Abstract
This paper analyzed quota system of admission in relation to building of sustainable national unity in Nigeria. The introduction of quota system of admission in Nigeria’s educational sector came due to the desire to ensure that those areas of Nigeria believed to be educationally disadvantaged are aided to achieve through education, similar socio-economic development as their counterparts and thus pacify violent agitations emanating from these areas of the country perceived to be instigating disunity in the country. However, when critically analyzed it was discovered that quota system of admission is riddled with inherent pitfalls that amount to serious threat to successful building of sustainable national unity. Such pitfalls inherent in quota system of admission include: violation of applicants’ equal rights to education as provided for in the 1999 constitution as well as operating a discriminatory admission process that works to favour some school applicants from particular states more than others. Given the above, the researchers argued that application of quota system to school admissions in Nigeria is antithetical to any attempt aimed at building a sustainable national unity in Nigeria. Accordingly, it was recommended that implementation of quota system of admission in Nigeria’s education system be discontinued immediately, budgetary allocation to the educational sector be increased in line with UNESCO’s 26% benchmark to enable building of enough schools to accommodate the ever-increasing number of qualified school applicants. Keywords : Quota System of Admission, National Unity, Sustainable National Unity. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-30-03 Publication date: October 31 st 2020
Highlights
An enduring national unity has been one of the key goals of Nigeria since her independence
To further ensure that various disuniting forces like; the initial lopsided educational advancement which seems to have placed some regions in Nigeria at vantage positions and as well occasioned uneven socio-economic development are weakened, the quota system principle was reinstituted by federal government of Nigeria
As a way of discharging the important role of building a state characterized by sustainable national unity, the federal government of Nigeria through its policy of quota system of admission has tried to ensure that school applicants from particular areas of the country are given similar educational opportunities as their counterparts
Summary
An enduring national unity has been one of the key goals of Nigeria since her independence. As a principle to be applied to students’ admission into federal government owned schools, it is to help address disparities in educational attainments of different areas of the country and inequalities in socio-economic development which create perennial acrimonies promoting disunity in Nigeria.
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