Nigeria is a country blessed with many tertiary institutions. As at today, it is no news that while government on one hand, is building more tertiary institutions, so we are having a spring up of many private institutions. All these are aimed at improving the standard and quality of education in the country.
It is however unfortunate that the educational system in Nigeria is undoubtedly facing numerous challenges as at today. This is not far fetched as the inconsistency in governmental policies is having negative impacts on educational system.
Nigerian Colleges of Education are specifically established to train and produce competent teachers. Teachers on the other hand are nation builders. In fact, teaching is a calling and expectedly, anybody who finds himself or herself in the profession is expected to give a high level of commitment so as to bring out the potentials in his or her students. I sincerely give kudos to our nation builders who had or are making the teaching profession proud.
It is highly absurd that government as at today is killing teaching and if this problem is not nipped in its bud, it portends a grave danger to the education industry. The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board is out to kill teaching profession with its UTME joint examinations. I must say without mincing words that writing of entrance examinations into our tertiary institutions is doing more harms than good and we must jointly speak against it.
The arrangement of JAMB Examinations shows that an applicant must pick in the following order, a university, polytechnic and college of education. The admission exercise follows same pattern as only students who are rejected by the universities and polytechnics are now coming down to our known glorious colleges of education where many of our academics like Emeritus Professor Ayo Bamgbose and host of others started their career and eventually rose to the peak of their chosen career. Colleges of Education are now taking remnants for admission and getting forced to be advertising for a special admission which they later regulate with the JAMB. It is pathetic!
Our early teachers enjoyed their professional calling. Many of today’s teachers got into the profession accidentally and this is having adverse effects on our teaching profession. This is because remnants are the only admissible students and the passion is not there. It is high time we salvaged our Colleges of Educations and the teaching industry.
It is premised on the above facts that I wish to call on JAMB to retrace its path and not only be looking at the financial implications of conducting the examinations but the effect of its decisions on our educational industries. If this is not done, I foresee a looming danger in the admission of students into our Colleges of Education and a greater problem in raising teachers who would have passion for the job as the music in the mouth of many students is that ‘I don’t plan to be a teacher’.
‘Wale Adeoye
Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo
