While making research for my latest
article (you can see it here… http://smoothadmission.blogspot.com.ng/2017/04/how-to-legitimately-increase-your.html
), I dug up a lot of awful secrets: secrets that could be a component part of a
ticking time bomb.
I discovered the danger and absurdity of
the Nigerian Federal character.
Definition: Federal Character Principle is a principle in the
Nigerian Constitution that tries to give every part of Nigeria a sense of
belonging and fairness by giving less developed (or disadvantaged) states
special considerations when sharing national resources.
The principle, “giving every part of
Nigeria a sense of belonging and fairness” is good.
But the practice, “giving less developed
(or less advanced) states special consideration when sharing national resources”
is where the danger is hiding.
It
defeats the purpose.
The only thing it has achieved is to create a feeling of injustice and unfairness in one hand and a feeling of inferiority on the other.
I’m most active in the education
industry. So let me use that industry to picture it for you.
During admission, every government owned
university and polytechnic consider your state of origin before giving you
admission.
They allocate 20% of the whole admission
to candidates from certain states – most of them Northern.
They call these states educationally
disadvantaged states.
The idea was to close the education gap
among states. 25 years later, the gap is still wide.
So imagine 20% x the whole government
owned universities and polytechnics in Nigeria.
That’s too much and does no one any
good. Not the so called disadvantaged states. Not the “advantaged”.
The worst part is that it has caused more problems than it solves.
It often makes candidates from the “educationally
advantaged” states feel unfairly and unjustly treated. This leads to
resentment.
During my pre-degree days, I had a
friend from Imo state that chose Physics in ABU Zaria.
They were 18 that wrote the post UTME.
He scored 223. He was the highest. The second highest was 117. But guess what? Everybody
got admission except him. He was the only southerner. He has been resentful
ever since.
On the other hand, people from the “educationally
disadvantaged” states often feel haunted by all these.
Imagine that you are occupying a
position you didn’t feel you really earned.
May be you got it because of where you
came from. May be it’s through connection. How do you feel each time you
remember that.
For many of these students, they can develop
inferiority complex and depression. They feel they can’t measure up
intellectually. Some even feel they don’t deserve it.
How will this feeling affect this person
when he leaves school, gets work and start a family?
Nobody gains from all these and what
affects one affects all – directly or indirectly.
But…
There
is a better way to bridge the gap.
The government can follow these steps…
STEP
#1: Level the playing field. Give everybody
equal opportunity.
That way, any candidate that gets
admission knows that she earned it. Those who didn’t get, accepts it and works
harder.
STEP
#2: Run an effective enlightenment campaign
in the Educationally Disadvantaged states.
The problem of educational disadvantage –
or advantage – is not physical. Neither is it political. So constitution is not
the solution.
The problem is cultural and
psychological. Hence, that’s where the solution lies.
The more people from these states begin
to see the value, the more the seek it. It’s that simple.
STEP
#3: More “quality” primary and
secondary schools should be built in these states.
Quality, in this context, refers to a
school that has been kitted with facilities and professionals so that real
learning can take place.
Primary and secondary education is the
basics.
A child who gets quality basic education
is likely to seek tertiary education.
STEP
#4: Incentives
Some state governors are trying in this
respect. They share food for pupils.
But they need to monitor, measure and
ensure that the incentives are working. If they are not, they should modify or
change it. Rinse and repeat until they find the one that works.
Why
is this issue very important?
You See! Nigeria’s existence is
constantly under threat. Who knows the last straw that will break the camel’s
back?
So instead of just adding more straw,
why don’t we start removing some? This issue may just be one of such straws.
You may also be interested in finding out: How To DRAMATICALLY Increase your Chance of Scoring 250+ In JAMB. GUARANTEED!
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