My neighbourhood has been very hot this morning, because of a protest. The most popular university in my state had a convocation ceremony to be held today. But unknowingly to the school, the students of the university organised a protest to disrupt the activities of the convocation. (Oh yeah, I know it sounds really weird)
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How It All Started
The school increased both the school fees and accommodation fees without consulting the students. This increment was done while the students were in holiday, they only got to hear about it on the news. It is not in the position of the students to make decisions regarding their fees, but the school should had told them before hand.
A prisoner does not have a choice | Source
The school did not put the students into consideration, if they they did they would not increase the fees. These are hard times for the students, some of them are sponsoring themselves through school. The students should be encouraged and not discouraged. Increasing the fees while they were enjoying their holidays and resuming school to find out is really bad.
One reason the school had for increasing the fees was the debt they owed some of their staffs. But should one be displeased, to please another. I do not agree with that. There are amicable ways to implement things without getting on the bad sides of the students.
So today while the convocation ceremony of students that graduated in the year 2015/2016 was to be held, it was disrupted by the current students. The main entrance to the school was blocked, even the major road leading to the school was blocked too. It was blocked by students. One thing I appreciated the students for, is that the protest was not violent. The management ought to reconsider their stands.
Education in Nigeria
Like many countries in the world, the system of education in Nigeria has some flaws. Over the years, the government has developed several policies to rectify these issues, which have given rise to some major changes or restructuring in the educational system.
While these policies may be solving some issues, I believe the priorities are misplaced. There should be more emphasis placed on increasing the quality of education in the country. There is a common saying that the budget of a country is a reflection of the sectors the government is most interested in.
A simple look at Nigeria's budget shows just how much the government values the educational sector, which of course isn't encouraging.
It gets even worse for the poorest states in Nigeria. As these states lack the financial capacity to sustain quality education in the country. A recent study by the World Bank proved the level of illiteracy in these poorest states contributes to the poverty levels. How so?
It is easier to manipulate illiterate youths to join terrorist groups with skewed logic under the guise of making a better world. These youths later become tools of radical groups bombing places and displacing residents from their homes. Thus dampening the levels of poverty.
The humble backgrounds of these youths (i.e. being a member of the poorest Nigerian tribes) make them more susceptible to becoming tools of these radical groups.
What do you think? Feel free to leave it in the comments.
In your opinion, should school consult students before increasing their fees?
