Fixing exams at 6:30am a symptom of broken education system – Peter Obi

Former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized the practice of scheduling public examinations for teenagers as early as 6:30 AM, describing it as “reckless” and a glaring symptom of deeper systemic failures in Nigeria’s education sector.

In a statement on his X account on Sunday, Obi lamented reports that students, many between the ages of 15 and 17, are being forced to travel in the early hours of the morning—often through insecure and dangerous areas—just to sit for their Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations.

“I came across multiple reports of students being asked to attend a public examination by 6:30 AM, teenagers, mostly around 15-17 years old, forced to travel in the dark, even in the face of insecurity, across dangerous and unfamiliar locations, because they want to get the basic right of education and sit for JAMB examinations,” Obi stated.

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Highlighting the dangers involved, he noted that several students have already been reported missing, involved in accidents, or subjected to severe trauma while attempting to reach distant exam centers.

“Setting exams for vulnerable teenagers as early as 6:00 AM while transporting them across far-flung locations is reckless,” Obi said. “Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?”

Obi further pointed out that the dire situation stems from Nigeria’s chronic shortage of universities and examination centers. With a population of over 230 million people, Nigeria has just about 200 universities—an alarming ratio of one university for every million citizens.

“This situation sadly exposes a deeper, systemic failure: Nigeria simply does not have enough universities and exam centres to cater to its youth,” Obi observed. “That alone means one university for every one million citizens, a very disturbing and staggering ratio that shows the dilapidated level of the country’s access to education.”

Citing global education statistics, Obi referenced the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and IndexMundi, explaining that countries aiming for strong development are expected to achieve a Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of at least 40%.

However, Nigeria’s GER currently stands at a mere 12%.In drawing comparisons, Obi pointed to Indonesia, a country with a population of about 280 million, which boasts over 4,000 tertiary institutions and a GER of over 45%.

“Indonesia’s substantial investment in education is evident in its university-to-population ratio, supporting its large student population,” he said.

“If we had even half of Indonesia’s educational infrastructure, which would be about 2,000 universities, the Nigerian child would not be forced into life-threatening journeys just to write an exam and still face challenges of university acceptance after performing well.”

Obi stressed that education is not a luxury but the cornerstone of national development, arguing that a nation cannot achieve growth while neglecting to invest in knowledge.”

“Education is not a luxury or expense, It is the biggest contributor to development for any nation, and therefore most important investment any nation can do for development,” he declared.

“You cannot claim to want development while starving our young the access to knowledge. You cannot claim to value your citizens while risking the lives of teenagers every examination season.”

He called for an aggressive and intentional expansion of Nigeria’s education infrastructure, emphasizing that no child should have to risk their life in pursuit of learning.

“Our young generation should not be endangered because they desire education,” Obi concluded. “We must do better as a nation and ensure that our future leaders get the new Nigeria that they deserve.”