From the abduction of over 200 female students of Chibok Girls Secondary School, Borno State, to the bizarre cold blooded slaughter of harmless students of Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi, Yobe State by religious bigots as well as the murder of other students in different schools round the country, the outgoing 2014 stands a great chance of winning the most bloody year in the history of education in Nigeria. ENO-ABASI SUNDAY and UJUNWA ATUEYI write on some of the events that defined the outgoing year, which also includes the murder of 170 teachers in Borno State, and the destruction of an estimated 300 educational facilities in the three most affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, including 80 primary schools in Borno State alone.
GUNMEN suspected to be members of the bloody Islamic group, the Jama’atul ahlul Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, popularly known as the Boko Haram sect, in the early hours of February 25 this year attacked and killed dozens students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Gujba council area of Yobe State. This ghastly spectacle set the tone for what ended up being one of the bloodiest years in the history of education in the country.
Yobe state police commissioner, Sanusi A Rufai, while confirming the incident to newsmen confirmed that 29 male students were killed and 24 structures that include the school’s administration block, students’ hostel and staff quarters razed down.
A resident in the area, however, contradicted the police boss’ submission when he said he counted 39 lifeless bodies within the premises upon the departure of the attackers, whom he said started the operation around 12:15 unperturbed, ending it at after 4 am.
The students had their throats slit with knives while others were shot with guns. This ugly incident represents, only an infinitesimal part of the number of killings that happened in and around schools in the country within the year.
More misery were to follow in a matter of weeks as Nigerians and indeed the entire world woke up on April 14, to the shattering news that 276 female students at the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State had been abducted by the same Boko Haram terrorist group, which operational base is in the North East part of the country.
Since the unfortunate incidence, the Federal Government has taken some steps to retrieve the girls from their captors but these efforts have been largely futile. These futile attempts by the government has expectedly attracted to it, scathing criticisms and international opprobrium from all corners of the earth.
As at today-255 days after, the innocent girls are still in bondage in unknown locations suspected to be in the West African sub-region.
On October 17, however, hopes were raised that the girls might be released in batches. This was after government authorities announced that a truce had been reached between Boko Haram and government forces.
The announcement, which came at a time the students had spent six months away from home and school, those that are in the know said was consequent upon a month-long negotiations, which part was held in Saudi Arabia with the President Idriss Deby of Chad playing a key role. Sadly, all that came to naught as the girls’ arrival is still being eagerly awaited.
With sustained attack on the Nigerian people including students still out of control, and with the education sector haemorrhaging big time, the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, which has perennially promised to rid the country of terrorists, has continued to experiment with different approaches to curbing the menace, one of which is tinkering with the national school curriculum.
While delivering a lecture at a forum in London, Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, painted a very grim picture of what the insecurity situation looks like in the country and what the education sector has suffered. Expectedly, the scenario was as grim as it has been in a while now.
According to Okonjo-Iweala, who said Boko Haram’s cardinal objective was to destroy western education in Nigeria, “This year alone, we know that Boko Haram has murdered over 170 teachers in Borno State, and an estimated 300 educational facilities have been destroyed in the three most affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, including 80 primary schools in Borno State alone.
“Over a thousand Nigerians have lost their lives to these insurgents this year. We have not forgotten our Chibok girls and the government continues to search for avenues to bring our girls back alive.”
The above scenario, perhaps informed the Federal Government’s decision to design many more options as it strives to purge the country of extreme violence and its attendant large-scale woes.
Not long after Okonjo-Iweala spoke in Britain, National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) was singing the same sad song to another audience in a different part of the world.
While addressing the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations in New York in October, Dasuki reeled out some counter terrorism strategies, which the Federal Government was tinkering with in its bid to stop the terrorists on their tracks.
In a submission titled “Still on Carrot and Stick Approach to Countering Terrorism,” Dasuki said, “Advancements that have come with modernity such as technology and science have opened up the world in ways that our ancestors could not imagine. But with these advances have also come existential threats, which require us to come up with innovative solutions. As our world becomes smaller, problems are no longer isolated by region, state or even neighbourhood, the same technology that allows us to communicate with relatives thousands of miles away, and to witness events unfolding in distant shores as they happen, is also used to transport extreme ideas that entice youths to pick up arms against their country and fellow citizens, and in some cases abandon their homes to help others fight a war in a distant land.”
