The International Ford Fellowship Program Alumni, Nigeria (IFFPAN), has reacted to the dire state of education in the country after its assessment of a viral video showcasing a school in North East Nigeria. The video had shown students learning under deplorable conditions, with a dilapidated bamboo roofing structure and a single teacher responsible for educating approximately 250 students spanning primary one to six and junior secondary school one.
The video, shared by a staff member of a non-profit organization in Nigeria, showed a teacher employed by the state government struggling to manage the overwhelming number of students. Following an investigation, IFFPAN confirmed that the school is located in Taraba State, where the government purportedly implemented a free and compulsory education policy.
Recall that in July 2023, Governor Agbu Kefas had declared free education in all primary and secondary schools across the state.
However, despite this policy, the conditions at the school are alarming. In April 2024, the Taraba State Government, through a letter signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Abel Joachim, suspended the Principal of Government Day Secondary School and his examination officer over an alleged plot to sabotage the free and compulsory education policy.
In a recent press statement signed by IFFPAN President, Austin Aigbe, the organization stressed that the school fell short of the minimum standards required for free and compulsory education, citing the deplorable infrastructure and the near-total absence of teaching staff.
While commending the state government’s commitment to free education, IFFPAN condemns the inhumane learning environment shown in the viral video.
IFFPAN therefore held that compulsory education must meet students’ learning needs through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs and ensure excellence in educational outcomes. In other words, with the current conditions, with one teacher responsible for about 250 students, including those with disabilities, achieving reasonable learning outcomes will be almost impossible.
The Viral State Of Things
This issue is not unique to Taraba State; the education sector across Nigeria faces significant challenges. Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, the sector has been plagued by poor teaching quality and inadequate funding. Access to quality education, particularly in rural areas where most primary school children reside, is severely limited.
In response, IFFPAN calls for several actions:
– The Taraba State Government should identify other schools in similar situations and take steps to restore dignity in public schools, a call extended to all state chief executives.
– State governors should prioritize investments in the education sector to rescue primary education, the foundation of good education.
– Federal and state governments should commit to increased and sustained budgetary allocations to improve the education sector.
– Private corporations and individuals should invest in and support governmental efforts to enhance the education sector.
– President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should immediately declare a state of emergency on the compulsory basic education program nationwide. In his 2024 Children’s Day Statement, the president reaffirmed his commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment and improving education quality.
IFFPAN also implored the President to take decisive action to ensure that Nigeria’s children have a solid foundation for realizing their dreams.
About IFFPAN
The International Ford Fellowship Program Alumni, Nigeria (IFFPAN) is an independent, nonsectarian, nonpartisan, private nonprofit social justice organization for Nigerian Alumni (Fellows) of the International Fellowship Program of the Ford Foundation, United States.
Austin Aigbe
President, IFFPAN
