Stop importation of education, Chidoka urges authorities

Former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor, Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Osita Chidoka, has called on relevant institutions to stop importing education.

Speaking at the Southeast Educators Conference, where he delivered a keynote address titled: “Let Us Build and Export Education: A Vision for Southeast Nigeria,” Chidoka urged industry stakeholders to reverse the trend, where Nigerians predominantly seek education abroad.

According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerians’ spending on foreign education in a space of 0 years from 2010 to 2020 was $28.65 billion. Also, data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) revealed that as of 2020, there were 71,753 Nigerians studying overseas.

Delivering his presentation, Chidoka emphasised that the Southeast region, with its high literacy rate and robust basic education performance, is ideally positioned to be a leading educational hub in Nigeria and Africa.

He observed: “Southeast Nigeria could reverse the current trend of educational emigration, and instead become a prime destination for global learners if the leaders adopt the measures outlined among other conference proposals.

“We envision a Southeast Nigeria, where education is a significant export, contributing profoundly to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), rebuilding our diminishing national pride and foreign reserves, and ensuring a pathway to national competitiveness and societal progress”.

The ex-minister suggested several practical policy initiatives to enhance the global competitiveness of Southeast schools and position them as leaders in education export.

He advocated regulatory oversight, underscoring the need for state governments to boost quality education through rounded inspection and adequate supervision, tax reforms and promotion of a conducive environment for businesses and investments.

The chancellor sought global benchmarking through the adoption of international standards and assessments like the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA) to promote students’ performance, infrastructure and security, innovative training and scholarships, autonomy and empowerment of schools with decision-making powers for innovation and responsiveness.

Anchored in the ‘Chidoka Principles’ of Measure, Monitor, Improve (M²I), the erstwhile said the initiatives promise to unlock significant value in the education sector, by emphasising continuous evaluation, monitoring and improvement.