DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Marcellus
(2009) posits that the conceptualization of development as given by Ibezim
(1999)above has some serious implications
for a holistic approach to development planning in developing countries. To him, Ibezim’s submission
promotes the idea and practice of equating
development planning with economic planning as the economy is usually regarded
as the bedrock for a nation’s development. Understood this way, Jhingan (2005:
489) says development planning implies:“deliberate control and direction
of the economy by a central authority for the purpose of achieving
definite targets and objectives within a specified period of time”. But emphasis on purely economic factors in
development planning has not been successful in achieving development in
the economic sector talk less of the overall national development in developing countries. In such countries,
Jhingan (2005) notes that the essence of planning is to increase the rate of
economic development by increasing the rate of capital formation through
raising the levels of income, saving and investment. Against the foregoing, one can conclude that, Development planning
comprehensively involves predetermining a nation’s visions, missions,
policies and programmes in all facets of life
such as social, human, political, environmental, technological factors etc. and
the means of achieving them. Economic visions and programmes cannot be realized
without looking at developmental
issues holistically, which entails improvement in all human endeavours. Development planning presupposes a formally
predetermined rather than a sporadic action towards achieving specific
developmental results. More importantly, it entails direction and control
towards achieving plan targets.
TYPES AND GOALS OF NATIONAL DEVELOPEMENT
PLAN
Diejomaoh (2008) gives what can be referred to as
a detailed exposé of National Development
Plans, types and goals. He posits that National Development Planning in the
modern era, dates as far back as 1917, with the establishment of Communism in
the Soviet Union, when the Soviet
Government introduced centralized planning, in which the state through its various centralized 5-year
plans determined what was to be produced, by
whom and at what prices. There was little or no room for the market and the
private sector, and all the means of production were owned by the state. The
objective of this kind of planning was to
meet the economic and material needs of all members of the society and to
achieve an Egalitarian Society.
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING IN NIGERIA
Nigeria’s development
planning could be classified under four phases. These can be described as the
Colonial Era, the Era of Fixed- Term planning (1962-85), the Era of Rolling
Plan (1990-1998), and the New Democratic Dispensation (1999 till date). There
exists between these periods some years dominated by sporadic governmental
actions and ad hoc planning in which the country did not actually produce a
plan document that could be categorized into the four periods mentioned. These
periods represent times of major socio political upheaval and economic crisis
that necessitated transitory and sporadic actions from the incumbent
administrations.
CHAPTER TWO
THE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN
NIGERIA
The above quotation is cited from a
presentation by a learned scholar Professor Omolewa. It tells in a sentence
what educational reform is all about. Nigeria has witnessed several educational
plan which started at pre-independence. It was to the credit of Nigerians
notably agitators for self- rule that led the British colonial rulers to change
the educational system in operation in 1954 from 8-6-2-3 system that is 8year
primary, 6year secondary, 2year higher school certificate and 3year university
to a new system 6-5-2-3 that is 6year primary, 5year secondary, 2year higher
school certificate and 3year university. The change resulted in reducing the
number of years at the primary and secondary school levels. Nigerians then were
more concerned about education. It is viewed as a patriotic struggle to effect
a change in the educational structure for the general good of the country.
The hope in the educational plan
continued to rekindle after independence. The freedom of self-rule Nigeria was
enjoying had to match with educational progress. In September 1969 there was a
National curriculum conference held in Lagos. Participants at the conference
were eager to see Nigeria chart a new course in its educational system. Such a
system they reasoned will empower the country towards the path of scientific
and technological development. They criticized colonial education system as
lacking in vitality and relevance. In short, the conference recommended changes
in the system, from 6-5-2-3 system to 6-3-3-4 system; that is 6year primary,
3year junior secondary, 3year senior secondary and 4year university education.
The recommended new system is simply American system of education which Japan
ably copied after 1945 and succeeded. The likely prayer was “O lord shall we
succeed as Japanese did”
The product the participants
produced at the end of the conference was beautiful especially to a country
that is hungry for development, for a country that wants to brighten its
future. But when political authority picked up the document and shown interest
in it, they interpreted it differently. They failed to realize that the
document is a proposal produced by academics and interest groups. To put
proposal into practice needs a careful planning. This was not done; the far
reaching proposal was implemented with a military dispatch which later
backfired. The intended result of this beautiful proposal was muddled up and so
was never achieved.
