By joshua “BEFORE YOU BUILD GRADUATES, FIRST BUILD THE CLASSROOM”
By Amb. Hon. Abdulsalam Bawa DANGANA
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The statement “BEFORE YOU BUILD GRADUATES, FIRST BUILD THE CLASSROOM” is a policy and moral call to prioritize foundational investment in education infrastructure, teachers, and learning environment before focusing solely on graduate output, certification, and employment statistics.
For government and the public, the takeaway is clear: No nation can produce quality, employable, and globally competitive graduates without first fixing the physical and human infrastructure that produces them. This report examines the meaning, context, implications, and actionable recommendations for Federal, State, and Local Government Areas, as well as the public and private sector.
2.0 CONTEXT AND MEANING OF THE STATEMENT
The phrase uses “classroom” as a metaphor for the entire education ecosystem:
1. Physical Infrastructure: Classrooms, libraries, laboratories, ICT centers, hostels, power, water, internet connectivity.
2. Human Infrastructure: Trained, motivated, and well-paid Teachers and Lecturers.
3. Systemic Infrastructure: Curriculum, funding, governance, research, and welfare.
“Graduates” represents the output: degrees, certificates, and workforce.
The statement argues that “output cannot exceed input”. Nigeria currently risks “producing graduates without capacity” because, the classroom has been neglected for decades.
3.0 CURRENT REALITY IN NIGERIA – THE EVIDENCE
Area – Current State – Implication
Area – Infrastructure:
Current State – Over 20,000 Schools in Nigeria lack basic classrooms. Many tertiary institutions have overcrowded Lecture Halls, dilapidated Laboratories. Students learn in poor conditions.
Implication – Research output is weak.
Area – Teachers: Teacher-to-pupil ratio in some states exceeds 1:80. ASUU/ASUP strikes over funding and welfare
Current State – Poor instruction quality. Low morale.
Implication – Brain drain.
Area – Funding: Education budget has consistently been below UNESCO 15-20%
Current State – TETFund overstretched Projects are abandoned.
Implication – Maintenance is poor.
Area – Output: 600,000+ graduates enter labor market yearly, but 70% are deemed “unemployable” by industry.
Current State – Graduate unemployment, skills gap.
Implication – social unrest.
4.0 WHY THIS MATTERS TO GOVERNMENT
4.1 Economic: A poor classroom produces a poor workforce. Nigeria cannot achieve industrialization, digital economy, or GDP growth with an unskilled labor force.
4.2 Security: Youth restiveness, crime, and “Japa” syndrome are linked to graduate frustration. Investing in classrooms reduces idleness.
4.3 Global Competitiveness: Countries like Rwanda, Ghana, and Vietnam invested in classrooms first. They now export talent and attract FDI.
4.4 Political: Citizens judge government by schools and hospitals they can see. “Classroom” projects are visible deliverables under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
5.0 WHY THIS MATTERS TO THE PUBLIC
1. Parents: You are paying school fees for certificates, not learning. Demand better classrooms.
2. Students: Your degree is only as good as the lab, library, and lecturer that trained you.
3. Employers: Stop complaining about “unemployable graduates”. Partner with schools to build the classroom.
4. Communities: A good classroom in your LGA means jobs for teachers, contracts, and a brighter future for your children.
6.0 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT
FEDERAL LEVEL
1. Classroom-First Budgeting: Ring-fence 20% of education budget strictly for infrastructure + teacher welfare before new University approvals.
2. National Classroom Audit: INEC-style audit of all 36 States + FCT to map classroom deficit in Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.
3. TETFund 2.0: Shift TETFund focus from projects to maintenance, laboratories, and Lecturer training.
STATE LEVEL
1. Adopt “One LGA, One Model School”: Governors should deliver 1 fully equipped school per LGA every year.
2. Teachers Welfare Fund: Clear backlog of salaries and introduce mass housing scheme for rural teachers.
LGA LEVEL
1. Community School Maintenance Committees: Involve Parents/Teachers’ Association (PTA), traditional rulers to protect School assets.
7.0 ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR
1. Private Sector: Adopt-a-Classroom, Adopt-a-Laboratory under corporate social responsibility (CSR). Tax incentives for education investment.
2. CSOs/Media: Track and publish “Classroom Index” for every State.
3. Alumni: Alumni Associations should fund classrooms, not just convocation ceremonies.
8.0 RISKS OF IGNORING THE STATEMENT
If we continue to “build graduates without building classrooms”:
1. Credential Inflation: Degrees with no value
2. Mass Unemployment: Leading to social instability
3. Capital Flight: Parents and students going abroad for basic education
4. National Insecurity: A generation that feels cheated by the system
9.0 CONCLUSION
“BEFORE YOU BUILD GRADUATES, FIRST BUILD THE CLASSROOM” is not anti-education. It is pro-quality education.
Government must shift from quantity to quality. From graduation ceremonies to groundbreaking for labs. From admitting 200 students to a class of 40 to hiring 5 more teachers.
The classroom is where the future of Nigeria is built. Every naira spent there returns 10x in productivity, security, and national pride.
CALL TO ACTION:
To Government: Budget for bricks before certificates.
To the Public: Demand classrooms, not just admissions.
To All Stakeholders: Let us build the foundation first.
“If the classroom is weak, the nation will be weak. If the classroom is strong, Nigeria will be strong.”
AMB. HON. ABDULSALAM BAWA DANGANA, Ph.D
Managing Consultant / CEO of ABWA CONSULTS,
Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria.
Email: abwaconsults@gmail.com
Tel: 08073013599