Education Expert Laments Poor Teaching, Learning System In Nigeria Schools, Charges FG To Review High Institutions’ Syllabus

ABEOKUTA – A former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Alhaji Waheed Kadiri had called on the Federal government to review the teaching syllabus at the higher level of education in the country to change the “poor” narrative of the educational sector.

       Kadiri who made the appeal in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital on Thursday, March 24, 2021 during round table session, heralding his 70th birthday celebration, said there was need to make the curriculum so flexible in order to produce more professionals in different fields.

       In his view, Kadiri who’s is also the former President of the Association of Town Planning Consultant of Nigeria (ATOPCON) argued that for the nation to attain quality education, there was a need to unbundle the current syllabus which according to him are too cumbersome.

       For instance, he stressed, students are mandated to take courses that are irrelevant to their courses, this Kadiri insisted must be reviewed to produce professionals rather than producing half baked graduates, which he lamented cannot solve the problems of the nation.

       Kadiri also faulted the Federal government and policymakers in the educational sector of overegulating the educational system, this, he said, if care is not taken would further decay the system.

       His words, “We need to make our curriculum so flexible and make it useful for our students. We need to unbundle the curriculum. The leadership we have is weak. If care is not taken in Nigeria, the issue will be that of, if you don’t have foreign qualification, you cannot be employed. We really need to move with time. In terms of curriculum development, this country is very poor.

       “Government has politicised education. We have over-regulated the educational system. You ca imagine, NUC determines everything in the University system and this won’t help the matter. Professional programme should be regulated by professional bodies and not NUC.

      Another challenge, the former Rector said was bedeviling the educational sector is lack of professionalism among lecturers in various tertiary institutions across the nation.

    He wondered why lecturers in different tertiary institutions still teach outdated subjects in 21st century, adding that most of the subjects being taught in schools are no longer relevant in the technology driven age.

      Alhaji Waheed Kadiri stated further, “There’s need to employ professionals to teach our students. The new challenges we are facing are what we should teach our students.

     “Employment of lecturers in our institutions should not be for people who are not qualify or familiar with the job, but for those who have spent years in their various professions.”