Editorial

The recent  approval for more private and public universities to take off in the country by the federal government will ordinarily receive plaudits by those who crave for expansion in tertiary institutions to pave way for millions of Nigerians aspiring to further their education as well as develop their career . But the decaying, inefficient and inadequate learning facilities in the existing universities, polytechnics and monotechnics should have been addressed before playing to the gallery of selfseeking varsity owners whose real intension is   to maximize profit rather than produce   quality graduates. One wonders what the federal government is trying to achieve when it has shown over the years thatit lacks the capacity to ensure free flow of academic activities in public tertiary institutions as well as provide basic facilities and conducive teaching and learning environment in our schools.

There are clear evidences of undergraduates in different fields not able to access basic facilities needed for their practical knowledge , yet the federal  government isgoing ahead with the approval of more public and private universities.

The massive failures being recorded in SSCE,JAMB as well as the questionable quality of graduates from our tertiary institutions should worry government at all levels rather than approvingschools for political, ethnic and geographical patronage.

Being a vital issue in the concurrentlist ,the federal and state governments should be more concerned with the burden of seeking permanent end to strikes in our  universities, polytechnics and monotechnics as well as expand and update  existing facilities in these institutions  to meet modern challenges.

To imagine that about two-third of Nigerian graduates, particularly in the last decade can’t  efficiently write memos and other forms of official correspondences, is not only worrisome but calls for state of emergency in our educational system if truly we want to save this country from imminent collapse.

 As you read this piece, the situation on ground regarding the system of pre-tertiary education,6-3-3-4, 6-5-4 or 9-3-4,is not clear to even educationists, let alone parents and other stakeholders .Both the federal, state and local governments should drop any form of ethno-religious  and geographical sentiments in the approval of educational institutions and tackle the obvious sharp decline in our educational system so as to guarantee genuine economic, social, technological and infrastructural development in the country.

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