Education In Nigeria: Quick Look At Nigerian Students Experience In School

Nigeria’s education level is divided into three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. In Nigeria, the school calendar starts in September and ends in July of the following year.

The education system in operation is 6-3-3-4, i.e., six years in primary school, three years in junior secondary school, three years in senior secondary school, and four years in the tertiary institution.

Students pass through some physical and emotional stress at each level. One of the things that concerns me is the number of hours students spend in school, especially the little ones.

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In Nigeria, for your child not to be late to school, he/she must wake up as early as 5:00 – 5:30 am. The rush and the traffic jam around 7:00 – 8:00 am from Monday to Friday are high. Most primary and secondary schools in Nigeria close around 3:00 – 4:00 pm.

On average, a child spends 7 hours in school regardless of age. With this fact, an average student in Nigeria is exposed to stress early in life.

The number of hours spent in school wouldn’t have been much of a concern, but most students spent it uninterestingly. An uninspiring learning environment breeds stress. In Nigeria, you see teachers bully, scold, and say negative words to their students.

Many schools don’t create a friendly environment for their students. The way some teachers bully their students, especially in public schools, is enough to demotivate a child.

Not only the above, but loads of assignments given to a child of 3-5 years are worrisome. Researchers have shown that academic-related stress can reduce academic achievement, decrease motivation, and the risk of school dropout.

At the primary level, every child would have been birthed into academic-related stress. Post-primary education in Nigeria contributes to every Nigerian student’s experience. I believe one of the unforgettable experiences every student passes through is when seeking admission into a tertiary institution.

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If passing WAEC or JAMB is all needed to secure admission into the tertiary institution, the experience in primary school will be the same as that of secondary school, except that one is now mature a bit.

But it is not; it has been at the end of this level that many experience a lot of emotional breakdowns. So many dreams have been shattered; the heart has been broken in the name of having a high grade or score to secure admission.

It is common to hear people say, “I wanted to study medicine, but … or I wanted to study at the University of Ibadan, but…”

Tertiary-level experience would have been far better, but no thanks to some lecturers who will say to you, “You can’t get an A in this course.” Some will not come to class but will set exams that you won’t be able to attempt if you haven’t done a personal study and research on the course outline. This scenario is one of Nigeria’s education woes at all levels.

So, students’ experience in Nigeria combines good and bad, but I think the “not too good” aspect accounts for a higher percentage than the good.