The educational origins of Nigeria’s development challenges

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The educational origins of Nigeria's development challenges

Benson Peter Irabor,

Andrew Onwudinjo

Annotation

It cannot be over-emphasized, the consensual outlook among scholars that education is the bedrock of development of any society. However, a careful examination of the present status quo of Nigeria's education is replete with countless issues and challenges that have the capacity to compromise the role education plays in national development. Such challenges as insufficient quality of curriculum, policy making and implementation, imperfect certification and lack of competence are typical to the Nigeria's educational system. In general, there is a gap in the Nigerian education system between the formulation of educational policy and its implementation, which has resulted in the low performance of Nigerian education in recent times. These challenges are some of the fundamental pointers to the plummet in the country's educational system, hence their solution need to be properly prepared to be able to contribute to the overall human development. As a result, this research explores the potential of the method of philosophical analysis to establish, contrary to popular opinion that Nigeria remains underdeveloped not because of the experience of colonization, imperialism and exploitation of her resources, but through the miscarriage of her educational system. The moral decadence in Nigeria institutions comes many forms, but this article discusses only five of them: examination malpractice, drug abuse, cultism, sexual harassment and grade sorting. Another problem bedevilling Nigeria educational system at all level is strike. This study thereby takes another approach to disinter how the educational system in contemporary Nigeria has waned consequent to the circumvention of proper learning and proper assessment of knowledge.

Keywords: curriculum, development, education, examination malpractice, Nigeria.

Анотація

Бенсон Пітер Ірабор, Ендрю Онвудіньо. Освітні джерела викликів розвитку Нігерії

Неможливо переоцінити консенсусну думку вчених про те, що освіта є основою розвитку будь-якого суспільства. Однак, уважне вивчення нинішнього статус-кво освіти Нігерії рясніє незліченною кількістю проблем і викликів, які можуть поставити під загрозу роль освіти в національному розвитку. Такі проблеми, як недостатня якість навчального плану, розробки та впровадження політики, недосконала сертифікація та відсутність компетентності є типовими для системи освіти Нігерії. Загалом, у системі освіти Нігерії існує розрив між формулюванням освітньої політики та їїреалізацією, що призвело до низької ефективності нігерійської освіти останнім часом. Ці виклики є одними з фундаментальних вказівок на падіння освітньої системи країни, отже, їх вирішення потрібно належним чином підготувати, щоб мати змогу сприяти загальному людському розвитку. Ця розвідка з'ясовує потенціал методу філософського аналізу, щоб встановити, всупереч поширеній думці, що Нігерія залишається слаборозвиненою не через досвід колонізації, імперіалізму та експлуатації її ресурсів, а через помилку її освітньої системи. Моральний занепад у навчальних закладах Нігерії має різні форми, але ця стаття обговорює лише п'ять із них: зловживання екзаменами, зловживання наркотиками, культ, сексуальні домагання та сортування оцінок. Іншою проблемою, яка мучить освітню систему Нігерії на всіх рівнях, є страйкування. Таким чином, у цьому дослідженні використовується інший підхід до визначення того, як освітня система в сучасній Нігерії занепала внаслідок обходу належного надання та оцінювання знань.

Ключові слова: навчальний план, розвиток, освіта, зловживання екзаменом, Нігерія.

Introduction

Nigeria's educational system is beset by some fundamental issues that have contributed to her underdevelopment contrary to the outlook that the country's underdevelopment woes are to be explained solely from the economic perspective. Insignificant curriculum content, lips service to policy adoption and implementation, are some of the issues that have translated into a poorly managed educational status quo, where examination malpractice, moral bankruptcy, cultism and the emphases on certification over competence have evolved into the norm. On this note, it is not in error to relay that when knowledge production is compromised through cheating in examinations and lack other infrastructure that will enhance learning, poor minds will soon surface. From these antecedents, these minds will stumble upon sensitive positions in the social hierarchy. The mind that cheated for example to pass will further widen the gap between theory and practice through ignorance of state of affairs. These are the minds that will wreck an economy that was built in decades overnight. In the end, this study submits plausible recommendations toward finding a plausible panacea to the issue.

