Dons Defend 6-3-3-4 System

Two university teachers last Friday in Lagos faulted the proposition for the scrapping of the 6-3-3-4 education policy in the country.

The policy, according to the dons, should be strengthened to enable it to achieve its set objectives.

Dr Soji Oni of the Department of Education Foundation, University of Lagos, who lauded the system, noted that it had been bedeviled by poor implementation.

The Minister of State for Education, Mr Kenneth Gbagi had at a forum in Abuja announced that the Federal Government was considering scrapping the system.

He said plans were at an advanced stage to revert to the 6-5-4 system as an alternative in a bid to reduce the number of years spent by secondary school students by one year. It would be recalled that the system was introduced in 1989 by the late Minister of Education, Prof. Babatunde Fafunwa.

But Oni told our correspondent that because of the poor implementation of the system, it had failed to realise its objectives.

“There is a problem with the 6-3-3-4 system – the problem is implementation – just like with other policies of successive governments.

“The policy was designed to promote science and technology education as well as self-reliance in students.

“How do you expect such a beautiful policy to work without continuous training for teachers – the implementers? 

“There is also need for the right infrastructure, such as workshops and laboratories in schools,” he said.

Oni expressed regrets that in spite of the potentialities of the policy in making Nigeria a technology power-house, the ideals and objectives had been jettisoned.

Dr Sule Sheidu of the Education Administration Department, UNILAG, noted that the policy had not made much impact because “the right people to drive it were not saddled with the responsibility”.

He suggested that the government should inject more funds into the system to provide the necessary facilities for its more effective implementation.

“The policy is not working because the wrong people are given the mandate to drive it.

“For as long as we entrust decision making on issues as important as education into the hands of politicians and not educationists, it will not work,” Sheidu said.

He added: “The government needs to get the right people to implement the system and provide the necessary funds and facilities to give the policy some life.”