The inevitability of radical disruption to transform secondary school education

Undoubtedly, there must be a radical disruption to transform secondary school education in Nigeria because the existing system is outdated. More importantly, a problem cannot be solved by the same circumstances that created it. Disruption has been described by Meta AI as “a significant disturbance or interruption that alters the normal functioning of a system, process, or industry. It can be caused by various factors such as new technologies and innovative models.”

 Regardless of how much money is allocated to a state ministry of education, there will never be substantial and sustainable improvement without restructuring the system. Special science and technical schools produce appreciable results in national examinations because they are few, making supervision easier. Additionally, the schools admit the best students from primary or junior secondary schools.

Many of us are beneficiaries of the good work done by state ministry of education officials. May Allah reward them. However, the system requires radical restructuring to cope with the challenges of modern times. This calls for completely thinking outside the box and demonstrating unwavering determination to implement change. 

 By nature, people are more comfortable with the status quo, therefore, resist change—even when it is for their benefit. For example, people often build better houses but continue postponing their movement out of the old homes because they are attached to them. Thus, they have become their comfort zones. 

For example, in the 1970s, there were two schools in former Kaduna State with an embarrassing name: Emergency Teachers’ College Giwa and Emergency Teachers’ College Mani. As a primary school pupil, I was fascinated by the “Emergency” in the name because it sounded sophisticated. However, later in life, when I understood the meaning of emergency, I was disappointed by officials of the Ministry of Education for the scandalous name.

 What are the implications of issuing a certificate to a graduate of an “emergency” school? Must they rub it on the faces of graduates that they were victims of an “emergency” school? Imagine someone applying for admission in the United Kingdom or United States with a certificate from an “emergency” school.  

Currently, there are schools called “Rural Boarding Secondary School” in some northern states. This clearly shows that the government officials who coined the name were ignorant of the history of scholarship and civilisation because, historically, scholarship and civilisation flourished in urban centres, not rural areas. Such urban centres in the world include Baghdad, Damascus, Mosul, Alexandria, Athens, Babylon, and Mesopotamia. Also, prophets of God like Moses, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad (SAW) were products of urban civilisation.

 In northern Nigeria, cities like Maiduguri, Kano, Zaria, and Katsina were famous for Islamic scholarships for centuries. Now, which elitist school in Europe or United States will admit an applicant from a rural school? What do the schools stand to lose without “Rural” in their name? What do they stand to gain with “Rural” in their name? Must they rub it on the faces of the graduates of the schools that they are villagers?

In the early 1980s, the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) introduced two radical reforms to transform secondary school education in the former Kaduna State. One of these reforms—the creation of Day Secondary Schools—was eventually adopted by all northern states. The research department of the PRP government, coordinated by Dr. Bala Usman, studied the increasing enrollment of secondary school students in the state and reached a realistic conclusion: in the near future, the government would not have the necessary resources to sustain boarding schools. Therefore, to make education accessible to all, Day Secondary Schools were established in urban centres.

Although the policy was widely criticised as a betrayal of the masses by a People’s Redemption government, pilot Day Secondary Schools were established in Kaduna, Zaria, Katsina, and Kafanchan. The policy was later extended to all the 14 local government headquarters of the former Kaduna State, and eventually to towns and villages across northern Nigeria. In fact, it is now implemented all over Nigeria. However, I emphasise the North because similar school enrolment expansion had earlier forced southern states to introduce the policy. This is the type of vision expected from a research department—not a dumping ground for victimisation.

 There is nothing wrong with students coming to school from home. In fact, some parents are more interested in their children coming to school from home so that they can monitor their activities and friends with a view to bringing them up as responsible people because some children learn bad behaviour like smoking, drug addiction, and alcoholism in boarding schools. 

However, some parents who are interested in boarding schools, are looking for an opportunity to escape the basic responsibility of parenting. This is why some of them are eager to take their children back to boarding school immediately after a holiday. 

Mr Tunji Disu, FCT Commissioner of Police, made an interesting revelation about how parents are abdicating their parenting responsibilities (Tribune, March 10, 2025, online):

 “To be clear: I am not discouraging parents from reporting wayward children. If your son steals or your daughter vanishes, come to us. We will help. But do not confuse reporting with surrendering. When you hand us your child and say, ‘Fix them,’ you misunderstand our role. We enforce laws; we cannot replace love. We investigate crimes; we cannot teach values.

 “The police cannot replace your voice. We cannot instil the values you withhold. Our cells are not classrooms; handcuffs are not teaching tools. When you outsource parenting to the state, you gamble with life—and with the peace of communities.

 “My generation’s parents were far from perfect, but they owned their role as first teachers. They scolded, they punished, and they stayed. I urge present parents to do the same—not with the harshness of the past, but with the wisdom of your own heart. Meet your children where they are. Listen. Correct and love.” 

Interestingly, the day secondary schools introduced by former Kaduna State produced many professors, medical doctors, engineers, and secondary school teachers. 