To therefore attain the foregoing objective, there are three sections that this essay seeks to employ for discourse its central thesis. In the next section, the essay considers the basic problems and issues that are bedevilling Nigeria's educational system. In the second, the essay focuses over the consequences of these challenges that have made the Nigerian educational system to not function at its expected rate. The last section is the conclusion of this work.

Some Challenges of Nigeria's Educational System

The starting point to state that the problems confronting educational system in Nigeria which give rise to unemployment are copious: poor funding, poor educational infrastructures, and inadequate classrooms, lack of teaching aids and materials for practical, inadequate accommodation for staff and students, poor Laboratories and libraries, the scantiness of quality teachers and so on [Irabor 2019: 187-198]. Lamenting on the bad situation of educational system in Nigeria, Azenabor opines that, it is unfortunate today that there is a major decline in the Nigeria educational system [Azenabor 2005: 3]. It is crisis-ridden. It has degenerated into a moribund institution plagued with diverse problems.

The content as used in this section covers the issues like curriculum, policy making and implementation, certification and competence and others. We begin with the issues of curriculum. Curriculum is often referring to as planning in education [Igwe 2000: 1]. It is the foundation of education; in that every discipline in education has its own curriculum, which entails what to teach, how to teach and when to teach. The curriculum of educational system in Nigeria is beset some setbacks. The educational system of Nigeria was inherited from the colonial masters. This made the former Governor of Lagos Babatunde Fashola to call for a complete overhauling of the curriculum of universities in Nigeria, in the light of the current national reality of massive unemployment. Fashola's thinking is that the present curriculum in our universities was designed by our colonial masters to advance their own economic gains by setting up trade businesses controlled by royal charters in their own territories. Most of the content of the curriculum is obsolete and do not match with the trend of the 21st century. The school program and curriculum should be designed to encourage acquisition of skills through the adaption of global knowledge to meet the local needs of the people.

Another issue of noteworthy in the education of Nigeria is certification and competence. The Nigerian system of education is more of a certificate-based education in both structure and functionality than a competence-based one. It emphasizes “paper qualifications” over knowledge, skills, and technical knowhow. Often times, the emphasis is on how well one passes an examination and not how well one knows a particular discipline, so most students cram just to pass an examination only to forget after the exams. Such students end up making good grades and earn wonderful certificates but are actually bereft of any knowledge necessary for a gainful employment in the future. Thus, students perceive education as a means of getting paid employment instead of means of self-development, and achievement of potentials to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the development of society [Nwanyanwu 2015: 30].

The competence-based education is another word for know-how or skill. It requires the ability for an individual to know-how to or to have the skill to perform a task. In other words, competence is the quality or the state of being functionally adequate or having sufficient knowledge, strength and skill. According to Nwanyanwu, competence is mainly on the ability to do something well, measured against a standard, especially ability acquired through experience and training [Nwanyanwu 2015: 30]. Competence expresses itself in knowledge, ability, know-how, skill and so on. Competence-based system of education helps prepare students for labour market and self-dependency. Okoro, affirms that competence-based education helps students to develop the ability for critical analysis of world events, matching theory with practice, development of vision for new and better society, ability to explore controversial issues and offer technical solution [Okoro 2011: 12]. In short, competence-based education aims at equipping students with the ability to apply appropriate theories to practical issues in one's work or a particular life situation. In addition, the goal of a competence-based educational system, is focused on helping students to acquire critical thinking skills, self-dependency attitude, good moral behaviour and creative thinking styles as tools that will help them individually in developing the ability to express the theoretical in the light of the practical and thus contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the society [Regars 2010: 13].