The Beginning of Crisis.
Crisis in education started
manifesting itself when government went all out to implement 6-3-3-4 system without
adequate planning put in place. By planning, according to Segun Adesina(1980),
as the process of applying scientific or rational procedures to the process of
educational growth and development so as to ensure the efficiency and
effectiveness of the educational system. The lower education specifically
primary education was the first to suffer the effect of inadequate planning.
Free Universal Primary Education was launched in 1976 but the policy on
education itself appeared in 1977 one year after implementation of the
programme. In this kind of situation where implementation is ahead of policy,
confusion would certainly emerge. Needs assessment was not properly done; the
end result was absence of adequate statistical data. For example on the
launching of UPE three million children showed up as against 2.3million
prepared for, a 30 percent underestimation. This has implications for classroom
spaces, teachers, and equipment (Akpa 1988). The exercise triggered phenomenal
rise in pupil population from 8.7million in 1976/77 to 12.5million in 1979/80
and reaching 15million in 1982.
Notwithstanding absence of
correct data to implement the UPE, the Federal Government went ahead and took
over all voluntary and mission schools and assumed full financial responsibility
of running the scheme throughout the country. This was the period of boom; the
government is a washed with petro-dollars. Ismaila (1988) commented, that 1975-1983
witnessed the launching of the gigantic educational programme in Nigeria. Above
all it was a period of unprecedented financial imprudence, irrational planning,
large scale corruption that culminated in a steep decline from boom to doom. In
the absence of any comprehensive planning, the implementers of the programme
have their leeway; they chose what was important and what was not important.
Emergency contractors executing fictitious contracts became the norms,
substandard buildings in the name of UPE scattered all over the country,
half-baked teachers populated the teaching force, ghost workers were made part
and parcel of the UPE programme.
The enormous responsibility
Federal Government of Nigeria took in respect of the UPE programme cannot be
sustained. The financial burden became too great that government began to shy
away from its undertakings. As a face saving measure the then Obasanjo
administration placed Primary education under joint control of States and Local
Governments in the 1979 Constitution, where Local Governments had direct
control over primary schools. To worsen the situation some states in the
federation started reversing the policy by returning back voluntary and mission
schools to their former owners. The falling prices of petroleum in the
international market pass a dearth sentence to UPE programme. States and Local
Governments could not fund primary education as such began to charge fees and
what was left; UPE programme was neither free nor universal. It was simply a
political expediency designed to impress Nigerian masses lacking nothing in
substance.
Free universal primary Education was
not designed to succeed and so destined to fail. The Military Government of
Yakubu Gowon that announced the plan and the successor Government of
Murtala/Obasanjo that went ahead and executed a defective educational programme
with much noises and fanfare were the same actors that engineered the collapsed
of UPE. The infamous burial ceremony of what was Free Universal Primary
Education that met its untimely death was left to Shagari Administration. One
cannot imagine that such ambitious programme as free universal Primary
education could not be sustained by a nation a washed with money. At least the
military prepared the 1979 constitution, if at all they believe in the
programme , UPE should have been made sacrosanct and enshrine it as a national
programme thereby protected from political and economic fallouts.
To notify Nigerians that UPE is dead,
the revised National policy on Education 1998, pp 15 stated:
Government welcomes contributions of
voluntary agencies, communities and private individuals in the establishment
and management of primary schools along side those provided by the states and
local Governments as long as they meet the minimum standards laid down by the
Federal Government.
Junior Secondary Schools In Limbo
Upon all the recommendations in the
1969 National curriculum conference, the three year Junior Secondary School
known as JSS is the most revolutionary. Sadly, the JSS is the most bastardized,
confused and poorly implemented segment of 6-3-3-4 system. Junior Secondary
School was initially conceived as a stage itself made up of 3year duration. The
curriculum is a hybrid of prevocational and academic subjects. The essence is
to impart knowledge in Science, Arts and Technology. The 5year Secondary
education is discounted as too academic and bookish and does not give room to
those who are terminating their studies at that level to be useful and
productive members of the society. Igwe (1988) opined that, the advantage of
3-3 system of secondary education therefore, is that it will equip its product
both intellectually and vocationally depending on their areas of interest,
aptitude and capability.
