What would I love to change about my country? by @yuceetoria

INTRODUCTION

If I have the ability to change anything, it would be our educational system because it has deteriorated. It’s no news that students have been home since February, and the government has done little to nothing about it. Why would they do anything? When their children are schooling outside the county, they don’t experience the strike we do. Even some of those who go to school are half-baked because now, education can be bought. It is not uncommon for a student, adult, or politician to buy a degree of their choice. From the nursery to the university level, it is appalling how things are managed. They say ‘children are the leaders of tomorrow and ‘education is the bedrock of development but the way things are happening now, that future might not come. The system has many problems that need to be addressed before any breakthrough can occur.

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1. Take education more seriously: our government does not take education seriously, because why would a 100 million settlement be hard to settle when the presidential ticket is 100m for an individual? I mean if 2 persons put together this sum, students should have returned back to school by now. I would increase the funds being assigned to the educational board and properly distributed to each institution. The education system is suffering from underfunding which will be corrected.

2. Equal opportunities. It is disheartening, to be honest, that some people strive hard to get admission into the university while someone somewhere would easily buy a spot. Only merited ones should have access to learning.

3. Provide more classrooms. The classrooms are something else. In my 1st year as a university student, my coursemates and I spent the year learning outside. Sometimes, it is at the school’s auditorium which is improper or we would find an empty class to have lectures. In a department or level, you would see about 600-800 students squeezed together like sardines mixed with sweat and odor to take lectures. Some students, because of this, don’t even come for lectures again. I would provide more classes than across different schools.

4. Review and revamp the curricula. Change is constant, but not in our case, some topics being taught are outdated to the system, yet nothing is done about it. Some topics are not even related to some courses, they only end up confusing the student. I would update the curriculum to align with each subject or course.

5. Introduce fun teaching methods. Some teachers are educated but they can't convey their knowledge through teaching while some are not thoroughly educated but can teach well and have been using the same method for a long time. It is good to spice teaching and learning. I would introduce the use of modern learning methods using pictures, graphics, power point for easy understanding by students.

6. Equip schools with the advanced instrument. In my 5 years of being in school, I can count on one hand how many times I have done any practical classes in the school’s studio. Every learning is now theory even in courses that should be practical based, the practicals are also taught with theory method. In the end, half-baked graduates enter the labor market with little to no knowledge of how to handle certain equipment or solve some cases because they didn’t handle it in school. I would provide more practical studios for practical-based courses.

7. Establish an investigative committee. Nowadays, school and tertiary institutions go scot-free with mismanaging school funds. I would establish a committee that will be in charge of investigating schools and monitoring the activities and how well the administration is handling the affairs of the students.

8. Last but not least, pay teachers as at when due. Both of my parents are retired teachers, I experience the issue of their salary being held because it was only God that saw us through. Teachers should be well taken care of, from the staffroom which is sometimes hot, to working overtime and not being paid. I will endeavor to see that there is a conducive environment for teachers and pay them on time.