WAYS TO PROVIDE MORE FUNDING FOR NIGERIAN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS

PROVIDING  LIFE JACKETS  OF FUNDING FOR LGAS/LCDAS  PRIMARY

SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA (AN ADDRESS TO ALL CARING CHAIRMEN)

[caption id="attachment_1585" align="aligncenter" width="300"] mason foundation school students....there is no reason for the great gulf between them and public school students...[/caption]

(A). PREAMBLE/ASSUMPTIONS

1. All protocols observed. Kindly let this presentation be in a summarized format to focus clearly on what is most important.

2. We all know that government funds whether from national, state, ETF or World Bank sources shall never be adequate for funding primary schools in your domains. Hence there is a need to tap or source funds or voluntary donations in cash or in kind from within and outside your domain through those linked to or resident within. One obvious advantage of this method is its ability to perpetuate itself no matter the party in power.

3.The overall aim for sourcing these funds shall be the reduction of the gap between public and private schools in the LGA. It will at the same time aim to overturn the unnoticed trend in the country whereby 3 classes of citizens as identified by us are being generated through the educational system.

4.In making our proposals we will itemize the needs of primary schools in your domains which if fulfilled can help dissipate the feeling of inferiority complex among public primary school students. It is a well-known fact that the best teachers and probably the best students are more often than not to be found in public primary schools.

5.With local participation in funding it shall be expected that more interest shall be shown by your local residents  in the education of their children.

6.However, there is a need for determination of purpose and political sagacity to implement these proposals once they are accepted wholesale or partly. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was told that his educational objectives were too far-fetched and not achievable. Well, we are all witnesses to the fact that history proved him right. By now it must be obvious to the you Chairmen how difficult it can be to implement some programs no matter the good intentions and careful thoughts put in place for them.

7.Kindly note that our proposals will not dabble into things which your LGA cannot modify or cancel. These include overall national educational policies, curriculum arrangement, subject schemes of work etc. But surely something can be done about quality and control of educational inputs for our children. Specifically, your LGAs can  do something to improve homework/classroom assignment, tests, performance reports etc.

8.We have therefore divided the needs of students in our primary schools as follows:

(a)      Hardware-related (fixed assets) needs

(b)      Academic-related needs

(c)      Co-curricula-related needs

(d)     Personal-related needs

(e)      Remedial-related needs

These are listed in detail below… but we do understand that conditions are not the same all over Nigeria and that what is desirable in one LGA might not be implementable in others.

(B)     WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF OUR CHILDREN?

(1)   Hardware Needs

- Renovation of existing but damaged infrastructure

- Provision of additional classrooms and relevant furniture

- Provision of teaching and educational charts, audio/visual equipment

- Provision of Library services, textbooks, and reference books

- Provision of basic science rooms

- Provision of computers/printers

- Provision of rooms for arts and craft

- Provision of games and sporting facilities or playgrounds, indoor and ball games

- Landscaped environment demarcated properly into walk ways with stones, playing fields and areas of greenery made   up of grass and/or  flowers to provide a  conducive atmosphere for schooling

-  Provision of perimeter fences and fenced gates

- Provision of secured storage facilities for keeping school assets

- Provision of cafeteria, health bay,water supply and toilet facilities

- Provision of SKOLEE buses marked with the LGA’s names

- Provision of 5KVA generators for special programs or for pumping water

- Provision of musical instruments.

(2)  Academic Needs

- Manpower training and staff incentives

- Extra manpower needs for staffing additional programs being  proposed  especially under remedial needs

- Implementation and follow-up of home work, class assignments, lateness and absentee records.

- Preparation and delivery of monthly/terminal reports to parents.

- Inter-school competitions covering debate, essay writing, quiz, maths, english etc.

-Setting up of academic-related students’ clubs

- Scholarship schemes based on examinations administered by the Education Department of your LGA. This will be for admission into reasonably-priced   private secondary schools within the   domain with   up to 60% reduction in fees granted by the schools to the LGA

- Educational Tours and Excursions.

(3)   Co-curricula-related Needs

- Inter-school games and sports competitions IN DECENT SPORTING     ARENAS

- Inter-school competitions covering choral/singing, dancing, drama as    well as use of musical equipment

- Setting up of students’ co-curricula-related clubs including those of Man-O-War, Scouting, Red Cross, Green Movement etc.

(4)  Personnel-Related Needs

- Well-tailored uniforms not looking like those produced in war-torn zones

- Implementation of appropriate shoe/sock schemes coupled with proper hairstyles

-  Monitoring of personal hygiene, through uniforms, finger nails etc

-  Implementation of a mentoring system for those about to take national examinations

5. Remedial –related Needs

This is more or less guidance and counseling directed at those taking external examinations. It involves the use of extension classes on Saturdays between the hours of 10am to 3pm. (unheard of in public schools you might say.Maths and English classes can also be followed up with motivational discussions targeting the inferiority complex mode that is usually in existence amongst them. Parent Days should also target school leavers. Parents need to be presented with reports covering many performance indices. And these can be provided by us. Please let us also note that Parents’ Days are not to be equated to PTA days or events.

(C)  SO HOW DO WE FINANCE/ IMPLEMENT ALL THESE?

 (1)  BY FUNDS GENERATION

(a)  Setting up of an overall Educational Foundation for your LGA with launching to be done by the State Governor, Commissioner of Education and various political leaders from all parties. Leaders of industry and Commerce from the private sector and high net worth individuals from the society etc should also be invited.

(b)  Setting up of Local Management Committees for schools or groups of schools.

(c) Reaching softly to private school proprietors in the domain for assistance or adoption of public schools as initiated by Dr. (Mrs.) Ezekwesili when she was the Federal Minister of Education. Other organizations which can be useful are Rotary and Lion clubs, International Society of Women etc especially for books and health bay facilities. NGO’s and Foundations such as those of General Danjuma, Dr Dangote and other businessmen will also be helpful.

(2)   BY EXPENDITURE REDUCTION

(a)Your LGA should consider acquiring SKOLEE buses either brand new or through the State Government by conversion from their old fleet.

(b) Instead of buying some of the hardware for each school your LGA may consider opening one or two multipurpose educational centers which Edupedia has named CENTRES OF LIGHT. If well equipped they can be operated with a time table which shall be integrated with the time table of school leavers in each school so that those from eachschool can be the center once or twice in a month for computer education, ball/indoor games, library facilities such as novels comics, newspapers, magazines and audio/visual programmes such as educational films and computer games.

(c) But if the CENTER OF LIGHT cannot accommodate sporting facilities, each school can have paved centres within for ball games such as basketball and volley ball and five-a-side football.

(d) NYSC graduates can also be used to fill the staffing gaps which are likely to be created by remedial needs and relevant programs On the other hand, your LGA can institute a volunteer corp of young school leavers properly briefed by the consultant for the project (EDUPEDIA) to fill in the gap. Those used might be given token stipend for the job as long as they are made to understand what volunteer service really implies from the beginning. Above all, EDUPEDIA can be used for implementation of these programs at a reasonable cost. Of course all these have to be done hand-in-hand with the Education Department of your LGA

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully

EDUPEDIA ASSOCIATES

Managing Consultant

NOTE:…kindly refer this write-up to the LGA chairman closest to you…thanks