EQUALITY IN EDUCATION; THE MYTHS AND IDEALS ( III)

 GINA WEEKEND COLUMN,
By: Habibu Gente
Date: Saturday  , 21, October ,   2017
 
Previously, we have seen from the argument I tried to elucidate the misperceived concept of "equality", how it was used in our educational system to mean a different thing entirely. And how the concept was interchangeably used with "justice" and entirely given the meaning of justice to equality. This week, we will see the second task of this paper. I will argue that although our constitution contemplates the guarantee  of social justice, equality of economic and cultural and free and compulsory education to all citizens of Nigeria. But, those sacred provisions are themselves inequality embedded. Chapter two of CFRN that spelled out the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy provide in section 18 (3) free and compulsory education to all. (The argument whether it justiciable  or not, is a topic of another time)the purpose here is to argue whether the said "free, compulsory,university and universal primary educational or free adult literacy programme" has been realise, maintained  and enjoyed by all and sundry or was it just a mere illusory, scratch written in a white paper to deceive the people?.
     Anytime mention is made of equal educational opportunities, many minds rushed to think that as citizens of a country everyone has same rights and  privileges as regard to the education. Ideally that's what the Constitution dictate, but in practice it meant something different entirely. In Nigeria, for example, everyone including; the politicians, public servants and even activists cries for equal opportunities of education as something we achieved as a nation. If you ask them, did we enjoy free education? They will answer in affirmative. Simply because we are not paying tuition fees. But the question is does only not paying of tuition fees means compulsory and equal opportunities of education?, meanwhile how can we reconcile the outstanding balance of private own schools with that of poorly maintained government run schools. Thus the well-off parents take their children to the former while the underprivileged children were left behind to rot together with the already rotten public schools. We shout of free education while the only door to access of education that poor and underprivileged children have in their disposal are the  ill-equipped public schools that were abandoned by the government.  How on earth could we speak of equal opportunities to education while the dichotomy between private and public schools is increasing every year.  And the ticket to good and quality education is money and riches privilege and not right and opportunity to everyone regardless of poor or rich. How can we accommodate the increasing growth of disparity  of the poor-child poor educational background with rich-child quality education?. So long as these walls of disparities standstill between the rich and poor, which reflects on our educational sectors then, the provisions of section 18 still remain ideal and the objectives of the whole chapter two particularly the ideal of social justice is a blatant failure,and rendered the effort of our constitutional drafters a futile one.
RECOMMENDATIONS; For our education to achieve its purpose of equality as stated in section 18 CFRN, government need  to improve the conditions of our public schools. So as to render private own schools as a celebration of richness. As children will not be rushed there because of quality education. Because our public schools can serve that purpose.

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE "CHANGE BEGIN WITH ME"

GINA WEEKEND COLUMN,
By: Habibu Gente
Date: Saturday  , 14, October ,   2017
The  Buhari-led administration came into power with a confusioned  mantra of "change". Of course, many Nigerians(myself imclusive) subscribe to their political network of transformational agenda. Nigerians believed in them so quick because of the following reasons even though we know that politicians hardly stand by their words; (1. Many people are tired of Goodluck Johnathan administration that was characterised with obvious misgovernance, corruption of public officers glaring every now and then in media. (2. The administration nonchalant attitude in handling the insurgency in the North East Nigeria that was so pervasive to threatening the  whole country peace. (3. Buhari history of hard work,level of  integrity when serving in the public office earned him the public confidence. Thus people especially the poor everyday Nigerians believed he can effect a change when given the opportunity to serve in larger political arena of Nigeria as the president. These and other little reasons, were of course responsible for APC success in the 2015 general election. That said,  when the administration celebrate their one hundred days in office, on mentioning the success of the government, one of  the major area where they recorded success was on security. (The psychological victory  on war against Bokoharam ). After two years in  the office, nothing tangible could be recorded as the success of their administration;  economy was stagnant, recession, the hunger and starvation that characterised the poor Nigerians illustrates this claim. The war on Corruption was in total failure and the favoritism, partisan nature of fighting the so called "war on corruption" illustrates the failure of the core campaign promises  this administration propagated. Not sooner than Nigerians began to question most of the actions, deeds of this administration than the prominent propagandist and the lie promoter of this administration came up with a alternative to shut down the cries of the poor, silenced who voted them and reduced thier grieves into fizzle, when the information Minister Lai Muhammad lunch a "change begin with me" programme to cover the misdeeds, failure and misgovernance of this administration. I often do not support most of the policy of this administration, and this one is not an exception. If the "change begin with me" was to be construed as to mean that the  electorates will rise against the impunity that characterised this administration and say no to clueless leaders no more, only if they are sincere enough to say to the poor misguided who ignorantly elected them into offices,that  "change begin with me" objectives is to educate them on being wise in choosing their leaders, to enlight them that now is the time for the them to begin to have 'conditional love' for any politician(themselves inclusive),  only if the "change begin with me" was not another political tool to tricks the poor, blind them of the obligations that their leaders have over them, their rights to blame their leaders when they fail to deliver their campaign promises. Only if the "change begin with me" was not a psychological manipulation of minds that transfered the burden of the leaders duty to making the poor thinking that leaders are not meant to be blame, criticise, hate just because they are presented as some saints, Godly send leaders where their criticism will be regarded as blasphemy.
Only if all these I mentioned was not the intend of the "change begin with me", but sad enough . They are. That is why it can never serve the benefits of the poor. The way things are going with this administration,  everyday Nigerians will find it difficult if not impossible to trust. All our leaders don't come to corridors of power to avail the vulnerable people from their miserable lives which  deprived them from enjoying