NIGERIA-EDUCATION: PLAN FOR UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN CHALLENGED

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

EBUNOLUWA OKUSANYA

LAGOS, Jun 21 1995 (IPS) - WHEN THE KNIFE IS TAKEN TO EDUCATION BUDGETS BY COST-CONSCIOUS GOVERNMENTS IT IS GIRLS WHO SUFFER, PARTICULARLY IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES.

INCREASED SCHOOL FEES CAN FORCE PARENTS TO MAKE A CHOICE AND IT IS USUALLY THE BOYS THEY PREFER TO SEND TO SCHOOL, IN THE HOPE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR OLD AGE. GIRLS TEND THE HOME OR WORK, AND WHEN THE TIME COMES, ARE MARRIED OFF.

ONE WAY SEEMINGLY ROUND THAT PROBLEM IS TO GIVE WOMEN STUDENTS A LEG UP, PROVIDING THEM WITH THE ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES TO EXCEL.

IN NIGERIA, A MAJORITY MUSLIM COUNTRY, THAT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION APPROACH IS BEING CHAMPIONED BY MARYAM ABACHA, THE WIFE OF THE PRESIDENT.

SHE BELIEVES TRADITION, PARTICULARLY IN THE MUSLIM NORTH, HAS DEPRIVED GIRLS OF THE CHANCE OF EDUCATION. AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL, THE IDEA OF SINGLE ISLAMIC WOMEN MIXING WITH MEN ON CAMPUS RECEIVES EVEN GREATER CENSURE FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS.

WHILE THERE ARE SOME SCHEMES UNDERWAY TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL AGES IN THE NORTHERN STATES BY PROVIDING MUSLIM GIRLS WITH SPECIAL TUITION OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, NOTHING EXISTS THERE AFTER.

SO ABACHA, HERSELF A MUSLIM, IS ADVOCATING THE CREATION OF A WOMEN’S-ONLY UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA.

“I HAVE NOT ACQUIRED THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION I HAD WANTED, AND WITHOUT EDUCATION WE CANNOT BE VERY USEFUL TO OURSELVES,” SAYS ABACHA, WHO HAS A MASTERS DEGREE.

“THESE DAYS IT IS NEITHER EASY TO GO TO SCHOOL NOR EASY TO FURTHER ONE’S EDUCATION TO UNIVERSITY LEVEL.”

SHE HAS THE SUPPORT OF THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, IYABO ANISULOWO, WHO BELIEVES A WOMEN’S-ONLY UNIVERSITY WOULD ACT “AS AN IMPERATIVE INSTRUMENT OF EMPOWERING WOMEN”.

“THE EXISTING UNIVERSITIES ARE IN NO POSITION TO SUSTAIN THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF WOMEN … THAT WOULD ADDRESS FULLY THE GENDER- RELATED ISSUES IN WOMEN’S EDUCATION,” HE ADDS.

THE IDEA, HOWEVER, HAS BEEN SAVAGED BY UNIVERSITY STAFF AND STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE MAINLY NON-MUSLIM SOUTH. THE REGION, DESPITE A NATIONAL QUOTA SYSTEM FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION, PRODUCES THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF UNIVERSITY APPLICANTS. THE NORTHERN STATES FREQUENTLY FAIL TO MEET THEIR QUOTA.

OMOLOLU SOYOMBO, A SOCIOLOGY LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY F LAGOS, SAYS THAT ADDING AN EXTRA UNIVERSITY TO NIGERIA’S ALREADY UNDERFUNDED 38 WOULD JUST LEAD TO A FURTHER GENERAL DROP IN STANDARDS.

THIS YEAR SOME 450,000 STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ADMITTED IN UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A SIMILAR NUMBER, UNABLE TO REGISTER DUE TO LAST YEAR’S POLITICAL INSTABILITY CAUSED BY THE ANNULMENT OF THE 1993 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ARE STILL AWAITING A PLACE.