Unfortunately, The Nigerian educational system itself fails to prepare students for competence that makes them employable in the labour market or even capable of creating their own jobs. According to Actoria, for a certificate based education to be relevant to the labor market, competence-based education must be included in the school curriculum [Actoria 2012: 11]. Roselin holds that the duty of education is to develop in students the Strategic ability to deal with practical issues of their day-to-day experiences within and outside their environment [Roselin 2012]. That is to say, the learning process must be societal based as well as a means of bringing the world and the needs of the labour market into the classroom. The students should be taught how to develop inventive skills, problem solving oriented attitude, and self-developmental skills.

Another problem, apart from content and curriculum, is the issue of educational policies and implementation in Nigeria. Policy provides an official backing for every organization action and activities without bias and a basis to be followed by all groups, departments or individuals for whom the policies were made. A policy serves the purpose of ensuring that every official action of an organization must have a basis or a backing. Okoromo contends that “policy is an overall guide that gives the general limits and direction in which administration actions will be taken” [Okoromo 2006: 242-263]. The National Policy on Education 2004 has four main national objectives. These national objectives include: a free and democratic society; a just and egalitarian society; a united strong and self-reliant nation; and a great and dynamic economy.

On the other hand, implementation literally means carrying out, accomplishing, fulfilling, producing or completing a given task. One of founding fathers of implementation, Pressman and Wildavsky define it in terms of a relationship to policy as laid down in official documents [Pressman & Wildavsky 1973]. According to them, policy implementation encompasses those actions by public and private individuals or groups that are directed at the achievement of objectives set forth in policy decisions.

According to Adamolekun policy implementation refers to the activities that are carried out in the light of established policies [Adamolekun 1983: 30]. It refers to the process of converting financial, material, technical and human inputs into outputs - goods and services [Egonmwan 1984: 15]. Thus, the formulation of any educational policy sets the stage for its inevitable implementation. It is on this note that Ukeje submits that, in the process of policy implementation, planning is a cornerstone [Ukeje 1986: 12]. Planning is usually an action which succeeds policy formulation but precedes implementation. Regrettably, educational policies and goal attainment have been irreconcilable due to implementation constraints. Perhaps this accounts for an observation made by Oyakhilome over two decades ago that:

“We know it is difficult to realize planned objectives one hundred percent. But our experience in planning education in this country shows a disturbing gap between planned objectives and attained results ... As professionals in the field of education, it may be pertinent to identify whether those critical gaps are results of faulty planning or faulty implementation” [Oyakhilome 1986].

The above is a testament to the problem of implementation that encases the Nigerian Educational Sector. It is not incorrect therefore, to say that policy implementation is one of the major problems confronting developing nations. Since independence, a lot of education laws, policies and edicts have been put in place, depending on the type of government being experienced in the country. However, as a result of political instability of Nigeria after independence, the education sector did not receive any attention from the government until 1969 when the National curriculum conference was held, the 1976 education policy was the first attempt by the Nigerian government to change the colonial educational orientation and replaced it with the indigenous pattern whose aim and objectives was eradicating illiteracy and promote knowledge in Nigeria.

So, in Nigerian educational system, there is a gulf between the formulation of educational policies and their implementation. This has resulted to main problems that have led to the lowly performance or output of Nigerian Education in recent times. Implementation problem occurs when the desired result on the target beneficiaries is not achieved. Such problem is not restricted to only the developing nations. Wherever and whenever the basic critical factors that are very crucial to implementing public policy are missing, whether in developing or developed nations, there is bound to be implementation problem.

One of the problems that assist in the failure of educational policies is the bulk of untrained and certified teachers. Regardless of policy formulation and implementation, the demise of qualified and competent teachers will reflect a failure. This implies that also sorts of people are in our schools today as teachers. It includes both those that have failed the school certificate examinations, secondary school leavers, those awaiting results of higher institution to those who possess master's degree in education or competent teaching professional degrees. Some of them are even teaching the subjects that are not even related to what they studied in the universities due to unemployment. Underfunding is another bane that widens the gap between policy and implementation in Nigeria's educational sector. The dearth of funds limits the amount of technical and industrial exposure that trainees acquire in the course of learning.

