…Stakeholders make choices, list agenda for a sector in distress

By Dayo Adesulu

All hands of stakeholders in the  education sector were on deck during the ministerial screening exercise by the Senate, as everyone who cares about the education of our country was eager to know whose head the cap of Minister of Education will fit. At the end of the ministerial screening, many stakeholders who spoke with Vanguard disclosed that Professors Isaac Adewole, Anthony Onwuka, Cladius Daramola, Mrs. Amina Mohammed and Dr. Kayode Fayemi are potential Education Ministers.

Buhari

On Professor Claudius Omoyele Daramola, respondents said that going by his intimidating curriculum vitae and responses during the screening on burning national issues bedevilling the education sector, stands a chance to perform in the sector.

It will be recalled that while responding to questions posed by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on what he thinks is the cause of the perennial strikes, among other debilitating issues bedevilling the nation’s tertiary institutions, Daramola, among other things, blamed it on lack of communication between government and staff unions.

He added that poor funding, poor monitoring of government funds sent to academic institutions, poor monitoring of institutions by inspectorate teams, little or no training and retraining of teachers and dearth of history teachers, particularly at basic educational levels, should be look into. On poor enrolment of the girl-child in schools, he hopes to nip, if appointed Minister of Education.

For Professor Isaac Adewole, some stakeholders said that given his exploits and  experience in the field of education as an administrator in the university, he would successfully anchor the Ministry. Professor Peter Okebukola while speaking with Vanguard on this issue, set the agenda for the would-be Education Minister, pointing out some attributes of a Minister of Education which he described as indispensable.

He said: ‘’For many of us, we believe he or she should either have a qualification in education or an uncommon passion for education and any two of the following three attributes – track record of courage in taking decisions in the interest of the nation even if such decisions are not palatable to a section of the public; a person with good carriage and eloquence;

and a person with potential to build bridges among factional interests in the education sector especially among the staff unions in the higher education sub-sector.’’ According to him, if we use the aforementioned five selection criteria as filters, we will find that a number of the ministerial nominees are clearly eligible to be assigned the education portfolio. These include Professor Isaac Adewole, Professor Anthony Onwuka, Professor Cladius Daramola, Amina Mohammed and Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

“If I am to further reduce the filtering criteria to two, I will say uncommon passion for education and courage in taking decisions in the interest of the nation, are the key attributes needed in this season of change.” On agenda for the new Minister, he said: ‘’The Minister should not engage in any so-called “Summit” on Education. We have had enough of summits. All the summits have ended up with the same recommendations.

Now we need action. For the ‘change’ of the Buhari Administration to be effective and sustainable, we need action in three main areas:   improvement in the quality of teachers at all levels of the education system; improvement in the resourcing of our schools (facilities) and radical change in the quality assurance system at the basic and higher education levels.

‘’In order to improve the quality of teachers, the new Minister should direct NUC, NCCE, NBTE and NTI to produce a blueprint as a collective within two weeks to address the poor quality of NCE and graduate teachers being produced by the institutions under the charge of these agencies.

Emergencymeeting

Within a month, he should convene an emergency meeting of the National Council on Education to, among other things, review and bless the proposals for immediate implementation.

“As a  teacher trainer myself, I see the need to completely  overhaul the teacher education curriculum at all levels, temporarily close all sandwich and outreach programmes on education where the bastardisation of training is reigning supreme, institute a 5-yearly teacher re-certification system and work with states to improve the welfare scheme for teachers.

‘’Working with states through the National Council on Education, Mr. or Madam Minister should set 2016 as the year of the beginning of massive rehabilitation of schools. Most of our schools are as hopeless as can be in terms of facilities, yet money is locked in UBEC and TETfund, now happily sucked into the TSA scheme, that can be  utilised to correct the ills. Thumbs up for TETFund for its mighty footprints in rehabilitation of our higher education institutions.

It can still do better. Managers of our institutions can also do better by being transparent and judicious in the use of funds from TETFund and UBEC. “The third item in the agenda – radical change in quality assurance, is to work towards a merger of NUC, NBTE and NCCE as a Tertiary Education Council. This suggestion is not new. We only need a Minister with courage to work with the President and the legislature to give effect to this popular demand.’’

On his part, Prof Oyesoji Aremu who lauded President Mohammadu Buhari ministerial nominees said it is a balance team; an assemblage of politicians and technocrats. He averred that the technocrats are professors of huge national and international accolades who are also seasoned adding, ‘’the ministerial nominees meet national yearning and aspiration.’’

Changemantra

He is optimistic that  the team, may orchestrate the change mantra of the present administration provided the President and his Think tank can appropriate the right portfolio to the screened ministerial nominees.

According to him, two persons that can fit into the Minister of Education are Professor Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, an accomplished gynaecologist and university administrator and Prof. Claudius Daramola, a distinguished Professor of Sociology of Education.

‘’Either of the two could make a huge success in the ministry,’’ he added.  While it may be difficult to say objectively who the cap of the Ministry fits between the two, Aremu said: ‘’I may somewhat go for Professor  Adewole given his experience in the field of education as an administrator in the university. Although he is more of a health personality given his robust antecedents in the field of medicine, Adewole would successfully anchor the Ministry.

‘’Professor  Daramola too is fitting as an educator with bias in Sociology of Education. He is roundly fitted as his profile shows his has held positions of responsibility at the University of Ilorin.’’ He said there are many policy issues the incoming Minister would have to address.

Among them, he noted, are: minimum teaching qualification in the country (National Certificate on Education or University Degree in Education); benchmark for awarding certificates and degrees; JAMB issues  orchestrating poor academic performance in WAEC and NECO; out-of-school children; safe school initiatives, and industrial harmony in the sector.

Industrialharmony

‘’The incoming Minister of Education should be proactive and assertive in his/her handling of the Ministry,’’ he urged. Meanwhile, the Vice chancellor of Ekiti State University, Professor, Bandele Oye Samuel who chose not to recommend any of the screened ministers,  tasked the would be minister to encourage government to give attention to TETFund, NEEDS Assessment and training of teachers.

He said: ‘’The Education Minister should encourage the Federal Government to attention to NEEDS Assessment recommendations, TETFund and training and retraining of teachers. ‘’The minister should ensure, he treats the issue of unionism tactfully in order to give a stable academic calendar to institurions of higher learning.”

In his contributions, a professor of Strategy and Development, Professor Anthony Kila, said that the would be minister should declare state of emergency in education sector.

‘’We need to declare a state of emergency in education. A state of emergency and a new mind set towards education will affect budget and general development,’’he said. According to him,  whoever emerges will only succeed if he or she understands that the sector needs to be seen as in a dire state.

Kila who urged government to equipped schools, give teachers better remuneration,  train and retrain teachers said: ‘’No minister can perform this feat without buying into the idea of considering education a priority.’’