▶️ Watch on 3Speak --- Policy Review January 2026, the federal government came up with a nice policy which has been long overdue and some state has already been practicing it. Punch news paper ...
Transcript
Hello, good afternoon, good morning, good evening, dear friends, depending on your own geographical location. My name is Sissong Sam. It's a pleasure to welcome you back to today's edition of Education Matters. And in today's edition, we are just going to discuss on the policy, a federal government policy that came up in January this year, that's January 2026. The Vanguard makes me back captured it as FG unveils. reusable textbook policy to cut education classes. And if you can remember very well, my very last edition of Education Matters, I think my guest talked about this particular factor, this particular policy. as one of the factors that may be successful implementation of Corriculum. The Minister of Equation at the state and in the federal government, you see, some states have done it. You know, like, I know that in IPI, there is this, um, um, um, um, um, you know, published textbooks that are not used it. And some states governments have, you know, clamp down on that, and then most of issues, you know, have been. I think that's a very serious problem, especially in the private schools, something. But good thing, in government. can add a say in that aspect because some schools, the Montessori, the Canadian curriculum, and the British curriculum, do it in government, can actually all list of them? No, no, no, maybe, you know, not do lists of this page, same. What we are saying is that, what we are saying is that there must be, um, some level of coherence, you know? Is it, even if, I keep a particular example, there are some private schools that aside their own level, programs that they do in as a school level. They also run a level programs like campus for Cambridge exams and the other, you know, foreign exams. And so that's, that is a difference. What you're talking about is in terms of 10-school users, in terms of the algorithm set up in, you know, across for those schools. On January 16, the federal government came up with a policy to cut down The frequent changes of textbook, you know, most private schools, every year, they will introduce a new textbook to their students, and the bottom is on the parents. So, FG came up with this sweet policy that each textbook should last for the minimum of four years and the maximum of six years before it is being changed or considered to be changed. So dear friends, today we are going to deliberate and discuss on this issue. How far so far, is there any move by the federal government to ensure that this particular policy is well implemented? Or is there any move by the nursery schools, the private sector, to ensure that this policy is well implemented also? So, dear friends, today with me on the show, is... Mr. Ifyok-Morin, a teacher and a father. So he was my case on the last edition of the show, and he talked about this. So today we are going to talk extensively on this policy. So welcome to the show, Mr. If you're Pumorne. Thank you very much, Zissi. Okay, about the policy. What's your take on the policy? How do you see that particular policy, as a parent and as a teacher? Well, I think it's a policy that is very welcome. and one that has come a little bit short of time. I mentioned in our last edition of the program that, of course, this policy was going to impede substantially on the implementation of the new curriculum. But first, we need to raise our minds back to how this situation came to be. Here's back, wherever you weigh as a student. there was this harmonized curriculum and textbook system across educational institutions in the country. Yes. And then, of course, that meant that wherever you were, whether you're in Abuja, whether you're in Lagos, whether you're in the Creeks, as far as you were part of the educational system as it was then, yeah, textbooks was going to sync with whatever... a student in a similar grid was using it elsewhere in the country. But with the advent of what I would term excessive capitalism and uncultured proliferation of publishers in the country, we had this system in place where every publisher wanted to make ends meet. And so they had to approach the various state ministries of education to, of course, approve their textbooks as part of the textbook curriculums that was used in those states. Of course, also do remember that education is on the concurrent list, at least basic education. And so the federal government has a role to play, and of course the state and other subnational governments have a role to play. And so that led to what I would call the illicit proliferation and untemned production of textbooks. And of course, since there was no proper regulation, as it were, centrally, from the federal government, we had this case where, instead of manufacturing or producing, reusable textbooks as it was then, we now had a case where in their bid to maximize profits and increase sales, they had to invent these cases of reusable textbooks. And so that's how we found ourselves in this situation. So, so far, do you think that this particular policy will work, or will it be effectively? implemented but will it just end up as most policies that we have in this country that only exist in pages of papers so that collaboration between the federal government and the subnational can lead to the successful implementation of this policy and of course parents also need to lash on on this policy by ensuring that there is proper advocacy tool the respective schools of their works and kids are very, very important because I think this particular policy benefits a lot because they are the ones that are based the load of buying these textbooks every year. Yeah, that makes education expensive. So, in part on educational costs for most parents, and so because perhaps if you have two, three kids and for a textbook, you'll have just but once throughout their... the period of your education, you'll have to buy it every other year. And so the need for that advocacy is very, very important on the part of parents, and, of course, other critical stakeholders, like other institutions like the PTAs of schools, and, of course, the education ministries and local education authorities as in way. Of course, one thing that has been lacking in our laws and policies is always the issue of... deterrence and enforcement. I feel that one of the things that can happen to ensure the effective implementation of these policies is that there must be proper deterrence mechanism, proper deterrence mechanism to ensure that these policies, you know, are being implemented across, across course. So I think that that is very important. There must be the deterrence factor. for those who violate this educational policy of government. So, what are the factors that you think that can hinder the effective and successful implementation of this policy? Can you state some of those factors and do well to also give the solutions? One of the factors I feel is apathy on the part of the parents, and of course social audit processes on the part of parents as well and other critical stakeholders in the education sector. why it is the parental association, whether it is the education monitoring authorities or the ministries of education across the federal government and, of course, the subnational levels of government. So, yeah, for me, the lack of social audits and a party on the part of parents in ensuring that this policy is seen true and sees the light of the day. And of course, one of that factor will be the lack of monitoring, the evaluation of this policy. on the part of the educational authorities. So those are some of the few factors that we all militated against the effective implementation of this policy. And do you think that the private schools will be very happy to embrace this particular policy? Of course, it's a policy, and so it's a policy. It is a directive from the regulatory authority, and so it must be ahead. We have a lot of good policies which you know. And so far, if you take very well, if you agree with me, most of these policies are not effectively implemented, but there are policies, as you say. So how are you very sure that the private schools, especially, will welcome this particular and implement this particular policy? And as a parent also, you have been going to your children's school, is there any move? that, or I've they discussed anything about this policy that it is going to be implemented, because I think it's about four weeks gone since this policy came up. So, again, the timing of the non-station of the policy, okay? It came up in some way mid-January, and then schools have already resumed, and also, mind me, this is the second time of a new session. So, you know, and parents, like you already know, parents buy these textbooks at the commencement of a new school academic session so for me the timing is not bad but of course in terms of adhering to that policy at this very critical times may not be attainable but for me I feel that one of the things that lacks in our policy frameworks is the issue of deterrents where there are not deterrence mechanism and then there is enforcement of those policies, then they will succeed. If a policy will only remain the policy of the pages of documents or news papers or whatever medium that it was promulgated, if there are no enforcement and proper deterrence mechanism to ensure the implementation of those policies. And for me, that's very critical. Okay, thank you very much, Mr Fiorke Morin, for appearing once again on Education Matters with this song, Samson. Let's just be hopeful that this particular policy is well implemented. And I don't know if you would like to say anything about the FG Ban's graduation ceremony for Notary 2 books. Do you have anything to say about that before you give us a patting shot? Really, that's also part of the social pressure that parents face, you know, because there is always the need to... meet up to some needs and standards for those pupils, and of course, some social competition they do exist amongst parents in that regard. And of course, in the overall sense, it also impends on the cost of education across the country and provide some kind of social pressure on the part of parents that is very, sometimes unhealthy. And so I think that, for me, that's also a welcome development. Thank you very much, thank you very much. Dear friends, see you in the next edition of our show. Thanks for joining.