Another impediment to educational policy implementation is lack of high-quality learning resources to support classroom instruction and lack of time to study the guides. Therefore, effective implementation of educational policy is dependent on the presence of adequate resources and support. In Nigeria, teaching-learning resources-textbooks, students guide, libraries, equipment and other facilities are either lacking in our schools, are in very short-supply or inadequate. Many schools do not have science laboratories or inductor technology workshops; classrooms are insufficient and poorly equipped, class sitting arrangements are nothing to write home about. Educational policies that are alien to the cultures of Nigeria should be avoided because they are bound to fail.

All of these challenges briefly discussed are tied to the issues that have influenced some of the problems faced in the Nigerian society. These challenges have led to various problems that have compromised the educational system and the consequences will be the focus of the next section.

reforming educational system nigeria

The Socio-EducationaL Consequences of Nigeria's Poor Educational System

Morality is conventionally approved rules of behaviour in the society. It is a complex system of general principles and particular judgments based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs [Nicolar 2001: 30]. Accordingly, Echekwube writes: Morality bases its judgment on the rational nature of man and his final destiny which make his actions morally right or wrong [Echekwube 2005: 32]. Invariably, morality which implies judgment of right or wrong actions, is only applicable to rational beings. Rosaline describes morality as the principles that govern our behaviour [Rosaline 1994: 26]. Without these principles in place, societies cannot survive for long. Vital states that morality is the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct or a system of ideas that fall into those same categories [Vital 2007: 51]. Dominic opines that morality speaks of a system of behaviour in regards to standards of right or wrong behaviour. Morality is defined within the context of:

1) moral standards, with regard to behaviour;

2) moral responsibility, referring to our conscience; and

3) a moral identity, or one who is capable of right or wrong action [Moses 2005: 41]. In summary, we can say that moral purposes of morality:

1) to ensure fair play and harmony between individuals; and

2) to help make us good people in order to have a good society.

The moral decadence in Nigeria institutions comes many forms, but we shall only discuss five: Examination Malpractice, Drug Abuse, Cultism, Sexual Harassment and Grade Sorting.

The term Drug is a combination of medical chemicals or substances formulated and prepared by chemists and pharmacists for the treatments or cure of different illness under the prescription and supervision of medical doctors [Mouti 2002: 7]. It is any chemical substance in the form of tablet, syrup, injection, gas or powder, consumed for medical purposes. Addiction occurs when overuse leads to abuse. Drug abuse can be defined as the use of drugs for other than legitimate medical purposes. It is also the non-medical use of a drug that interferes with a healthy and productive life. In other words, drug abuse is the illegal use or consumption of a drug or substance in excess of what is normally required and which interferes with the human behaviour. In a simple term, drug abuse is the incorrect or improper use of drugs. The drugs come in forms of; Stimulants, Hallucinogens, Narcotics, Heroin, Sedatives et cetera [Oloo 1997: 7].

Drug abuse is one of the social ills that beset Nigerian higher educational institutions. The question is: what are the causes of drug abuse among many students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria? First: the Peer Group Influence and School. Peer pressure plays a major role in influencing many adolescents into drug abuse. This is because peer pressure is a fact of teenage and youth life. As they try to depend less on parents, they show more dependency on their friends. In Nigeria, as other parts of the world, one may not enjoy the company of others unless he conforms to their norms. Similarly, friends and acquaintances can have an increasingly strong influence during adolescence. Drug-using peers can sway even those without risk factors to try drugs for the first time. Second: academic failure or poor social skills can put a child at further risk for using or becoming addicted to drugs. Third: curiosity to experiment the unknown facts about drugs thus motivates adolescents into drug use. The first experience in drug abuse produces a state of arousal such as pleasure which in turn motivate them to continue. Fourth: lack of parental supervision. The home is the first environment the child encounters through his or her relationship with the family. Many parents have no time to supervise their sons and daughters.

