Global Policy Forum

By Chuks Akunna

The World Bank has tendered apologies for the failure of its educational projects in Nigeria, particularly, those it implemented between 1988 and 1990, heaping the blame for the failure at the feet of a few officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and their cronies at the bank. The development, the bank disclosed, taught it some lessons, assuring that "some fundamental changes have taken place, in the way we operate."

Speaking at a zonal office between officials of the World Bank and representatives of the Universities of Benin, Uyo, Calabar in Port Harcourt, higher education specialist of the bank, Mr. William Saint said the benefits Nigerians stood to enjoy from the World Bank education package are currently being negotiated. Nigeria's educational sector would in time frog-leap, he assured. However, when confronted with some of the unsavoury details of the previous relationship with the bank, including the "dumping" of obsolete equipment in Nigeria under the 1988-90 agreement and the whopping interest rates which have followed, Saint agreed, but blamed the then military authorities for the development. All the transactions then were shrouded in secrecy as stakeholders in the educational sector were not consulted for inputs, he regretted. This time around, he stressed, "there'll be no secret documents," adding that, "we're trying to be transparent, we're trying to do better."

Reacting to allegations that the cost of schooling may skyrocket as part of the World Bank conditionalities, Saint said: "At no time did we discuss on the need to increase student fees as part of the World Bank agreement or conditions or eligibility criteria," noting that, "it may be your government that has raised the question of raising student fees for its own reasons."

He further drew a distinction between the previous package (loan) and the one being negotiated (credit) which he said should not be seen as being forced down the throat of Nigerians. The World Bank, he explained, is made up of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) which provide loans for countries that have the abilities to repay such and the International Development Association (IDA) which finances credit to poor member-countries. The package being negotiated with the Nigerian authorities is an IDA credit which has a zero per cent interest rate and a repayment period of 30 years, Saint explained.

Allaying the fears by Nigerians on the likelihood of being caught in a debt mace, the World Bank official touted the imperative for the credit which he said would help transform the Nigerian educational sector after a decade of isolation caused by military rule.

While Nigeria has democracy in place and is a member of the board of governors of the 188-member financial institution, the official, however, cautioned that Nigeria's eligibility to the credit should not be considered automatic, considering the spate of allegations of corruption levelled against the country in recent times. The education expert then challenged Nigerian universities on the need to evolve what he described as strategic planning, arguing that the planned university autonomy would help boost strategic planning "since you'll have to take decisions yourselves."

Unlike their counterparts in other parts of the world that have been the language of the information and telecommunications revolution, the World Bank official regretted that Nigerian universities have not been able to contribute to the revolution because of its emphasis on "solving contemporary problems with traditional methods."

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