THE EDUCATION BUDGET, SLASHED OVER THE YEARS IN THE NAME OF ECONOMIC REFORM, HAS BEEN UNABLE TO MATCH THE EXPLOSION IN THE NUMBER OF COLLEGES IN THE PAST DECADE, WHERE EACH STATE HAS DEMANDED THE RIGHT TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE IN ITS TERRITORY.

THE UNIVERSITIES, WHOSE CAMPUSES ARE REGARDED AS HOT BEDS OF POLITICAL UNREST, HAVE NOT RECEIVED A FAVOURABLE HEARING FROM SUCCESSIVE MILITARY GOVERNMENTS. THIS YEAR’S EDUCATION BUDGET AT NINE MILLION DOLLARS IS FAR LESS THAN THE DEFENCE VOTE.

STARVED OF RESOURCES, NOT ONLY HAS INFRASTRUCTURAL DECAY TAKEN HOLD, BUT ALSO THE EROSION OF THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND MORALE AMONG STUDENTS AND STAFF.

NIGERIA’S UNIVERSITIES, ONCE A SOURCE OF NATIONAL PRIDE, NOW TURN OUT STUDENTS WITH DEGREES WHICH EVEN LOCAL INDUSTRY NO LONGER RECOGNISES.

A NIGERIAN SENIOR LECTURER EARNS 50 DOLLARS A MONTH, A PROFESSOR LESS THAN 100 DOLLARS. THAT COMPARES WITH THE 90 DOLLARS THE AVERAGE LOW GRADE CIVIL SERVANT TAKES HOME.

“I SOMETIMES DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO LAST ME UP TO THE END OF THE MONTH. HOW CAN THE GOVERNMENT BE PROPOSING FOR MORE UNIVERSITIES WHEN THE ESTABLISHED ONES ARE NOT PROPERLY FUNDED”, SAYS TAIWO DADA, ANOTHER LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS.

KEHINDE DADA, A PSYCHOLOGIST, WONDERS “WHAT THE (WOMEN) UNIVERSITY WILL TEACH THAT CANNOT BE TAUGHT IN NORMAL SCHOOLS. NOT ALLOWING WOMEN TO MIX IS DETERRENT TO THEIR WELL-BEING”.

SHE NOTES: “ONE SHOULD REALISE THAT EDUCATION IS NOT LIMITED TO THE CLASSROOMS BUT THE EXTRA CURRICULUM IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. A WOMAN NEEDS TO MIX WITH THE OTHER GENDER TO HAVE A BETTER EDUCATION”.

IN JANUARY THE GOVERNMENT OF GENERAL SANI ABACHA SAID IT WOULD IMPLEMENT AN EDUCATION TAX INTRODUCED BY FORMER PRESIDENT IBRAHIM BABANGIDA IN 1983 TO RAISE FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS.

THE TWO-PERCENT TAX WOULD BE PAID BY COMPANIES AFTER MEETING THEIR NORMAL ANNUAL TAX BILLS.

BUT CIVIL SERVANT FUNSO THOMAS BELIEVES THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ALSO PROVIDE ENOUGH BOOKS TO SCHOOLS, AND MAKE EDUCATION CHEAPER RATHER THAN PROPOSING NEW UNIVERSITIES.

“IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME”, SAYS THOMAS, A FATHER OF FIVE.

TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD TITI OLUFEMI, A UNIVERSITY STUDENT HERE, ALSO REFUSES TO BUY THE IDEA OF A WOMEN’S-ONLY UNIVERSITY.

“WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU SEEN SUCH A UNIVERSITY IN EXISTENCE. LET IT BE ESTABLISHED AND LET’S SEE HOW IT WILL FUNCTION,” SHE SAID.

“I KNOW LADIES MY AGE WHO WANT TO BE MARRIED AND RELATE WITH THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS. I CAN’T SEE MYSELF, FOR INSTANCE, GOING TO SCHOOL WITHOUT A MALE. IT SOUNDS BORING.”