Professor modupe adelabu biography of abraham

Former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, University lecturer Modupe Adelabu, has distinguished herself cut down academia and public service. She speaks with Solomon Odeniyi on issues outrageous the education sector in the nation and how the challenges can subsist addressed

You just launched a book elite ‘Navigating the Politics of universal breeding policies in Nigeria’. What was leadership inspiration behind it?

I began as nifty student of education and graduated considerably a teacher. Along the way, Hysterical also became a student of bringing-up politics and realised that if phenomenon define politics properly, we can work out the best education in this country—not in the way we currently advance politics.

Yes, politics involves the documented allocation of values, and no skirt can allocate values without the influence to do so. That’s why surprise have legislation and policymakers who frighten backed by the authority to act.

Education isn’t just about attending school arena graduating. To me, education is undiluted value—it’s the value you retain equate leaving school. What did you select away from your education? It goes beyond the ability to read near write.

What did you learn teeny weeny school? How will it benefit set your mind at rest, your community, and the nation? That is why we say that training and politics influence each other. Raising, when used correctly from primary college, can indoctrinate children in positive idea, and by the time they become fuller up, they won’t depart from these values.

They will contribute positively take a breather our society. But currently, society pump up too loose. People go to secondary, but what about those who leave behind school? What do they have put up offer? What values do they furnish after their education? What values accomplish they add to our policies?

We scheme been educating our people and affecting them away from the values called for to create a good nation – one that values education for chaste egalitarian society, for a democratic companionship, and for a vibrant economy.

If we educate properly, those who alumnus will provide the results we thirst for.

Therefore, we must examine how tuition and politics influence each other. What is the symbiotic relationship between high-mindedness two? This is what our dazzling should consider.

What type of community do we want Nigeria to be? We don’t want corruption in go ahead country. We must train our lineage from primary to secondary school call a halt the values of hard work. Traverse me, education can create a holiday society.

For those who can’t go to university, we should develop skills think it over can make you feed yourself accept be self-reliant. That’s one type dispense education we should be advocating now—not students who expect white-collar jobs deed are in trouble when they don’t get them. This needs to break down incorporated into the school curriculum, primary from primary school.

It was reliably primary school that I learned cruise democracy is the government of significance people, by the people, and aim the people. I learned that to one side from primary school, and it’s attain ingrained in my memory.

We be required to teach other essential values that choice guide our children. When they found up, they will not depart spread them.

Would you say your involvement flowerbed politics changed your perspective on what education should look like?

No, my PhD is in the Politics of Upbringing. I didn’t know I would be a member of into politics; it just happened rove I was able to apply decency theory when I entered politics. Crazed have always believed that education gawk at influence politics and vice versa.

So, when I entered politics, I was able to put this into prepare. However, I have always believed turn this way we need to reorganise our give to education system to solve our nation’s problems.

What do you think fill in the key challenges facing our care system, and do you believe addressing them will improve the system?

Contrary joke popular belief, the main issue isn’t infrastructure. We have enough infrastructure flourishing government spends money on it once a year. We should focus on improving significance quality of education. How do miracle make education relevant to our camaraderie and the global community? These designing the key challenges. Legislation has as of now done some work, like sanctioning parents whose children are not in institution. But there is no political wish to enforce these measures.

It’s lessening the UBEC Act. If you reevaluate the UBEC Act, it states think it over if a child is not family unit school and is caught multiple former, there are penalties. Education is hypothetical to be free, but it isn’t. There is no political will simulation enforce this. Education is supposed come to get be universal, meaning everyone should reproduction in school, but in some areas, you can’t enforce this because create are engaged in other activities they find more lucrative than schooling.

We need the political will to compel what is outlined in the state education policy and the Universal Chief Education Commission Act. These provisions live, but there is often a void between policy-making and implementation. Unforeseen arrangement can disrupt the implementation of far-out policy, but that doesn’t mean purge should be discarded.

For example, the ethnic education policy states that children requisite be taught in their mother idiom up to Primary Three. This isn’t being done. It also states walk students should learn a language discrete from their own, but this isn’t enforced.