I think the JSS sector was meant to
cut unemployment level among our youths by arming them with a sellable skill.
But how was the JSS implemented. From the onset the implementers think more of
buying finished technology and goods as basis of pre-vocational education. The
Government busied itself shopping technology products from the cheaper Eastern
Europe Markets; such as Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, etc. These products
require steady supply of electricity to function. That neither National
Electric Power Authority (NEPA) nor its successor Power Holding Company of
Nigeria (PHCN) has the needed electricity to power these machines. Likewise
alternative power arrangement was not made. Similarly the teachers required to
operate these machines and teach students were not available. The end result
was the machines were left to rust, stolen or wasted. The prevocational
subjects which were meant to launch Nigeria into a respectable industrialized
state with abundant pool of lower level manpower became a mirage.
Pre-vocational subjects ended up having neither workshop nor qualified
teachers. Subjects were theoretically taught just like social studies. The hope
that the reform will enable schools to fabricate some of their basic needs such
as chairs, desks, black-board, and beds never materialized, in fact some JSS
students sit on the bare floor to receive lectures in contrast to the aims and
objectives of the National Policy on Education.
Another serious issue which bedeviled
JSS right from inception is the status of the sector. First and foremost the
status of JSS is a contentious issue. The former old British system stubbornly
refused to give way to a new order. The JSS birth though celebrated by
Educational Planners as a paradigm shift in the education system designed to
cut the umbilical chord that tied British education and the independent
Nigeria. The essence of JSS is to launch Nigeria into a respectable
industrialized nation. But, policy intent is different from policy
implementation. The new JSS is housed under the old secondary school, whereas
the intention was JSS should be a separate school. Host of reasons were given
for the Governments(Federal and States) inability to implement the policy to
its logical end; lack of funds; lack of infrastructures; lack of teaching
staff; lack of land; lack of everything. One is free to ask, why should we be
dragged into an educational plan unprepared for its requirements?
Junior Secondary Education is in
limbo, no one knows where it belongs. Is JSS a secondary school as originally
conceived? Has JSS pushed back to primary school as extension of literacy and
numeracy expected of primary education? Has the 9-3-4 system now in vogue
demoted JSS to the fold of so-called basic education that now it losses its
substance and incorporated as a wing of primary education? Why transfer JSS to
Universal Basic Education Commission which is saddled with a multitude problems
of primary education too numerous to handle? Are we tired of JSS that we
decided to jettison the sector such that it will crash and disappear into
primary education that will end up diluting the essence of JSS? Are we
conceding that we have failed to implement a system of education that promises
jobs for teeming Nigerians? America initiated the system and succeeded, Japan
copied and succeeded, Nigeria copied and failed. This is the verdict.
To be fair, JSS is a secondary
education. It should not be abused and transferred to Universal Basic
Education Commission(UBEC) whose initial responsibility is to monitor and
maintain the quality of primary education in the country, in other words to
wash the rots of UPE. To saddle UBEC with secondary education that is both
pre-vocational and academic is a misnomer. I am of the opinion that Government
should start thinking of salvaging secondary education as a whole for the good
of the country. It has been an established practice that every segment of education
has a watchdog, universities have National Universities Commission (NUC),
Colleges of Education have National Commission for Colleges of Education
(NCCE), Polytechnics have National Board for Technical Education (NBTE),
Primary Education has Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Why not
establish Secondary Education Commission (SEC) to take care of Junior Secondary
and Senior Secondary Schools? It will be a specialized commission that would
learn the art of monitoring and controlling the quality of teaching and
learning in tune with the National Policy on Education expected of secondary
education. The Federal and States Ministries of Education can play a
supervisory role of these commissions. My candid fear is we are demeaning the
most important segment of the nation’s education, which is secondary education.