The existence of cultism in Nigerian educational institutions is no longer news. Its alarming rate is worrisome because cultism is no longer limited to higher institutions of learning, it has spread its tentacles to secondary schools, and the youths and adults in the larger society are also not left out. A cult has been defined as a group of people who are governed by leadership, doctrine, dogma, command and prohibitions [Okunowo 2010: 5]. Cultism or secret cult is any form of organization whose activities are exclusively kept away from the knowledge of others but such activities are carried out at odd hours of the day and they often clash with the accepted norms and values of everyday life. This means that cultism can be perceived as a ritual practice by group of people whose membership, admission, policy, and initiation formalities as well as their mode of operations are kept secret with their activities having negative effects on both members and non-member alike.

Cultism in Nigerian educational institutions have constituted a source of menace within the school confines and in the outside world, ranging from rape, intimidation, frightening, terrorizing, harassment of fellow students, members of staff, lecturers and arson to destruction of lives and property. In short, they are lawless associations whose members are anti-social in nature. They, break rules and regulations with impunity. Joining cult can make a student violent. Cult activities militate against the normal running of school calendar; their activities disrupt campus peace; incessant closure of schools, fear and hostilities. The litany of the negative effects on cultism both to members and non-members and the larger society are numerous.

Examinations are conducted all over the world for the purpose of evaluation, selection, classification, et cetera. However, in Nigeria, examination malpractice frustrates these objectives. Due to the overemphasis laid on paper qualification rather than competence in Nigerian educational system, much importance is therefore attached to examination in every teaching-learning situation. Learners struggle to pass examinations by all means. The diligent students work hard to ensure that they pass. Others seek for short-cuts that would earn them passes. This in essence leads examinees to cheat during examinations. The issue of examination Malpractice has crept into the Nigerian educational system. Apart from the undue emphasis on paper qualification which sometimes gives rises to examination malpractice, there are other causes of examination malpractice such as: parents' inability to provide learning materials, inadequate educational facilities for learning, peer group influence, student poor study habit et cetera.

Examination Malpractice takes many forms ranging from impersonation, cheating, entry with fake certificates, pressures on lecturers for good grades, carrying of microchips, storing information and data relevant to examination on Global System for Mobile Communications {GMS Handset}, `giraffing', swapping of scripts, smuggling of prepared answer scripts into examination hall, submission of more than one answer scripts, refusal to submit answer scripts at the end of the examination, physical and, or verbal assault and the intimidation of invigilator(s), leakage of question papers, retrieval and or substitution of new answer scripts after examination, invigilator(s) colluding with candidates to cheat, et cetera.

Though while several reasons have been adduced for the spate of the plummet in Africa's agenda toward development; whereas it has become commonplace to endorse the paragon that colonialism and imperialism are prime causes among other factors, this study takes another approach. For when most African countries have attained independence over half a century ago, the standards left by the so called `colonial interlopers' have waned drastically. And one of the sectors that has not only suffered but metamorphosed into the proper breeding ground for underdevelopment in many African states is the education sector. Cases of examination malpractices and cheating have become the norm that even parents put a lot of energy and finance to see that their children pass with distinction.

Consequently, these children have become motivated to entertain the thoughts of examination malpractices for several reasons. It needs to be understood as well that in recent times, it is not an uncommon occurrence for African parents to put pressure on school authorities to make sure their children pass examinations. Conversely, these schools and similar educational institutions have the mandate to either deliver the much needed `result' or face low enrolment as parents withdraw their children to places where the hunger may be assuaged almost effortlessly. But what is the long-term consequence of this attitude toward education? What will happen to students who cheated when they get to the workplace? One study has chronicled that “students who cheat on tests are more likely to engage in dishonest activities in workplace than those who do not. Furthermore, such activities may harm not only their colleagues, particularly those in high-risk professions such as engineers, doctors, nurses and so on, but also the organization in which they work” [Graves 2008: 15-22]. It is solely for this reason that “employers nowadays demand competent graduates who are ethical in order “to cope with the pressures and complexities of working in a rapidly changing, competitive environment” [Zahran 1997: 123-151].