Infact, Dr Bala accepted the position of Secretary to the Government of Kaduna State to prove that their research findings and recommendations were not mere theories informed by wishful thinking or what may be described as useless “dogon turanci” (empty academic rhetoric). In a widely circulated interview, published by a national newspaper over 20 years ago, he revealed that he was invited to Government House by the governor, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who handed him an appointment letter—which he initially rejected. He was then given two options: either accept the appointment and implement the recommendations or pack up his reports and leave, as the government could not implement what he had proposed if he was unwilling to stand by it.

 The second policy, which could have saved the state from poor WAEC examination results, was the creation of zonal offices for the ministry of education to address the ministry’s dysfunctional structure. These offices are still operational but are not functioning as intended. The government understood that without effective monitoring, no educational policy would succeed in Nigeria. However, ministry officials resisted allowing these offices to function optimally because the decentralisation reduced their power. 

The PRP government has been vindicated, as the major difference between private and public schools in Nigeria today is monitoring and evaluation. Public schools often have more qualified and better-paid teachers, and in some cases, even better infrastructure. Yet, private schools consistently produce more knowledgeable students and achieve better results in national examinations. For example, it was embarrassing that senior secondary school students kidnapped in Kankara (Katsina State) and Kuriga (Kaduna State) could not speak fluent English. They had to speak in Hausa, with someone translating for television journalists. What a disaster!

 The zonal offices were designed to bring supervision and monitoring closer to rural areas and grassroots levels. The objective was to ensure that teachers had no reason to go to the headquarters unless invited, as the Zonal Offices were to handle everything related to them in their zones—except recruitment and financial entitlements. This structure would have made it easier for the government to hold Zonal Directors accountable for student performance, fostering healthy competition among zones. It would have also simplified monitoring from the headquarters through a standardised template, reducing the need for visits to all schools.

 Unfortunately, these zonal offices have become “ghost” centres. And without radical disruption, ministry officials will not allow them to function as originally designed. The officials cannot effectively handle this role, as they are not adequately prepared for it. Additionally, centralised supervision is more expensive for the government compared to zonal offices, which are in most cases located less than 20 kilometres from schools.

 Clearly, the idea belongs to the PRP government of Kaduna State. However, I propose an updated approach that includes a strong emphasis on monitoring and evaluation. There should also be well-defined policies on teacher and student welfare, functional infrastructure, laboratories, and instructional materials. The tradition of providing students with access to a variety of sports in schools should be restored. In how many schools today do students play hockey?

 Lecturers from universities with PhDs in Education, preferably specialising in Monitoring and Evaluation, should be engaged to head zonal offices. They should drive the process using new methodologies and innovations—something that current Zonal Directors are not familiar with due to lack of exposure to modern trends and their general disinterest in reform. Many of them are simply waiting for retirement. The lecturers can be engaged on a two-year contract, during which they will identify and train their successors from within or outside the system.

 State ministries of education should be disbanded because they have outlived their purpose and were not created by God. This is important because ministry officials will never allow reforms to work because they fear losing their power.  

Fortunately, disbanding a ministry of education does not require constitutional amendment because the constitution recognises only Ministry of Justice, but made provision for commissioners in sections 192-194 (As Amended). But clearly stated in section 195 that: “There shall be an Attorney – General for each state who shall be the Chief Law Officer of the State and Commissioner for Justice of the Government of that State.” The objective is to make creation and dissolution of any ministry easy for a governor based on need.

 In place of ministry of education, a new office of Special Adviser on Education should be created, with two departments:

– Higher Education

– Secondary Education 

Interestingly, section 196   of the constitution (As Amended) provides for  the establishment of Office of Special Adviser, thus: “The Governor of a State may appoint any person as a Special Adviser to assist him in the performance of his functions.”

 This structure will bridge the gap between secondary and higher education, allowing secondary schools to benefit from the human and material resources of higher institutions—especially in states with a college of education and state university.

 The Secondary Education department should have a strong Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, staffed by competent professionals to supervise the zonal offices. Additionally, other relevant units inherited from the ministry can be maintained without creating unnecessary bureaucratic positions.

 The special adviser should be a Professor of Education, while the Head of the Monitoring Unit should hold a PhD in Education, as we have argued. With guidance and support from relevant organisations and development partners, a technology-driven monitoring and evaluation template should be developed. This will ensure that zonal offices operate independently while still being effectively supervised.

Each zonal office should be well-funded and equipped with:

– A standard conference hall for teacher training

– A functional ICT centre for continuous training of teachers and consultancy services

– Vehicles and adequate staffing for effective operations

– Conducive offices  

Since no state can easily recruit enough teachers to meet secondary school demands, Zonal offices should mobilise and train NYSC members to fill teaching gaps. However, government incentives such as decent accommodation and additional allowances—especially for those posted to rural areas—will be essential for success.

 Finally, while these ideas are not entirely new, they require innovative fine-tuning to ensure their successful implementation without deviating from their core principles and objectives.

Dikko resides in Abuja