A qualitative secondary education is insurance for progress in the country. By
the time a student finished secondary education he can decide to work or
continue pursuing his/her studies at tertiary institution. This can only happen
if the quality of the products is assured.
Neglect of the Inspectorate Services
One of the consequences of misguided plan
is the relegation of the Inspectorate Services, the quality control watchdog in
the education sector to periphery. Federal and States ministries of Education
shifted their priority to allocation of phantom contracts in the name of
education.
Inspection is indispensable to
acquisition of quality education. No educational programme will function effectively
without a quality inspectorate service. The concept of inspection has now been
changed to supervision. The change is necessitated by the perception of school
inspectors as no less than police inspectors with a colonial mentality. They
are seen as enforcers of discipline, their presence in a school is both
fearsome and awesome to school teachers and administrators. They brook no
nonsense as such do not tolerate incompetence to duty. Despite the shortcomings
of the colonial inherited inspectorate services, the system is by far better
than what we have today. School supervisors have lost their powers to ensure
schools run according to the National Policy on Education, they are no more
than insignificant nuisance in the education sector.
The repercussions of relegating the
inspectorate services to periphery have manifested itself in the quality of
education delivery. The standard of education has fallen, discipline in the
schools has relaxed, and schools curriculums are not fully implemented. And
what we end up having are examinations malpractices. Students struggle to
acquire certificates at all cost without actually fulfilling the required
educative process.
Effect of Misguided Educational Plan
What had happened to primary and
secondary education would invariably meet up tertiary education. The absence of
specific agenda for the Nigerian education manifested itself in the tertiary
institutions. These institutions especially universities became disorganized
when compared with their counterparts in other developing countries such as
Brazil, South Africa, lndia etc. Closure of the universities become the norms
and so the dismissal of lecturers. Unconducive teaching environment, poor
remuneration and threat of dismissal all tend to dampen lecturers’ morale. The
university dons could not continue to tolerate the way and manner Federal
Government is handling education; therefore they take to militancy by resorting
to strike actions, an NLC (Nigerian Labour Congress) style. It is painful our
dons are made to behave unbecoming of their status. Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASSU) and Federal Government engage in running battles from the
time of Babangida Administration and continuing up to today with occasional
truth brokered by self-style elders, traditional rulers and politicians. The
Yaradua administration inherited this fiasco which lapsed and relapsed
depending on the situation.
It is the failure of education plan
that made Nigerians obsessed with paper qualifications and chains of diplomas
and degrees, which in most cases are not in the sciences or technology. Some
so-called big men simply purchase their certificates in the open market. We
forget that we go to school to learn skills which will enable us to make a
descent living, to acquire knowledge which will help us reason rationally.
Education is much more than acquiring certificates, it’s a life-long pursuit.
Education should help student fashion his future needs, makes him dream of
possibilities, and helps him contribute productively in the development of his
country. Bill gate the Microsoft guru and the richest man in the world was so
overwhelmed by his dream that he dropped from university and pursue his dream
of simplifying computer to users, a cutting edge technology that only few
people understood. Because he dropped from school does not mean he stopped
learning. He continued to study and work hard, to Bill gate and his like,
education is not just acquiring knowledge for its intrinsic value, it is a
competitive enterprise that one has to continue updating himself as well as
pushing the frontiers of knowledge forward. We want an education that can
nurture such kind of people who can think ahead.
A mere change of government in the
Nigerian context can result in educational plan which in most cases are
thoughtless exercise, mindless of future consequences. One of the funniest
education reform hits students’ nutrition. Food issue is delicate to learner,
but Nigerians being what we are seem to believe that we can get the best out of
our universities and other tertiary institutions, whereas learners going to
classes with empty stomachs. Students lost privilege to subsidized food since
1984 when General Muhammad Buhari upstaged President Shehu Shagari from power,
Since then it is common campus language to hear some unusual numerical
terminologies, 100, 010, 001 etc. These figures signify how many times
per day you ate. If it is one time it could be 100 (breakfast), 010 (lunch),
001 (dinner). Our students are busy Fasting as well as battling with their studies.
Students began to lose weight and so their studies also lose weight. One would
like to ask, when did hunger and learning become friends?
