The North-South divide: Indirect impact of insecurity on education
The North-South divide is not a new concept. It is the invisible line that dissects the country in two halves when discussing insecurity, education, economics, and other social issues. This idea of the North-South divide is discussed across all sections of our communities and pre-dates the country’s independence. Politicians promise to handle it, people complain about it, and academics are investigating it.
As the 2023 election draws closer, national issues tend to be more politicised than before. Points on policies that affect our daily lives are raised to create support for one caucus or the other. Economic issues are expected to divide the constituencies, but only in the short term. Things will likely get back to normal once the elections are over.
Specific issues like security in the country are now branded as the problem of the Northern region. The consequence of insecurity in the area is not affecting the country as a whole but rather the region alone. It is not that there are no security challenges in other parts of the country that require attention. But the degree of terror in the Northern region over the last 12 years is so alarming that one cannot be wrong to describe insecurity in Nigeria as a Northern problem. The education sector is facing additional challenges due to the region’s poor level of insecurity.
The government is fighting an organised terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the North East whose ideology is to stop Western education. At the same time, there is a terror of bandits all over the North West region, who are using similar tactics, like Boko Haram, to attack educational institutions. The recent bandit attack at the Nigerian Defence Academy is another disturbing example. If the attacks on learning environments persist, it will create a setback for the country’s development.
The gap that has already existed between the schools in the South and the North is wide. The gap is the result of the early exposure to Western-style education through mission schools in the South. Over the last four decades, government policies were able to bridge the gap in education in the North. Specifically, increasing the adult literacy rate and a rise in female education are yielding success. The wide gap in the number of universities is evident despite the need for more private and public universities.
The evidence of improved living standards over the past decades can be linked to education in the generation between 40 to 60 years old. There is also evidence of attracted investments due to higher-skilled workforce at primary and secondary levels of education. The Northern population recognised that good Jobs in the twenty-first century require a degree of education and intelligence. People have come to accept that the wrench and hammer jobs that needed no education or intelligence are gone. Our society, like every other, has adjusted from agrarian to industrial. Now it’s industrial to technology.
Therefore, it is critical not to allow the insecurity challenges to slow down the country’s fortune. Of course, it is 12 years too late, which means there will be a skill shortage in the next few decades, but insecurity in the country should not continue. Individual workers are more productive if they work with those with higher skills. However, due to the insecurity in the country, movement is limited across the country.
Recent data provided by the Ministry of Education shows that more than 10 million children are out of school and are predominantly in the North. The education sector has its deep-rooted structural issues, including wrong government policies. Nonetheless, the existing insecurity challenges are playing a significant role in education. The trauma of the insecurity for students can affect their performance in the long term.
Any attempt to keep children out of school will create a likely situation where they cannot complete their secondary education. And even if they do, earning decent secondary school certificate examination grades to gain admission into further or higher education is reduced. There is evidence that students in the North are experiencing a drop in registration rates due to persistent insecurity in post-secondary school education. In 2018, only 28 candidates registered for the common entrance exam in Zamfara.
In the end, the outcome of low education attainment will be reflected in a widened North-South divide. We are likely to see a scenario similar to pre-independence when the region hired expatriates to cover specific skill gaps like teachers, doctors, military, and many more.
It is common knowledge that politicians have a principle of maintaining division to control their voters, especially in worrying times like this. However, they need to know that specific issues can have longterm divisional effects for the country and its macroeconomy. Governments at all levels should be aware that the impact of insecurity on the nation’s prosperity is devastating and far-reaching, especially in a critical sector such as education. They must engage all physical and human resources in combating it.
Dr Aminu is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University