He said, “In the last two years, Nigeria has had to innovate to meet the challenges posed by this deadly group. We have worked very hard to develop a National Counter Violence Extremism (CVE) Programme, which was unveiled on March 18, 2014. The National CVE programme is the soft approach identified for Nigeria’s Counter Terrorism Strategy. This aspect of our counter terrorism approach seeks to raise awareness of the threat of violent extremism, as well as shape policy and programming.
“While we have studied different CVE models around the globe we understood that we had to answer tough questions that are specific to our particular situation in countering violent extremism and it is with this in mind that we developed what we believe is a four pronged approach that encompasses peace, security and development. It is a totally non-military approach that involves actors, within and out of government, civil society as well as religious institutions.
The Society Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) Project created in the NSA’s office focuses on preventive measures and involves a whole of society approach and involves the following objectives;
countering the drivers of radicalization, encouraging CVE action in communities, civil society and government institutions, building community engagement and resilience, using education as a tool for countering violent extremism and promoting religious tolerance.
Already, the using education as a tool aspect has begun with the coming into effect of the revised 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum, at the inception of the ongoing 2014/2015 academic session.
Expectedly, stakeholders expressed different shades of opinions regarding its workability and potential gains.
One of those that spoke is the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NEDRC), Professor Godswill Obioma, who said, “The revised 9-year Basic Education Curriculum has a section for security education, which is to be taught in primary and junior secondary schools. The teaching of security education, has taken off this September, with the commencement of the ongoing 2014/2015 academic session.
Obioma, whose outfit designed the new curriculum said, “My office sent, at the request of the Office of the NSA, copies of the revised curriculum to that office, which they duly acknowledged. In the old curriculum, we had social studies and civic education for primary and junior secondary schools, now we have added security education to be taught as a compulsory subject at these two levels because of the security challenges that we are facing in different parts of the country including the North East, South East, South South, South West among others.
“It is these challenges that have necessitated teaching students to be security conscious, to live in peace with one another and to respect societal norms and be aware of what is going on around them within the context of security,” he stated.
Still within the period under review, the Ministry of Education had a new head in the person of 58-year-old former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, 58.
Shekarau took over from the then Minister of State for Education, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who many stakeholders accuse of spending time flexing muscles with industry players than doing the job.
The bespectacled retired teacher took over the reins in a structure, which supporting pillars had been so badly weakened by a litany of avoidable mishaps, which would have been addressed if the immediate past leadership of the ministry were a little bit more discerning.
Before coming on board, two major sub-sectors in the industry were grounded due to protracted strikes. But with a stroke of the finger, and the apparent goodwill he enjoys, Shekarau was able to get the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to call off their strike albeit temporarily.
He also, since assumption of office, midwifed an interim truce that led to the end of the seven-month lock down of teacher training institutions in the country on account of the industrial action embarked upon by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
Unfortunately, he has failed alongside other stakeholders to ensure that northern schools are no longer abattoirs for the slaughtering of innocent students, or theatres for some true-life tragic exercises, orchestrated by the religious bigots.
Since coming on board, not much has been done realistically to the redeem the country’s image as host of 10.6 million out-of-school children, the highest in the world, and home to 64 million illiterate adults.
As the country was still wallowing in self-pity over the dismal performance in the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), erstwhile Minister of State in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Prof Viola Onwuliri, was drafted to the Education Ministry to assist Shakarau.
Upon resumption of duties, Onwuliri, expressed concerned over the mass failures in public examinations conducted by the National Examination Council (NECO), the West African Examination Council (WAEC) among others and vowed to work towards its reduction and improvement in the quality of education.
In the view of Vice Chancellor, Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, the education sector has not really faired well in 2014 owing to lack of interest by all stakeholders.
“When we look at education at the federal level, there is no significant change. What has been happening in the sector is a total lack of interest by all stakeholders, the government, school managers, parents and even students. To these people, the education sector is regarded as a warehouse, where things are kept until they needed. This is not encouraging.”
He, however, expressed hope that Shekarau has the capacity to transform the sector, with the basic changes witnessed since he assumed office.
Commenting on the outgoing year in the sector, Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, differs from Ibidapo-Obe. He said activities within the year under review show that the sector was reacting to challenges for improvement.
“All the stakeholders are committed to ensuring there is improvement in the sector. All that has happened in the year revealed that indeed the sector is reacting to challenges for improvement.”
