INTRODUCTION
Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, however learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational.
Education in Nigeria is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing state-controlled policy regarding public education and state schools. The education system is divided into Kindergarten, Primary education, Secondary education and Tertiary education (Federal Government of Nigeria, 1991).
In 1973, the educational system was updated to the 6-3-3-4 (6 years primary, 3 years junior secondary, 3 years of senior secondary and 4 years tertiary education) similar to the American system. In 1982 the first National Policy on education was developed and adopted. Since this period, the educational system has witnessed a lot of changes and modifications at various levels (Erinosho, 1999).
FACTORS AFFECTING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF NIGERIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
- Exploitation and Educational Standard: A close assessment of activities in schools have revealed that, students are made to suffer undue amount of exploitation by school heads at both private and public schools in the name of enrolment fees and assurance of success in their examination and this they do in collaboration with the ministry officials who are suppose to inspect and monitor activities in schools to ensure standard compliance.
Despite the fact that most of the schools lack basic learning facilities and a complete set of teachers, in some cases, a school with the services of an English Language teacher will lack that of a Mathematics teacher. This is the more reason why one may not have the gut to quarry the mass promotion syndrome been practice in schools because the system itself is not balanced. In like manner, students are being surcharged in a number of ways in tertiary institutions either in the name of dues that are not accounted for, force purchase of reading and other learning materials at exorbitant rate or on services of which staff are being paid for as assigned responsibility and official provision made by the respective institution. All these lead to lowering of the academic ability of students.
2. Poor Funding: The gross under funding of the educational sector in the country in general and the neglect of the maintenance of the physical facilities; Instructional and living conditions have deteriorated in many of these schools; classrooms blocks, libraries and laboratories are nothing to write home about, all leading to declining in academic standards. Attention must be focused on these areas too if these educational institutions are to get out of the woods and this is only possible through adequate funding.
3. Poor Preparation and Malpractices: Experts in the education sector has been able to identify examination malpractices with poor preparation of students for an examination, and lack of self confidence. In view of the rising costs of education (school fees, enrolment fees, cost of books and other materials) students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects, hence will go to any length to ensure success. In some cases, some teachers at the secondary school level are involved by way of encouraging students to contribute money (cooperation fees) in order to secure the needed assistance during such examinations because they, the teachers are left with no other alternative considering the fact that they are aware of the inadequate preparation of their students as well as the lack of facilities to get them properly prepared before examination (Omofonmwan, 2001).
4. Orientation and Educational Standard: In view of the prevalence of examination malpractices and other related irregularities in schools at all levels this day, the interest and habit of reading, procurement of books and other skills development materials has drastically dwindled among a number of students. Interview with 50 secondary school heads of both public and private, sampled in Oredo and Uhunmwode L.G.A, Edo State and 30 senior faculty members from five universities namely Uniben, AAU, Delsu, Unilag and Abuja coupled with a study of 500 students randomly sampled from 50 secondary schools in Benin City and 300 students from 3 universities reveals that, the two areas of main interest to growing number of students now are: fashion and influencing of examination results “Blocking”. Thus, portraying the educational system more of glamour to real learning and skill acquisition by prospective students. This trend is also observed to have close relationship with rising sexual promiscuity among students.
5. Poor Parenting /Guardance: Parenting, entails caring, protection, guardance, provision of basic needs for a child up keep in order for him or her to be properly equipped to meet with the challenges of life, in accordance with the laws of the land. In desperation, many parents have decided to bring in additional innovation by way of not only involve in encouraging, but also finance activities in and around examination venues to effect malpractices in order to brighten the chances of their children or wards in qualifying examination to higher institutions and some even progress on this act through the tertiary level of education. Interview with two sets of university students from various departments engaged in clustered group discussion revealed that their parents influence over their choice course of study has negative effect on their level of performance.
6. Poverty and Fall in Standard: Acquisition of Education knowledge is supposed to help us fight against-poverty, ignorance and disease. The process of acquiring this well desired knowledge has gradually turned money spinning venture for many of those in dire need of the knowledge and skill. It is now a source of exploitation from the service seekers with little or no consideration for quality of service rendered and facilities on ground, and made an offer for the highest bidder.
A trend which has cut across all levels of education, from nursery school to tertiary institutions. The concept, “poverty”, refers to a situation and process of serious deprivation or lack of resources and materials necessary for living within a minimum standard conducive for human dignity and well being (NEST, 1992: 16). Admission and being in school today is merely an ability to pay what is demanded in monetary terms by school operators and not on what could be offered academically. And this in essence widens the scope of poverty prevalence as well as the gap between the rich and the poor which education is designed to bridge. Little wonder why graduates from many of the institutions exhibits ignorance towards societal realities and lack of creativity, due to the inadequacies associated with the learning and training process which is also observed to be partly because many of those that offer this service do so with greed.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUNCTIONING OF THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
The following were recommended for a proper functioning of the Nigerian Education System:
- Government and the private sector should pull in more effort and resources towards the development of education.
- Educating and re-orientation of teachers, parents and students on the need to discourage examination malpractice in schools.
- More vocational and technical education centers be establish and the few existing ones properly equipped and staffed.
- An independent inspectorate committee should be put in place to regularly monitor activities in schools as the existing inspectorate unit has seize to function effectively.
- Government should take over payment of enrolment fees for both primary six examination and secondary schools external examinations.
- Qualitative and affordable education be made available for all.
- Schools should be properly staffed and equipped.
- Applicants seeking job placement irrespective of grades obtained and institutions attended should be given fair and equal opportunity to compete for placement.
- More modern learning aids such as computers, internet web sites facilities, overhead projectors, firms etc should be provided in schools.
- Online registration being introduced now for school examination enrolment, by the National Examination Body should be encouraged, this will reduce the exploitative tendencies by school heads.
CONCLUSION
Some schools are only known to be functional during enrolment and examination period while most of the private schools, lack visible structure and any equipment required for science practicals and studies, but enroll students with outrageous charges (Aina and Salau, 1992).
More attention is required on the part of the government in the provision of vocational and technical education to growing number of prospective students seeking admission to the few and poorly equipped centres. The less emphasy on this aspect of education in Nigeria presently, is also an observed causal factor in the decline in educational standard. As it is more of a mono system of education. For an educational system to be classified as functional and effective, it must be all encompassing and all embracing. Thus, a well focused and define pattern of educational system that is all embracing should be fashioned out where vocational and technical education will be well developed and every child given the proper and kind of education he or she desires, base on the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domain
In conclusion, since education is seen as a sine-quanon to national development and since no nation can develop above its educational system, it becomes not only important but also imperative to find some solutions to the problems of dwindling resource allocation to the educational sector.
REFERENCES
Aina, A.T. and Salau, A. T. (1992). The challenge of sustainable Development in Nigeria. Nigerian Environment Study/Action Team (NEST). An NGO report prepared for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 1-12, p. 8, 16.
Omofonmwan, S.I. (2001). “Declining Students Enrolment in Secondary School Geography. A case Study of Benin.
Federal Government of Nigeria (1991). Higher Education in Nineties and beyond. report of Longe Commission on the review of Higher Education in Nigeria, main report.
Erinosho, L. (1999). “The social science in Nigeria in the 21st century: matters arising.” Newsletter of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria, Abuja, vol 2 No. 2 September.1999.