In Nigeria for instance, it is common to encounter cases of quack doctors and nurses. The reality of structures that collapse claiming lives are not new. It is therefore not untrue, the outlook that once the education of a country has been compromised the enemy does not need a nuke to wipe off that country from the face of the planet. The effects on examination Malpractice in Nigeria have long put a question on the credibility of our certificates. In short, the effects of examination malpractice are evident in the life of the students and the society. In Nigeria, many school higher institution graduates cannot defend their certificates and find it difficult to get a job in the labour market because of lack of competence.

In every human society where is there is interaction between people, especially of the opposite sex, some level of sexual attraction is expected. When this occurs, mutual interest and reciprocal response defines a civilized and socially acceptable sexual behaviour [Taiwo, et, al. 2014: 13-18]. However, when there is no mutual interest and reciprocal response to any sexual attraction and the other recourses to physical, verbal or non-verbal expressions to get the other to himself or herself, it becomes sexual harassment.

Thus, sexual harassment could be defined as unsolicited, unwelcome and unreciprocated sexual overturn from a person to elicit unwanted sexual relations from another person [Aluede 2000: 27-32]. This includes any appropriate sexual overturn, subtle, unsubtle persistent behaviour, assault and actual sexual abuse that may be expressed physically, verbal or non-verbal, usually from someone with a higher power or at vantage position to less a privileged. Accordingly Pearling states that sexual harassment is often associated with assault, bullying, coercion, discrimination, favouritism; exploitation and intimidation as vices that paly out in the sexual encounter leaving the victims with long-term pains that devastate their psychological well-being [Pearlin 1989: 241-256].

Though sexual harassment is a global phenomenon; it is abnormal and antisocial behaviour that is unacceptable in any society. This explains why sexual harassment has continued to attract attention of researchers and the social media. Sexual harassment takes on various trends and nature, but most essentially, it emanates from unequal power relation that is also associated with gender based on violence and violation of human rights. However, as Schuffert observes in his findings, in most cases, the harasser is usually older, powerful and poses something of value that is beneficial to the harassed [Schuffer 2000: 19].

Sexual harassment is one of those sexual vices that is permeated the fabrics of higher education in Nigeria. Today, more than before, it is a topical issue in Nigerian educational institutions. The harassers and harassed could be lecturers and students or vice versa. In other words, the trend of occurrence can take several forms: from male lecturer to female students, from male students to female students, from male lecturers to female lecturers and non-academic staff and so on. In most cases, female students are most at risk as victims while the male lecturers are more likely to be the perpetuators [Taiwo et al. 2014: 13-18]. It has been affirmed that, in Nigeria Higher education, sex for grade in the tertiary institutions is a reality and the male lecturers in particular, perceived themselves as thin gods and such unprofessional behaviour can be perpetuated unchecked [Gaba 2010: 319-321].

According to Ogunbameru several reasons have been deduced for the sexual harassment by the perpetuators in Nigeria Higher education [Ogunbameru 2006: 3]. These include: lust, pursuit of happiness, lack of temperance, lack of norm of morality, lack of conscience, immaturity cheapness, and pursuit of pleasure, abuse of power, inferiority, habit, value, and personality disorder. In addition, indecent dressing pattern among female students who almost go naked in their appearance can also be driving factor for continued incidence of sexual harassment. It is imperative that state that the advert effects of sexual harassment in Nigeria educational system is numerous; not only does it affect the academic performance of the students, it also affects the development of the nation. Corroborating this, Taiwo and others avow that sexual harassment undermines the integrity of the academic environment, and it prevents it victims from achieving their full potentials. For instance, graduates with certificates obtained through favors or sexual consent are not worth the certificates they have been conferred. This clearly demonstrated in the performance of the half-baked graduates produced into the labor market in recent times.

