What I found interesting about the reading was the distinct difference between secondary schooling in Nigeria and that of the United States. While we start high school at about age 14, students in Nigeria start at age 12 and remain in secondary school for 6 years as opposed to our standard four year program. In the United states, aside from private institutions, we are not required to wear uniforms and do not pay tuition because it is included in our taxes. In Nigeria, secondary schooling is still expensive in that many secondary schools charge tuition fees, and require school uniforms. These requirements are often times what keep students out of schools in Nigeria; this results in a low enrollment. In American schools, inability to pay is not what keeps students out of schools. It is academic performance and lack of ambition and desire to learn which keeps them out.
Another significant difference between Nigeria and the United states in that the Nigerian educational system stems from the British pattern. Nigerian students must pass the entrance exam which his administered and graded by the West African Examination Council. In the United States, a student attends their county elementary school, then move on to the high school in their district; there are no entrance exams or committees that determine which students move onto secondary schooling and which don’t.
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I would also add that in the U.S. students that do not complete secondary school often have to work to support their families or do not value education because it may be secondary to pure survival.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that there is no entrance exam for secondary school in the U.S.; however, it is possible to not pass a grade and be held back. Although it is uncommon, some students must repeat grades.
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