I am of the opinion that a lot
of people were discriminated from access to tertiary education due to poverty. I
believe food situation at our tertiary institutions is one of the issues the
new administration in the country should seriously look into with a view to
ameliorate discomfort associated with nutrition.
Tertiary Education: Growth
Without Development
As at 1970 there are only six
universities in Nigeria, they rose to thirteen in 1979 now we have eighty nine.
The growth shows federal has 27, States 30 and private sector 32. To establish
as many qualitative universities is not just necessary but also desirable, on
the other hand, unplanned creation of universities is not just undesirable but
also dangerous.
It seems we are revisionist in our
practice to tertiary education. We do not have to follow the history of
evolution of universities before we have one. It is true that oldest
universities are religious establishments both in the Islamic and Christendom.
Al-azhar University in Egypt evolved from mosque as Islamic centre of teaching
and learning. Same with the Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England, they
were meant to teach Christianity.
In Nigeria for the last eight years,
the National Universities Commission (NUC) indiscriminately issued license to
all sorts of interest groups; State Governments, Religious bodies, Bussiness
tycoons and who knows whether local Governments would have their universities?
It is imperative to ask. Do the newly licensed universities adhere to policy
requirements of 60:40 science to arts admission ratio? Do these newly licensed
universities have equipments and personnel for teaching and research? We have
to remember that university is a community dedicated to teaching, learning,
sharing of ideas, research and dissemination of research findings to the larger
population, anything less than that is not a university.
It is disturbing if what the News watch
magazine (September, 2007) was reporting about these newly licensed
universities. Some of these universities are monolithic, they professed to one
idea or mission as the only truth. In other words they are not just religious
like Cambridge but also sectarian. Some test for HIV/AIDS, some test pregnancy
in young female students, some prohibit eating of meat, and some beat their
students as if university is a secondary school.
It seems we are Americanizing our
tertiary institutions where all sorts of degrees are awarded and people are
ready to get these junk degrees. To America, it is a choice, their system
warrant that, their economy can withstand that. In nutshell, America and its
education is awesome and attractive, because its science and technology is
still ahead of other nations, so its economy. Out of the ten top universities
in the world eight are in America and two in the United Kingdom that is why
these two countries have confidence in their education. Compared with the Nigerian
universities, that out of five hundred top universities in the world none is in
Nigeria.
I think we have to revise growth of
Nigerian universities. It has to be planned in such a way that we have a guided
expansion that takes care of growth and development. University education is
supposed to inspire in students to think critically on issues pertaining his
society and come up with solutions that will uplift his society to a greater
height.
Recommendations
v Government should set up an
independent committee made up of experts in the education to study various plan
in the education since independence and come up with a strategy that will
enable the nation move forward.
v Government should accord every
education segment its rightful place; in the sense every segment in the
education sector should have codified objectives that are subject to periodical
evaluations.
v Government should establish secondary
education commission as a watchdog to secondary education in the country. The
essence is to give secondary education the deserved priority that aims at
making our youth arm with sellable skills and knowledge to continue with their
studies.
v Policy haste in education never gives
desired result. It would be better if policies are made in such a way that
changes can be accommodated without disturbing the overall system in operation.
v Nigeria education should aspire for
manpower training. Mass benefit approach to education has been heavily
politicized and it is on its way out, and cost benefit approach is too sophisticated
for the country.
REFERENCES
Akpa, G.O.(1988). Crisis Management
in Education. The case of the 6-3-3-4
and the Challenges for the School Administrator. In G.O.
Akpa and S.U. Udoh(Eds). Towards Implementing the
6-3-3-4 System of Education in Nigeria. Jos: tep Educati
onal Series, pp73-79
Federal Republic Of Nigeria. (1977). New
National Policy On Education.
Lagos: Government printers.
Federal Republic Of Nigeria. (1998).
National Policy On Education.
3rd Edition,Lagos: NERDC Press.
Igwe, S.O. (1988). The Concept of the
6-3-3-4 System of Education and its
Implications for Nigeria. In G.O.
Akpa and S.U. Udoh(Eds). Towards Implementing the