It is hardly mentioned that scholars or geniuses make the top list of Forbes’ richest persons in the world, and it is becoming increasingly worrisome as the Nigerian society continues to place higher premium on vainglorious entertainment than academic geniuses. In this report, Iyabo Lawal examines the reward system in education and reality shows.
An enraptured audience stood transfixed – it was a standing ovation. The girl’s voice was enchanting as she serenaded the crowd. Her dance steps were astonishing as she wowed everybody with her performance.
In the end after performances by other contestants in the talent show – the young lady was adjudged the winner. To her name, was a cash prize of N25m and a brand-new sport utility vehicle – latest model.
Far away from that pomp and circumstance, was another gathering – solemn but nonetheless in a joyous mood. It was the fifth time a graduating student would be called to the podium to receive an award.
She won almost every award available; best graduating student, best student in the department, faculty, among others. The crowd was astounded by her academic genius.
But she went home with a paltry N540, 000 for claiming seven awards of excellence, following rigorous years of painstaking study. There are many reported cases of awards given to best graduating students, including Bamisaye Tosin, who got N200 as best student of the Department of Civil Engineering at Ekiti State University (EKSU).
At the University of Ibadan (UI), Oluwole Ibrahim-Buruji got N2,000 as the best graduating student from the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies.
A best graduating student from the Mass Communication Department, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Durowaiye Gbemisola, unlike numerous students that got a ‘handshake’ only, said she got N10,000 as prize money.
According to newspaper reports, 21 students who participated in eight educational competitions in the country between 2018 and 2022 got total prize money or scholarship grants of N35,900,000, while six winners of different reality television shows in a year were rewarded over N83 million cash and about N90 million worth of prizes.
While best graduating students in schools and winners of educational contests get claps, counselling and computers, the story is different in the entertainment industry, as entertainers and reality stars are rewarded with huge prizes and many non-monetary prizes, ranging from vehicles, houses, ambassadorial positions, all-expense-paid foreign trips to a year-long supply of free products.
As the Big Brother Naija (BBN) reality TV show recently kicked off with N120 million grand prize for the winner, many Nigerians have asked why the attention given to the entertainment sector by brands and individuals, is not extended to education. Some educationists have asked why such huge sums of money are not channelled towards the development of the sector, or used to fund the various innovations by students in secondary and tertiary schools.
On the Forbes List of Richest Persons in the World, you will hardly find an academic genius on the list. The reward system in the society is said to be against academic excellence, and in favour of entertainment, as developments in Nigeria have demonstrated in the last two decades.
Corporate organisations, individuals and government agencies all seem drawn to stardom offered by the world of showbiz. Reality and movie stars are paid huge salaries; how many researchers, lecturers and teachers earn as much? But can those in entertainment and academics be held to the same standards?
Some experts have argued that entertainment stars with rare talent who earn so much are few, and the money is in “recognition of the skills and dedication a person needs to be successful.”
Lawyers have become film stars, doctors have become musicians and engineers have become reality show celebrities just as the standards of education continue to fall and teachers keep embarking on several indefinite strikes because the government has always failed to cater to their needs.
Expressing anger over the current situation, Angela Okosun, a social commentator said, “Today, talent shows in which people sing, dance and just live with a bunch of other people (in a house) live on television to win mouth-watering prizes are the order of the day. Having read about the lamentations of scholars, lecturers and other concerned citizens, parents and stakeholders in the education sector; a bitter conclusion is that the system is fast losing its juice in Nigeria.
“Until the Nigerian society starts to place more premium on education and the youths, the future remains bleak,” she stated. A lecturer at Ekiti State University, Dr Olusegun Ajijola, said: “I believe the problem is that the sponsors of these talent hunts and reality shows are looking for eye-catching programmes to sponsor rather than rewarding first class graduates, which is not beneficial to them. This simply showed that our societal value for education is very poor. This is the reason why students seem to be losing interest in academics, because society no longer rewards excellence. Since our reward system is faulty, students now ask themselves: ‘why am I killing myself studying when getting a job is not by first class or second class, but by whom you know?’ Now tell me, why would students be bothered about performance?’
The poor reward of education or academic excellence also trickles down to teachers and lecturers. You do not see teachers or lecturers getting awards of excellence televised. The big companies are only interested in music or reality stars. Meanwhile, lecturers can make stars with their ability to impart knowledge proficiently.
Comparing the education sector and entertainment industry, a public analyst, Tonia Obundeh said since successive governments at various levels have shown lack of interest and political will towards academic improvement in Nigeria, quality would continue to drop.
“If the reward for academic excellence is poor, why should I study hard for four or five years in the university when there is no future in it? Does it guarantee a good job or is it not who you know, which is the Nigeria factor? Reality shows, music and entertainment generally will continue to be an alternative for both graduates and undergraduates if the reward system for academic excellence remains poor,” Obundeh said.
Speaking in the same vein, Emmanuel, who graduated from one of the federal universities in 2018 said the fact that academic excellence is not being rewarded is appalling. According to him, during his graduation, not only were they not given any award, they were not recognised at all.
“Our names were only called, we stood up where we were and that was all. It was really a shame.” Speaking in this regard, a final year student of the University of Jos, Kevin Pam, said when he was in his first year, he was privileged to attend the award ceremony of the university. According to him, the cash award given to students that made first class was ridiculous enough to discourage other students from being studious, as some first-class students got N5, 000, N10, 000 or N20, 000.
But an educationist, Dr Lanre Ojuade, argued that reality shows are not the problem as they are forms of entertainment, but that the government and stakeholders must come up with a better reward system to motivate youths to learn.
According to him, schools should come up with strategies through media, corporate sponsorships and old students’ associations to motivate and reward academic excellence.
“The reward for academic excellence fosters strong relationships among students, families and the community. It also creates a positive school culture where students feel valued.
“We need to watch it as a nation because we cannot survive on entertainment alone. There must be a deliberate plan to sustain the interest of young people in sciences, engineering, management sciences, arts and other fields of study. Our education system needs urgent attention and one of the ways of growing it is through a reward system that would motivate both teachers and students to teach and learn. Ojuade appealed to brands supporting reality shows to support education as well by celebrating and rewarding brilliant students.
“This would motivate other students to study hard and encourage them to work towards excellence. Religious organisations must find a way to support excellence, while the present administration must find a sustainable solution to the rot and decay in the education sector. There is a need for a better structure that rewards excellence. The academic pursuit must guarantee a break free from poverty and not coming out with good grades and still be frustrated. Therefore, growing the education sector is a necessity by focusing on academic excellence,” Ojuade stated.
A retired principal, Mrs Adejoke Omowale, expressed concern that the growing trend of rewarding entertainment and reality show stars with mouth-watering gifts at the detriment of academic genius portends grave dangers for the country.
She said the trend had started encouraging more students to focus on becoming entertainers instead of striving to become academic geniuses who stand a better chance of contributing to the development of the country.
