By ali hofnar achilonu allihofnar@yahoo.com
Nigeria’s educational standard, until recently, was adjudged one of the bests in the world, with its scintillating qualities which included its insistence on excellence. The nation’s ivory towers of old were noted for academic excellence and acquisition of prestigious and undiluted degrees.
We used to witness good academic environment and culture in the management of schools from inception; this attracted students outside the shores of Nigeria to our revered schools. Suddenly, the once hallowed institutions became a cesspit, only noted for corruption and moral decadence.
This scenario in our school system is indeed a reflection of overwhelming decay in our society. It has no doubt contributed to the avalanche of capital and human flight from Nigeria to other countries, including an African country such as Ghana, etc.
In the past, corruption, greed, indiscipline and favoritism were kept at bay; they were minimal and manageable then. But what we are experiencing now is a near total collapse of the schools; our universities are now houses of commotion and are enmeshed in exam racketeering, cultism, prostitution and all sorts of evil.
The appalling situation has continued to ridicule the degrees awarded in the institutions and is undermining the credibility of the lecturers while the sincerity of the government in remedying the situation remains in doubt.
The undignified way by which marks and grades are awarded to undeserving students at will by the lecturers through a monster called sorting is at best disgusting. We now run a pay-as-you-go system where female students who are willing to give their bodies for marks pass “in flying colours”.
To say the least, sex for marks to unmerited female students is one malaise that has debased our ivory towers and put our universities in a pitiable condition. Rollicking and carousing female students who operate at hotels, bars, and clubs consider it irrelevant burning the midnight oil when their weapons of mass destruction will always soften the lecturers.
The criminal groups operating in the schools in form of cultism are not helping matters. These ones terrorize the school authority with impunity and so, most of the lecturers, out of fear, award undeserved marks and grades to them just to evade being attacked.
Cases of randy lecturers harassing female students for sex in exchange for marks have been reported many times in different media organizations. Many were caught pants down in hotel rooms with even married women while numerous hapless female students had no choice but to succumb to the whims of the lecturers.
The quest for money by the lecturers no doubt contributes to the steady decline in our educational qualities. It is mind boggling to behold lecturers amass wealth in such a brazen manner that some own estates and fleets of cars to the detriment of academic excellence expected from the higher institutions of learning. Parents cry themselves over the exploitation of their children, some of whom are pushed into prostitution and crime.
This embarrassing academic situation of our university can be reversed with high sense of commitment and government sincerity. In curbing the malaise, one would suggest that exams be excised from the control and management of the lecturers and individual universities as this will guarantee commitment and seriousness on the part of the students.
Degree examinations in the universities can be placed under the supervisory and regulatory eyes of National University Commission (NUC), since the university curriculum in the country is usually the same. In that case, individual universities should not be involved in the setting of questions and marking of scripts of their institutions.
Exam questions should be centrally set and sent to sister universities for marking. In this situation, who sets the questions and who marks the answer scripts will remain a secret to both students and lecturers. A more robust idea has been opined by a renowned educationist that now canvasses for external exams for our graduating students.
The educationist seeks regulatory examination body or agency in the form of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) or the National Examinations Council (NECO) to conduct exams that would serve as a benchmark for graduating students of Nigerian universities. This will certainly restore hope, recognition and worth to our degrees.
With this, chaffs, half-baked and ill-gotten degrees will be exposed. A right step like this is a diligent road map towards sanitizing and restoring the values and dignity of our education.
It is evident that our degrees are purchasable and effortlessly gotten. All hands must be on deck to check the menace. Sanitizing and rekindling the past glory of our educational system will be better achieved by adhering to the aforementioned solutions.
This method, apart from checkmating the dishonest and corrupt practices of our lecturers, also has the capacity to instill the spirit of seriousness in the students who would desire to achieve excellence and escape the hurdles of external exams.
When confidence in our degree certificates is revived, the internal and external ratings of our universities will be high.
Above all, it is the responsibility of the Government, NUC and other agencies engaged in the structural and operational management of the schools to work out a blue print capable of restoring the prestige of our universities.