Director of Studies, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), Prof Anthony Kila, remarked that the sector would be better examined through students’ performances in public examinations.
According to him, “The snapshot of education in 2014 as revealed in the last West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and other public examinations showed that we have not gone any far. Government and all stakeholders need to pay obvious logical attention to education.”
GUNMEN suspected to be members of the bloody Islamic group, the Jama’atul ahlul Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, popularly known as the Boko Haram sect, in the early hours of February 25 this year attacked and killed dozens students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Gujba council area of Yobe State. This ghastly spectacle set the tone for what ended up being one of the bloodiest years in the history of education in the country.
Yobe state police commissioner, Sanusi A Rufai, while confirming the incident to newsmen confirmed that 29 male students were killed and 24 structures that include the school’s administration block, students’ hostel and staff quarters razed down.
A resident in the area, however, contradicted the police boss’ submission when he said he counted 39 lifeless bodies within the premises upon the departure of the attackers, whom he said started the operation around 12:15 unperturbed, ending it at after 4 am.
The students had their throats slit with knives while others were shot with guns. This ugly incident represents, only an infinitesimal part of the number of killings that happened in and around schools in the country within the year.
More misery were to follow in a matter of weeks as Nigerians and indeed the entire world woke up on April 14, to the shattering news that 276 female students at the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State had been abducted by the same Boko Haram terrorist group, which operational base is in the North East part of the country.
Since the unfortunate incidence, the Federal Government has taken some steps to retrieve the girls from their captors but these efforts have been largely futile. These futile attempts by the government has expectedly attracted to it, scathing criticisms and international opprobrium from all corners of the earth.
As at today-255 days after, the innocent girls are still in bondage in unknown locations suspected to be in the West African sub-region.
On October 17, however, hopes were raised that the girls might be released in batches. This was after government authorities announced that a truce had been reached between Boko Haram and government forces.
The announcement, which came at a time the students had spent six months away from home and school, those that are in the know said was consequent upon a month-long negotiations, which part was held in Saudi Arabia with the President Idriss Deby of Chad playing a key role. Sadly, all that came to naught as the girls’ arrival is still being eagerly awaited.
With sustained attack on the Nigerian people including students still out of control, and with the education sector haemorrhaging big time, the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, which has perennially promised to rid the country of terrorists, has continued to experiment with different approaches to curbing the menace, one of which is tinkering with the national school curriculum.
While delivering a lecture at a forum in London, Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, painted a very grim picture of what the insecurity situation looks like in the country and what the education sector has suffered. Expectedly, the scenario was as grim as it has been in a while now.
According to Okonjo-Iweala, who said Boko Haram’s cardinal objective was to destroy western education in Nigeria, “This year alone, we know that Boko Haram has murdered over 170 teachers in Borno State, and an estimated 300 educational facilities have been destroyed in the three most affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, including 80 primary schools in Borno State alone.
“Over a thousand Nigerians have lost their lives to these insurgents this year. We have not forgotten our Chibok girls and the government continues to search for avenues to bring our girls back alive.”
The above scenario, perhaps informed the Federal Government’s decision to design many more options as it strives to purge the country of extreme violence and its attendant large-scale woes.
Not long after Okonjo-Iweala spoke in Britain, National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) was singing the same sad song to another audience in a different part of the world.
While addressing the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations in New York in October, Dasuki reeled out some counter terrorism strategies, which the Federal Government was tinkering with in its bid to stop the terrorists on their tracks.
In a submission titled “Still on Carrot and Stick Approach to Countering Terrorism,” Dasuki said, “Advancements that have come with modernity such as technology and science have opened up the world in ways that our ancestors could not imagine. But with these advances have also come existential threats, which require us to come up with innovative solutions. As our world becomes smaller, problems are no longer isolated by region, state or even neighbourhood, the same technology that allows us to communicate with relatives thousands of miles away, and to witness events unfolding in distant shores as they happen, is also used to transport extreme ideas that entice youths to pick up arms against their country and fellow citizens, and in some cases abandon their homes to help others fight a war in a distant land.”
He said, “In the last two years, Nigeria has had to innovate to meet the challenges posed by this deadly group. We have worked very hard to develop a National Counter Violence Extremism (CVE) Programme, which was unveiled on March 18, 2014. The National CVE programme is the soft approach identified for Nigeria’s Counter Terrorism Strategy. This aspect of our counter terrorism approach seeks to raise awareness of the threat of violent extremism, as well as shape policy and programming.
