Can my proposed NYSC changes work? (Follow-up to earlier "Serve" post)

I was very excited when I got calls and comments from some of those who read my previous blog post (http://chibvin.blogspot.com/2012/10/what-does-it-mean-to-serve.html). I had taken it for granted that everyone who reads my blog understood how the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program works in Nigeria. This post should address some of the questions I received, help clarify how the program works, and why the changes I proposed are feasible. For those who haven't read the earlier post: "What does it mean to serve?" you can read this post before reading the earlier blog post.


How does the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Program work?
The NYSC program is a mandatory one year service program required of all university graduates in Nigeria. Once a student graduates, the student is randomly assigned to serve in a state. There are certain rules of course that govern this "random assignment:"

• The student cannot serve in his/her state of origin. Meaning that if I am from New York, I cannot serve in New York. I would have to serve in a different state, for example Texas. 
• The student does NOT have a say in where he/she can be posted. When the NYSC posting assignment is made available, students look for their names on a list and if they find they have been posted to the state of Alaska for example, they cannot reject it.
• Without the NYSC certificate, a Nigerian university graduate CANNOT legally get a job in Nigeria.

What does it mean to serve?

What a last couple of months! I always thought I knew what "busy," "occupied," "stressed" meant until I arrived at MIT and found out first hand. The song of my favorite artist- P-Square- comes to mind "E no easy oh." My goodness!  However, no matter how busy I have been, the mind cannot stop to wonder about things not related to chemical engineering.

Because of the hate emails I have gotten and friends harassing me because I have not posted for a while now, I have succumbed to their endless pressure. As an added benefit, I shall use this post to celebrate my upcoming birthday.

Now, the topic I shall be writing about today strikes a cord among many Nigerians, both those in Nigeria and those abroad (especially international students). If I had written this post last year in 2011, I would certainly have received harsh comments and insults not worth repeating. Nonetheless, it is a topic that is vital to address when one analyzes the Nigerian education system, and is proposing ways to fix and restructure it. The topic is not unique to Nigeria, but one widely known. It is the meaning of service. What does it mean to serve?

The admission process

It has been a while since I posted a new topic on my blog. Life and work have been taking their toll recently. But don't worry I'm back, and it is awesome to finally get back to writing a blog post. I've missed it. Let's get to the topic for today:

How would you feel when everything you have worked for since you entered nursery school as that budding three-year old, that teenager graduating from secondary school, and that kid with big dreams of changing the world and all of a sudden on a Saturday morning, you watch as your dreams float away because of an admission exam?

Some thoughts on funding education (Oh, the things I think about)

Whenever I get the opportunity to relax and think about anything not related to my day-to-day routine, I end up trying to conjure ideas about new ways to help improve education in Nigeria. It is certainly an odd thing to think about during one's free time, but it is something I relish. Some of my thoughts revolve around 'what kind of programs can be instituted? Will they work? etc. etc.'

Recently, I was opportuned to have a chat with a recently promoted deputy vice chancellor (DVC) of a university in Nigeria. I asked him what he hoped to accomplish as a DVC. His reply was not surprising: he just wanted to get used to the responsibilities of the job before he started focusing on what he wanted to change. But he ended with this: "No matter what I hope to accomplish, I can't achieve any of it without funding. Currently, we are underfunded and it is a struggle to pay our lecturers, pay for fuel for our generators and so many other things." In summary, the elephant in the room is 'funding.'

Financing

Even if we have a dedicated Federal Minister of Education, what are some of the changes he can implement to improve the finances of the education system. Most of the excuses given by universities are related to finances. “There is no money to pay lecturers, electricity, bills, up-keep etc.” This may be the case but the question that should be asked is what is being done with the funds currently available to them. 


An important change needed is for the Ministry of Education to create a foundation to solicit funds for universities. Hosting fundraisers with government officials, the private sector, and others to generate funds that can be provided to universities after universities apply using an application process. These foundation funds will be different from the budget available from the Federal and State governments and will be strictly monitored by the Ministry as failure to use the funds as directed will lead to a reduction in their allocated annual budgets. Universities will be allowed to create foundations to solicit funds from alumni and other sources. The university foundation will operate independently and will fund-raise for the university. This money from the university foundation provides an opportunity for the university to increase faculty pay and make the university attractive to the best professors. Any funds obtained must be reported to the Ministry. Other important financial changes are

·         Require state universities to justify any increases in tuition. If a university increases tuition, it must declare to the students a detailed reason for raise. This will make the university more accountable for the action it takes.

·         Money allocated to universities by the Federal Government must be distributed by the Ministry. This money will be distributed only to accredited universities that meet all the demands of the Ministry.

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education should be one of the most heavily funded governmental departments in Nigeria. The person who serves as the Minister must understand the problems that face the country's education system and must have a list of ideas, rules, and an educated thought process that can fundamentally change the way education is approached by our universities etc. So, who should become the Minister of Education?

The power of dreams

"Whatever you do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."-Goethe.

Corruption in Nigeria is widespread. We know government officials ignore the need of the people and are only interested in their well-being. But how can we chip away at corruption? We should have concrete discussions on how to eradicate corruption. However, chipping away at corruption involves stepping on the foot of those currently in power. One area of government where fewer foot will be stepped upon and enormous progress and change can be made is education.

Improving education in Nigeria is paramount. Nigerians are one of the smartest and hard-working people in the world. Why do we suffer under the chains that our leaders have placed us in? Those chains of corruption will never define us. Education is the gateway that will bring Nigeria closer to achieving its dream to finally become the giant of Africa. For example, an educated population is one that can create jobs--jobs that can revitalize and diversify a failing economy. Properly educated students can become entrepreneurs in their area of study and not dependent on government jobs. The students can become leaders in any industry here in Nigeria or abroad. Educated students make better leaders and the number of better leaders we have in government, the better Nigeria will be. Many more reasons abound for the importance of education to Nigeria and what we need are solutions to fix the Nigerian education system and not a regurgitation of the problems we have.

It is my dream to change the Nigerian education system and this blog is one step. Any changes suggested is a starting point for necessary discussion. I want to read and hear what you think. Feel free to comment on everything. What steps can students, officials, and government take. The more we can talk about solutions, the closer we are to implementing it.

Just believe in the power of dreams.