Are Public Primary Schools in Nigeria still attractive?
November 14, 2019
By: Noble Missions
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It is often said that education is the key to success and that the children are the future of tomorrow. Learning which generally relates to the process of acquiring new skills or knowledge could also be seen as a behavioural change activity derived from formal, informal and semi-formal settings.
It is however important that learning, in the area of education should be done in a conducive environment for the students to be comfortable and assimilate properly. This would make it fun and comfortable for learners and teachers. However, the situation of some primary schools especially the government-owned schools in the country is worrisome and troubling.
There is a huge infrastructural deficit in rural education development in Nigeria. Some school buildings, classrooms, libraries, laboratories, furniture, recreational equipment, apparatus, and other instructional materials in the rural areas of Nigeria are nothing to write home about. In some cases, pupils are kept in classrooms with no roof and those that are roofed are not in good condition to shade these children during rainy seasons. And because these classrooms are overpopulated, the few chairs and tables are not enough for pupils in the classrooms and the only option for these pupils is to sit on the floor. Also, laboratory equipment is of extinct models and mostly not functional which makes pupils have limited practical knowledge or no knowledge about STEM.
Many parents and guardians now shy away from allowing their children or wards to attend public schools. Life happens in such a way that some of these parents have no choice but to send their children to public schools because of the high cost of attending private schools. It is highly imperative that the government continues to budget sufficiently for education and ensure that the budget is implemented as approved. To achieve this, the government should involve citizens in the budgeting process as well as be accountable and transparent in the whole process of budgeting and implementation.
It is therefore sacrosanct that the government prioritizes the provision of conducive learning environments across all primary schools (and other levels) in the country.