[MUST READ] TO LECTURERS AND TEACHERS

I think i speak for students in all tertiary institutions(universities especially) including students of both primary and secondary institutions, that the educational system of Nigeria is still begging for alms in the street of development and improvement, statistics have shown that Nigeria ranks poorly in the educational sector of the world,


Webometrics a world tertiary education ranking organization on January 2012 shows that only 3 Nigerian universities made it to the top 100 list in Africa and none in the top 1600 list worldwide, UNIBEN(university of Benin) was ranked 1,632 globally, 18th in Africa, and 1st in Nigeria. Webometrics 2014 tertiary education ranking worldwide, also shows the deteriorating structure in the Nigerian education sector, kicking one of the country's top university to 1,655th position in the world, which is, the prestigious Obafemi, Awolowo, University(O.A.U).

These few data and information above proves my point of the low standard of education in Nigeria, this defect also extend to the country's economy not only to Her education, but that is not the major concentration in this discourse.

It is sad that teaching staffs often blame students for the current academic predicament, maybe if they taught well enough, without any form of prejudice or misconception that students are mainly intolerable and difficult to teach, it will help boost the morale and therefore encourage students to perform excellently in all areas of learning and effectively help in accurately grasping knowledge.

Though teaching staffs should be allocated some credit, because of their brilliance and intelligence, most especially lecturers of higher institutions that have attained: degrees that go beyond a B.A (Bachelor's degree), honorary awards, professorship, etc... Most primary and secondary school teachers end up just with a B.A degree or even just a secondary school certificate, nevertheless, attaining the highest degree with higher grades does not necessarily denote someone as a teacher or lecturer, 90% of the country's teaching personnel often confuse this at times. Ordinarily though, viewing this issue from an angle,

it may be right to assume that persons liable to teach are persons who have attained proper degrees in the field of academics, but is this always the case? Individually, i feel it is fallible to think that all persons who have attained proper degrees in the field of academics are liable to teach, it is logically defective, because although this particular people have proper understanding about a particular aspect of knowledge and education, it does not necessarily mean they have proper understanding on how to teach others what they have learned or what they know, hence, making teaching itself a skill which most of our teaching staff lack and need. If our teaching staffs possess this teaching technique and know-how,

students will be comfortable with them, and they in return will be enthusiastic in sharing their knowledge, but most teachers and lecturers we have nowadays, are not always enthusiastic about sharing knowledge, they teach crudely and rudely, as though they have personal issues or quarrels with their students, some even feel irritated and angry just by the mere thought of teaching their student. Student most times can be unbearable, and can actually push one over the edge, but that is why they are student, it is quite inherent in most percentage of students globally, that is why the teacher is in that position to guide and help, though in Nigeria teachers do it by, e.g. Flogging, shouting, and beating their students, with the hopes that they will change for the better, well it is not working,

it is even worsening the academic section of this country, it is high time lecturers that enjoy screaming at students, and teachers that enjoy flogging and beating students(especially those in the primary and secondary institutions) try a more subtle and encouraging approach in correcting students.

Finally to lecturers and teachers, enough of making the whole concept of education seem so difficult, it is not, this is a major reason why students are lazy and easily decide to give-up in creating a good academic career. Nigeria and generally Africa, believes in the mentality of "struggle" which is entirely different from working hard. This ideology of struggle is mostly found in all aspect of the African lifestyle, and the same ideology is applied to our education system, which is not supposed to be. It is proper to groom students to be hardworking and attentive to their studies, but it is improper to make students struggle, thereby overtasking them, by either giving them loads of book work, assignments or researches that are beyond their capabilities, ignoring their leisure hours,
if lecturers and teachers actually admit their flaws and work towards perfecting both their teaching and social skills with their students, then there will be a progress in increasing the education standard in the country.

By

Raymond Ojeogwu