has 5,117 and Kaduna state
followed with 4,616 bonafide teachers in the country.
Indeed, Kaduna state has started reaping the fruits of its education
reform. Last year, students from its public school came runners up at the Czech Republic, in World Debating
Championship, doing the state and the
country proud. In particular, Kaduna
Debating Team emerged best runner- up in the 2018 British Parliament category
of the Heart of the Europe Debating Championship, defeating countries like the
US, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Slovakia. The
team, comprising five students, beat
its United States counterpart at the
quarter finals. Specifically, the students
who brought honour to Kaduna state included Mary Manuel Bawa, from
Government Secondary School, Independence Way, Kaduna; Shu’aibu Nura, a student
of Alhuda Huda, College, Zaria and Auwal
Abubakar from Government Secondary School, Kofar-Kibo, Zairia. The rest of the
winning team are Nathaniel Adamu, from St. Johns Secondary School, Kachia;
Hauwa Mustapha, a student of Government Secondary School, Kofar Gaya, Zaria;
and Joy Victor of ECWA Secondary School, Kaduna.
For critics, El Rufai
was merely grandstanding by taking Abubakar to Capital School. However, the governor
saw it as a fulfilment of a campaign
promise, his faith in public schools and
an endorsement of his education reforms. Unwittingly, he has thrown a challenge
to his commissioners and senior government officials, fellow state governors and ministers, to follow in his footsteps. Ultimately, the
governor wants children of the elite and the poor, to learn under one roof, as he schooled with wards
of ministers and permanent secretaries
in the 60s, at L.E.A Primary School, Kawo Kaduna. Indeed, that’s the aim
of enrolling Abubakar El Rufai, his
biological son, into a public school; a
campaign for saving the endangered education
sector, not politics or populism.
Musa
writes from Kaduna