AT one of its recent deliberations, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was reported to have approved the sum of 1.7 billion naira for the printing and distribution of English language, mathematics and activity based science books to primary six pupils in public schools nationwide. The project is to be funded by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) under the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) Textbook initiative for the procurement of books.

ACCORDING to reports, FEC had, at an earlier meeting on May 5, 2010, approved the contracts for the printing of textbooks to pupils in primary four and five and the books had been printed and distributed to the states and are already in use by the pupils. Ordinarily, this should be cheering news against the background of the desperate need to reinforce the foundation of the education sector which basic primary education represents, and to halt the deterioration that is being experienced in the sector.  However, certain observations call for a sober and cautious reflection.

IN the first place, it is not clear why the MDGs textbook initiative is being restricted by the FEC to only public primary schools. Is the FEC being influenced by the obviously erroneous impression that pupils who attend private primary schools are from elite backgrounds and, therefore, need no such assistance? The truth is more complicated than that at the primary school level. In many geopolitical zones, many parents and guardians have lost confidence in the quality of service being rendered by teachers in the public schools and the need to give their children a better foundation had forced many parents and guardians into looking elsewhere. This is sad since the fact remains that public schools have better trained and qualified teachers. These parents and guardians are not necessarily rich but they strain themselves to give their children and wards a competitive edge and a better headstart.

SECOND, it is also not clear if the decision to give these pupils in primary six in public schools these textbooks does not contradict the 9-3-4 policy on education. If basic education is to run for all of the first nine years of schooling, why is the emphasis on primary 4 to 6 when no final public examination will be held at the end of primary six, except for probably the so-called common entrance examination which ideally is an abberation of the 9-3-4 policy Nigeria  claims to run? Does this book contract not represent a policy somersault? If the 9-3-4 system is to become effective, then the idea of a common entrance examination at the end of the sixth year of basic education should be awkward because pupils are expected to go through nine years of basic education without any interruption whatsoever.

THIRD, we still find it absurd that basic primary education should be under the watch of the Federal Government. This must be a Nigerian peculiarity because elsewhere, such should have been reserved for the local authorities to oversee. We recognise the need to reinforce the foundation of education, especially the need to meet the Millennium Development Goals with regard to education, and we hope that the contract awarded will be accompanied by effective service delivery. More importantly the effect of the printing and distribution of these books must be seen and felt in the quality of pupils being turned out at the basic level of education in Nigeria.

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