“While we have studied different CVE models around the globe we understood that we had to answer tough questions that are specific to our particular situation in countering violent extremism and it is with this in mind that we developed what we believe is a four pronged approach that encompasses peace, security and development. It is a totally non-military approach that involves actors, within and out of government, civil society as well as religious institutions.
The Society Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) Project created in the NSA’s office focuses on preventive measures and involves a whole of society approach and involves the following objectives;
countering the drivers of radicalization, encouraging CVE action in communities, civil society and government institutions, building community engagement and resilience, using education as a tool for countering violent extremism and promoting religious tolerance.
Already, the using education as a tool aspect has begun with the coming into effect of the revised 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum, at the inception of the ongoing 2014/2015 academic session.
Expectedly, stakeholders expressed different shades of opinions regarding its workability and potential gains.
One of those that spoke is the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NEDRC), Professor Godswill Obioma, who said, “The revised 9-year Basic Education Curriculum has a section for security education, which is to be taught in primary and junior secondary schools. The teaching of security education, has taken off this September, with the commencement of the ongoing 2014/2015 academic session.
Obioma, whose outfit designed the new curriculum said, “My office sent, at the request of the Office of the NSA, copies of the revised curriculum to that office, which they duly acknowledged. In the old curriculum, we had social studies and civic education for primary and junior secondary schools, now we have added security education to be taught as a compulsory subject at these two levels because of the security challenges that we are facing in different parts of the country including the North East, South East, South South, South West among others.
“It is these challenges that have necessitated teaching students to be security conscious, to live in peace with one another and to respect societal norms and be aware of what is going on around them within the context of security,” he stated.
Still within the period under review, the Ministry of Education had a new head in the person of 58-year-old former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, 58.
Shekarau took over from the then Minister of State for Education, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who many stakeholders accuse of spending time flexing muscles with industry players than doing the job.
The bespectacled retired teacher took over the reins in a structure, which supporting pillars had been so badly weakened by a litany of avoidable mishaps, which would have been addressed if the immediate past leadership of the ministry were a little bit more discerning.
Before coming on board, two major sub-sectors in the industry were grounded due to protracted strikes. But with a stroke of the finger, and the apparent goodwill he enjoys, Shekarau was able to get the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to call off their strike albeit temporarily.
He also, since assumption of office, midwifed an interim truce that led to the end of the seven-month lock down of teacher training institutions in the country on account of the industrial action embarked upon by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
Unfortunately, he has failed alongside other stakeholders to ensure that northern schools are no longer abattoirs for the slaughtering of innocent students, or theatres for some true-life tragic exercises, orchestrated by the religious bigots.
Since coming on board, not much has been done realistically to the redeem the country’s image as host of 10.6 million out-of-school children, the highest in the world, and home to 64 million illiterate adults.
As the country was still wallowing in self-pity over the dismal performance in the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), erstwhile Minister of State in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Prof Viola Onwuliri, was drafted to the Education Ministry to assist Shakarau.
Upon resumption of duties, Onwuliri, expressed concerned over the mass failures in public examinations conducted by the National Examination Council (NECO), the West African Examination Council (WAEC) among others and vowed to work towards its reduction and improvement in the quality of education.
In the view of Vice Chancellor, Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, the education sector has not really faired well in 2014 owing to lack of interest by all stakeholders.
“When we look at education at the federal level, there is no significant change. What has been happening in the sector is a total lack of interest by all stakeholders, the government, school managers, parents and even students. To these people, the education sector is regarded as a warehouse, where things are kept until they needed. This is not encouraging.”
He, however, expressed hope that Shekarau has the capacity to transform the sector, with the basic changes witnessed since he assumed office.
Commenting on the outgoing year in the sector, Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, differs from Ibidapo-Obe. He said activities within the year under review show that the sector was reacting to challenges for improvement.
“All the stakeholders are committed to ensuring there is improvement in the sector. All that has happened in the year revealed that indeed the sector is reacting to challenges for improvement.”
Director of Studies, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), Prof Anthony Kila, remarked that the sector would be better examined through students’ performances in public examinations.
According to him, “The snapshot of education in 2014 as revealed in the last West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and other public examinations showed that we have not gone any far. Government and all stakeholders need to pay obvious logical attention to education.”
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