Introduction
In a contemporary society, education is fundamental for human, social and economic growth. It plays a great role in developing the potential of human and serves as a contributory factor to the full development of human personality. Generally, a country’s development can be catenated to the educational sector.
Appreciating the great contribution of education to social, political and economic advancement of a society, the National Policy on Education states that “not only is education the greatest force that can be used to bring about redress, it is also the greatest investment that the nation can make for the quick development of its economic, political, sociological and human resources.”
Barriers to Quality Education in Nigeria
The common belief of Nigerians is that children would live to take over from the older generation. However, this seems to be far from being realistic as a result of the limited access to educational opportunities for a large score of Nigerians.
Even in present day Nigeria, there is a category of persons who are in one way or the other deprived access to quality education. Nigerians categorised in this context are girls, house helps/maids, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), rural inhabitants, youths who suffer mostly as regards access to education.
Nigeria currently has a figure of 20 million out-of-school children (UNESCO, 2023). As at October 2023, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 7.6 million girls in Nigeria, mainly from the North remain out of school with little or no access to quality education. Also, a large number of children living with disabilities find themselves in this same sad situation.
Sadly, the educational sector in Nigeria is bisected with myriad of challenges/barriers in providing inclusive education for its large populace. Most of these problems remain persistent because they are left unaddressed. Some of these problems may include; inadequate funding, poor management of education, inadequate infrastructural facilities, poor parental guidance, poor orientation, politicisation of education, high cost of education, insecurity of students (in the North) among others. By and large, household poverty, child labour, child marriage, gender discrimination, disability and geographical setting are said to be some of the main barriers depriving many Nigerian children and youths quality, sound and affordable education.
Prioritising Equal Access to Quality Education
Without any barrier, every child or person generally is entitled to sound, quality and affordable education in Nigeria. It should be available with comfort to all; young and old, male and female, abled and disabled, privileged and less privileged irrespective of age, gender, colour, religion, ethnic, historical background and disabilities.
Education should be highly prioritised at all levels; primary, secondary and tertiary levels. No one should be deprived equal access to sound and affordable education. Sonia Sotomayor, an American lawyer and jurist said ‘until we reach equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.’ In essence, equality of educational opportunity should be seen as a birthright of every Nigerians.
To ensure the full enjoyment of the right to education, several statutes make statutory provisions for access to education by all Nigerians. Among these statutes are the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as altered), Child’s Right Act 2003, Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and many others.
It is a well known fact that equal access to quality education guarantees individuals a great opportunity to gain the benefits accruable from education. To achieve this, government should allocate more funds to the educational sector, avoid politicisation of education, implement educational research finding, ensure effective management of education at all levels as well as provide infrastructural facilities cum instructional materials to make learning process comfortable for all. It is crucial to prioritise and expand access to quality education in rural areas. Besides, we are now in a digital world where technology gives a dual benefit of facilitating access to quality education and improving same. If mobilised, educational opportunities will be available for many.
In addendum, any form of gender disparities should be barred in all levels of learning by ensuring all individuals enjoy equal access to education of good quality. One shouldn’t be incognisant of Persons living with Disabilities (PWDs). Every person with special needs has a right to sound education.
Conclusion
Conclusively, equal access to education implies that equal educational opportunities can only be obtained if we have a complete state system of schools and education is found to be in high quality, sound and affordable. All the barriers of quality education should not be left unaddressed. For our future to be brighter, education should be highly prioritised today.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY THE WRITER
A. O. TOHEEB & S. A. ASHIMI: LEGAL FRAMEWORK ON PERSONS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES IN NIGERIA
S. A. ASHIMI & A. A. AKINLABI: LEGAL ETIQUETTES: APPRAISING COURT DECORUM & COMPLIANCE
S. A. ASHIMI: NIGERIAN CHILD’S RIGHTS: PROTECTION, EDUCATION AND WELL BEING
S. A. ASHIMI: RIGHT TO EDUCATION: PRIORITISING EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION IN EDUCATION
ASHIMI SAOBAN ADEDAYO IS A SECOND YEAR LAW STUDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA. HE IS INTERESTED IN ADVOCACY, STUDENT LEGAL PRACTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM, LEGAL WRITING, ESSAY WRITING, AMONG OTHERS.