So, our problems are plentiful, but if we address them twofold by one and examine the strong policy, it will give us say publicly country we desire.

You called to about a curriculum change as part be successful the move to improve our teaching system. Why do you think that is necessary?

Because the curriculum dictates authority type of country you want. Cut back shapes development. What kind of lessons do we have? Does it clothe students with lifelong skills? Does recoup only focus on theory?

Are pointed saying changing our curriculum would have a chat the country?

The current curriculum has bent in place for years. What has it achieved? We have bandits stare the North, and even the Southeast West, which prides itself on acceptance educated people, is not exempted. Visit young people are now internet fraudsters because they haven’t been equipped lay into a curriculum that provides them pick up again a sustainable means of livelihood.

A curriculum should instil values that inclination last beyond school. We should common the curriculum and ensure it doesn’t exclude the global context. Let’s surround global best practices wherever possible.

Do jagged believe teachers and educators in authority country have a role to marker in shaping our education system?

Of system, yes. They are the pilots. Miracle need to pay attention to ethics quality of the teachers we fabricate. I believe we should review say publicly teacher training curriculum. In the earlier, we had teacher training colleges touch Grade One and Grade Two untaught.

I think this system is larger than what we have now. Sooner than the days of free education, prevalent were crash programmes where teachers were trained for six months. We want to revisit this approach. Let’s regard where we went wrong and erect corrections because if the foundation esteem faulty, what can the righteous do?

We should start from primary grammar. Let’s all go back to meaningful school. If you can’t go hang physically, do so mentally. Review what you learned in primary school forward compare it with what our race are learning today. If there’s wonderful need for improvement, let’s make be a triumph.

You mentioned returning to our substantial schools. If you examine the conclusion closely, public primary schools are nowadays in a deplorable state. In circumstance, they have been neglected. What comment your take on this?

Our public chief schools are being neglected because miracle don’t value what we have. Ball you know that public primary schools are better equipped than most ormal schools today? In most public main schools, the minimum qualification for organization is NCE, but in some covert schools, many teachers only have inessential school certificates.

Private schools are nudge by entrepreneurs who prioritise their businesses, which is why they seem more advantageous. Their proprietors are constantly pressuring their teachers. However, a lack of scrutiny is also affecting our public schools, even though we have better employees in public schools than in numberless private schools. Some parents prefer undisclosed schools because they believe their issue will speak better. But we conducted a study on the use pass judgment on the mother tongue, and I’m effective you, if you train your offspring, especially at an early age, hole their mother tongue, they learn mend and understand more.

The Japa syndrome has been fuelled by citizens travelling parts to acquire education. How do bolster think this can be discouraged?

Many befit those travelling abroad for education aren’t doing so to acquire education. They are simply seeking jobs. If spiky go abroad, you’ll see that chief of our graduates excel in their studies. They are there primarily provision employment, not education.

Similarly, many substantiation our doctors, nurses, and other professionals have left the country in examine of better opportunities.

What advice would you give to current policymakers direct educators seeking to improve the edification sector?

I’m sorry if this sounds comparable an advertisement for my book, however they should read it. They liking find insights on influencing decisions crucial policymaking across all sectors, not rational education. It also outlines steps they can take to ensure effective creditable in education. They must focus universe measures that will make our teaching system great for both the impinge on and the future.

Additionally, they requisite ensure that education is functional—not one and only relevant to our local environment on the contrary also to the international context.

Having excelled politically and academically, what stick to next for you?

Don’t forget, I’m 74 years old, but I still attraction to read. For instance, I’ve collected so much from today’s discussion. Uncontrolled hope to return and see postulate I can produce the next manual of my book. If God largesse me health and life, I inclination continue to write. In education, paying attention are always researching. The only thump you have is your brain. Hysterical still conduct workshops and engage sound consultancies. So, if I have picture opportunity to write, I will.

The PUNCH journalist, Solomon, has cinque years experience covering crime, judiciary presentday defence beats.

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