Etsu Kwali decries poor state of basic education in FCT

By Blessing Ibegbu

The Etsu Kwali, Mr Luka Nizassan, has decried the deplorable state of primary education in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and called for urgent measures to address the challenge.

In an exclusive interview wit

h the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in his palace in Kwali Area Council, the traditional ruler said basic education in FCT “is substandard and requires urgent policies to improve on it’’.

“The primary school system is not living up to its expectations; many children are not going to public schools, and the mechanism for measuring standards is not effective.

“It is difficult to determine if pupils are doing well or not and before you know it, they have moved from primary school to secondary school without getting the basics right,” Nizassan said.

Emphasising that the primary school is the fundamental stage to teach literacy, the Etsu noted that it is a big challenge that requires urgent interventions.

Nizassan, therefore, reiterated the urgent need for a stakeholders meeting for a total review and overhaul of the basic education system.

The traditional ruler also admonished those who have oversight functions on primary schools to gear up and do the needful.

“Let’s go back and review what is happening in public schools, particularly at the primary level because that it’s where the major problem is.

“Many of the pupils that passed the common entrance to secondary schools cannot read or write.

“How, then do we expect teachers in junior secondary schools to communicate the curriculum to them?

“It is a very big issue and looking at it, I discovered that it is the system that has actually deteriorated,’’ he said.

The Etsu recalled that he drew the attention of the Local Education Authority to the challenge, stressing that it was not a community based issue, but a policy problem.

“In my own capacity as traditional ruler, I created and funded a remedial programme in one of the schools in my community to address this problem.

“In the evening, the children go there and receive basic classes. But, for how long will it continue,” he retorted.

The Etsu added: “Ideally, public schools are supposed to set the standards for private schools.

‘“If the public schools are turning out students from primary schools who cannot read and write, then what will become of the standard of the private schools?

“Because the standard is not there, what we have succeeded in doing is grooming mediocre who managed to finish primary school, but cannot read or write.

“Eventually, they move to secondary schools, run to one `Miracle Center’ to clear their Ordinary Level examinations and gain admission to higher institutions to obtain certificates they cannot defend.

‘“When we are looking for people to employ, these are the people that show up and we will give them the opportunity to teach and raise another set of mediocre.

While appealing to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to address the problem, Nizassan commended his intervention programme in renovating one of the oldest primary schools in the community.

According to him, the Minister had taken the school project as one of his priorities in 2025.

“In fact, I followed up on this and discovered that the minister is adding structures, staff quarter and other conveniences, to make the school a model.

“We are just waiting for the procurement process now so that the school will be rebranded for people to enter,” Nizassan added.(NAN)