THE 58th National Council on Education (NCE) five-day meeting ended last week in Abuja, with a disappointing outcome. The communiqu, which did more of 'noting,' 'urging,' 'directing' and 'commending,' rather than taking urgent, decisive actions, will not be helpful. Although, the NCE is an advisory body and its decision may not be binding on the states, yet, it remains the only respectable forum where all states send representatives and where all critical issues are supposed to be tackled. This year's meeting appeared to have missed some critical points.A total of 12 items were approved for immediate implementation. Of all the contending issues facing the country at the moment, including the theme adopted for this year's meeting, 'Re-engineering Teacher Education & Development for Quality Service Delivery,' the first item approved was the 'standards for school buses in basic and senior secondary schools.' How this idea was given priority is curious. States are known not to provide buses for their public private and secondary schools, and even the process of supplying 'new' buses to the Federal Government Colleges has been enmeshed in controversy.The other items approved include: conceptual framework/revised structure for the nine-year Basic Education; the inclusion of vocational skills in Nomadic Education curriculum; draft Non ' Formal Education curriculum; the use of tourism curriculum in secondary schools and the draft matrix for use in the identification of gifted and talented children and youths by federal, states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).Also approved were: observing May 5 as the National Albinism Day within and outside the school system; Draft Blueprint on Albinism Education in Nigeria; the roster for hosting JCCE and NCE meetings from 2012 to 2016 and the template for memo submission to JCCE; tenure, guidelines and membership of committees for chairmen, secretaries and desk officers; monitoring instrument on implementation of NCE decisions and periodic review of the draft monitoring instrument for on-the-spot assessment of implementation status of specific NCE decision.However, while council only 'took note' of the submission of the 2011 Global Monitoring Report which declared that Nigeria 'is unlikely to achieve the Education for All (EFA) goals 2 and 4 by 2015 (Goal 2 is the Universal Primary Education and Goal 4 is on adult literacy), it failed to provide the solution. Rather than pamper the commissioners from the states where basic education is not being given the right priority, the council ought to have tasked them to produce a definite plan on how they intend to provide functional basic education in their respective states. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which has so far warned that the unserious states, by their actions, would continue to draw the country back from attaining its goals, already has a template to that effect. The excuse that basic education is on the con-current list, which allows states to treat education matters with indifference, should not be allowed to continue.Many of the states also have unqualified teachers, and the council's indecision on the appropriate sanctions have left the problems unsolved. Many states are also not developing teachers' capacity; some teachers in their public schools have not received any training for between five and 15 years. Yet, they are rejecting the products of the Federal Teachers Scheme being spear ' headed by the federal government.The communique also failed to take serious cognizance of the effects of Boko Haram attacks and other ethnic conflicts in some northern and eastern states, especially in Maiduguri, Bornu State, which had led to the destruction of many schools and the displacement of pupils, teachers and citizens. In fact, the failure of the NCE over the years, to act on Bornu's state poor handling of its education sector, is believed to have now created monstrous problems that are slowing various efforts to meet the EFA targets down.Besides, the plight of children and teachers displaced by the violence, which was not adequately addressed, casts a dark shadow on the summit's outcome. Curiously, the summit only considered 'the risk and vulnerability of pupils and students in sub ' standard buses being used to convey them and from schools,' and not what to do for children who have already been displaced from their schools.The communique failed to discuss the relevance of some parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Education, which have not been performing their duties. For instance, there was a laughable attempt to paint the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) with bright colours when the communique 'noted' its 'unique and vintage position in re-engineering of Teacher Education and Development, and contributions of the centre in this respect.' But this is misleading because the NMC like a number of other parastatals, has not justified the purpose for its establishment and has only been a drain on the country's resources. The centre neither has answers to the yearly poor performance of a very large number of students in mathematics in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), nor the increasing shortage of qualified Mathematic teachers in the country's public schools. How many states have felt the impact of the centre' The so-called achievements its displays, which include sending students to the International Science Olympiads, which Nigeria has never won, are not commensurate with the quantum of resources sunk into it since it was established.There is also a contradiction with regard to the activities of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). If, as noted in the communiqu, there has been a 'positive impact of the post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on the quality candidates admitted into the universities,' why should the introduction of Biometric Data Capturing machine be allowed to continue' This method failed in the South West, some northern states and many rural communities in the last exercise and should have been re-examined in detail. Besides, the process of choosing the company to handle the project and the amount involved are shrouded in mystery, with JAMB keeping what is supposedly public information to itself. What this means is that, just as the company that failed to deliver examination materials in the South West during the conduct of the last UTME was allowed to go scot free, so will any company that fails in its duties in future examinations be immune from prosecution. Yet, huge taxpayers funds go down the drain in the process.There were, however, some positive aspects of the meeting. It is significant that May 5th of every year will now be observed as the National Albinism Day within and outside the country's school system. Besides, the monitoring instrument on the implementation of NCE decisions and the periodic review of the this draft monitoring instrument for on-the-spot assessment of the implementation status of specific NCE decisions were also approved.The communiqu also commended Action Health Incorporated for collaborating with the National Commission for Colleges for Education 9NCCE) on the Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education; Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Jigawa states and the Federal capital Territory for absorbing those who completed the FTS.
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