Many seasoned lecturers and researchers in whom much resources of the nation have been expended have lost and their careers terminated through cases of sexual harassment [Taiwo et al. 2014: 13-18].

Brain-drain is the situation wherein there is a mass departure of highly skilled or qualified personnel from one country to another so as to pursue their careers there, especially to Europe and America. In other words, it is the compelled exodus of intellectuals and skillful personalities to Western nations. Speaking of brain drain within the confine of university education, Azenabor states:

“...brain drain is a situation where university lecturers are compelled to relocate abroad and or pursue careers elsewhere, especially in European and American Universities. These are places remuneration is better, pastures are greener and have fewer obstacles to scholarship. Consequently, Nigeria universities have not been able to retain the best personnel, because of the atmosphere that is not friendly” [Azenabor 2005: 28].

It is one of the greatest hindrances to development in any nation. Nigerian universities are suffering from shortage of best personnel; professionals and skillful individuals. In his study Oyowe, observes that proximately over 21,000 Nigeria Medical Doctors are practicing in United States [Oyowe 1996: 59-60]. Through brain-drain, Nigeria losses human resources necessary for social-economic development, thereby leading to unemployment. Accordingly, Hayioye opines that Nigeria is blessed with many erudite scholars that can lead our higher institution of learning to the zenith of academic excellence [Hayioye 2015: 7-8]. Because of the fear of unsure future, many of the best brains readily embrace scholarships to study abroad, thereby draining Nigeria her best brains to build and develop other nations of the world with their ingenious ideas, while the country, Nigeria remains in a sorry state. So, the problem of unemployment forces people to leave in search of greener pasture elsewhere.

Collaborating this, Igbiwu writes: “The mass movement of lecturers between 1988-1999 from Nigeria for greener pasture in Europe, South-Africa, American, Canada etc. robbed the nation the higher institutions including teacher institutions of the best brain. Some courses were phased out because of exist of lecturers particularly in sciences and technical education. This causes a setback to standards of teacher's education in the country” [Igbiwu 2004: 93].

This goes to show that brain drain to a large extent, is responsible for the falling standard of education in the Nigeria and the quality of the manpower that the country needs for development.

Another problem bedevilling Nigeria educational system at all level is strike. Strike actions also called labour strike is stoppage of work caused by the mass refusal of employees to work, strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances, strikes are sometime used to pressure governments to change policies of universities especially in the area of infrastructural development and welfare of both Academic and non-Academic staff union of universities. Strikes are often part of a broader social movement taking the form of a campaign of civil resistance undertaken by unions during collective bargaining. Strike consists of workers refusing to attend work and picketing outside the workplace to prevent or dissuade people from working in their place or conducting business with their employer. Students strike sometimes supported by faculty not attending schools, such strike is intended to draw media attention to the institution so that the grievances that cause such strike can be aired before the public. Though this usually damages the institutions or government public image. In government-supported institutions, the student strike can cause a budgetary imbalance and have actual economic repercussions for the institution. A thorough work on the causes and effects of strike actions that cause the decline in the quality of tertiary education should include, focusing on causes of the country's failure to fund public education at a level that is comparable to most countries on the continent, improvement of teacher education, cultivating achievement orientation in students in the three levels of education and providing appropriate and adequate facilities and instructional materials for schools [Amadi & Urho 2015: 28-36].

Conclusion

It cannot be overemphasized how much the Nigerian educational system has evolved into a system that does not function at a level that it is supposed to. A country where the educational system is compromised will surely produce minds that lack the capacity to mediate the proper social change which only education has the capacity to initiate. Upon a deeper consideration, the dilemma of development in Nigeria cannot be properly diagnosed without paying attention to how education contributes to this plummet. Much as the present study does not boast to have the solutions to these challenges, the exploration and exposition of these problems and challenges, for all to see, can serve as a warning sign that all is not well for a country whose educational system is almost in shambles.

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