DWINDLING QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: A CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Abstract

This paper concerns itself with the decline in the quality of education in Nigeria. The researchers detailed the
evolution of education in Nigeria, the concept and essence of education in general as well as the ef ects of a
defective education on the society, using a qualitative approach. Following the researchers’ observations as
stakeholders in the educational sector and the views of dif erent scholars and sources, it was found that dif erent
factors account for a defective quality of education. These factors include privatisation and commercialisation
of education, poor quality of teachers, inadequate due diligence in the teachers’ recruitment process, poor
teacher training process, indiscipline amongst the learning youths, over-reliance on artificial or synthetic
intelligence, nonchalant attitudes of parents, defective educational policies, distraction occasioned by the use of
social media, poor foundation at the lower levels of education, poor attitudes of the new-generation parents, teachers’ excess and unfeasible workload, and poor reading culture among others. Concerning the ef ects, which a failed education can have on the country, it was highlighted that defective education can produce
intellectually-poor leaders, can lead to collapse of all sectors, youth unemployment, poverty and criminality. Furthermore, poor quality of education can lead to poor health and shorter life expectancy, problems with
raising children and social exclusivity or isolation and lack of voice. In the final analysis, it was concluded that
all hands must be on deck to save Nigeria’s educational system. Children, parents, teachers, schools, communities and indeed, the government have an obligation to perform, while understanding that education
standardisation is not the responsibility of only one of the above-mentioned stakeholders.