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Despite the recent outcry, Nigeria's education policy remains largely unchanged. The National Policy on Education, established in 2013, outlines a clear framework for basic education, including a minimum of nine years culminating in a Junior Secondary School (JSS) diploma. However, the implementation of this policy has been plagued by inconsistencies and challenges.

In my perspective, one of the primary issues is the dominance of private schools in enrollment. Consequently, whatever happens within the private school ecosystem profoundly impacts the education industry. Another problem is the fragmented nature of the nine-year basic education program, which is divided into two distinct phases: primary and junior secondary.

The Nigerian educational policies include several provisions aimed at fast-tracking education for gifted children, focusing on identification, specialized schooling, curriculum differentiation, and enrichment activities.

Across board (both private and public primary schools), enrolment age of 6 years holds true. The public schools adhere to it because they are obligated to do so while the private schools embrace it because it is, come to think of it, economically beneficial to them. Thus, enrolment age is not a problem at all. Private schools’ pre-primary cadre takes at least 4 years. A child whose parents can afford private school would most likely be cajoled to school at age 2.Then it is certain that child would be on the periphery of 6 years by the time he/she gets into primary school and somewhere around the age of 12 at primary school graduation. But this calculation is often trumped by some non-conformists.

Having become exhausted with the cost of keeping their wards in the private primary school, so many parents that in some cases shouldn’t have patronized private education in the first place, will readily grasp a cost-saving of one year or even two by exiting their ward from primary school a year or two ahead of graduation. They find eager collaborators in some private secondary schools that are ready to overlook any discrepancy in age in order to fill up their JSS 1 classes. This implies that even if I pull my child out of primary school on completion of Primary 4, I can be assured that so many schools will jostle to enrol such a child into JSS 1 without requesting a transfer certificate from the former school. The first contraction of the education journey would have happened here.

Further along, the pursuit of early graduation has led to a culture of extra coaching and accelerated learning. Many students in private schools begin taking external examinations like WAEC and NECO as early as SSS1, allowing them to complete secondary school at a younger age. It can be as early as 13 years. Parents of the affected children are waving the “gifted child” flags. Are all the pupils in this kind of scenario gifted, or is it just a culture of rushing through education that has permeated the society? 

I did a little research into the educational policies of the UK and USA that we are all quick to reference to justify our various views and reactions to the inadequacies of the Nigerian system. My findings are as follows:

Summary of Key Differences Between Education Policies of the UK, USA & Nigeria

Compulsory Education Duration: Nigeria mandates 9 years, while the UK requires 13 years (up to age 18), and the USA typically requires 12 years (up to age 18).

Examinations: Nigeria uses the BECE for junior secondary completion, the UK uses GCSEs for secondary education, and the USA employs standardized tests like the SAT or ACT for college admissions.

Age of Enrolment: The starting age for primary education varies slightly, with Nigeria starting at age 6, the UK at age 5, and the USA at age 5 for kindergarten.

Certification: Each country has its own certification processes that students must complete to progress to higher education levels.

I proceeded to find out the provisions that each country has in place (if any), to cater to gifted and talented children and fast-track their educational journey. My findings are as follows:

UK

The UK Department for Education (DfE) emphasizes the identification of gifted and talented students through systematic processes, including the use of a National Register. This includes providing opportunities for acceleration (fast-tracking), enrichment, and differentiated instruction to ensure that gifted students are adequately challenged. Various frameworks exist to support gifted education, such as the Institutional Quality Standards (IQS) for Gifted and Talented Education.

US

In the USA, many states have established gifted education programs that provide specialized services and curricula designed to meet the needs of gifted students. Many states have policies that allow for the acceleration of gifted students, enabling them to skip grades or take advanced courses earlier than their peers. This can include early entrance to kindergarten, grade skipping, or dual enrolment in high school and college courses.

Nigeria

The Nigerian National Policy on Education recognizes the need to identify and nurture gifted and talented children. The establishment of specialized institutions, such as the Suleja Academy for the Gifted, provides a dedicated environment for gifted children to thrive. The Nigerian educational policies include several provisions aimed at fast-tracking education for gifted children, focusing on identification, specialized schooling, curriculum differentiation, and enrichment activities.

From the above summaries, there are clearly similarities in the educational journey as prescribed by the national policies. It is noted that in all cases the identification of gifted children is at the behest of the state, not parents. A child that presents traits of exceptional gift or talent will most likely be exempted from the path prescribed for the generality of the student population.

However, in my opinion, the recent policy announcement highlights a lack of commitment to effective monitoring and enforcement. Instead of investing in rigorous oversight and data analysis, the government seems content to rely on examinations at the end of the basic education cycle to identify irregularities. They have chosen the easy option of sitting umpires in WAEC and JAMB at the finish line to identify short-cutters in the education marathon. This approach is likely to be ineffective, as it fails to address the underlying problems in the system.