RE-BRANDING NIGERIA AND EDUCATIONAL SECTOR

Why it is that re-branding is important in Nigeria? It is because so many corruption and crime every where, unemployment, high rate of poverty, bad infrastructures no drugs in our hospitals our roads are death traps. PHCN has failed to provide power, teachers salary are not regular paid education sector is in comatose, politicians are still running the nation as if is their family enterprise, house that have been built for over 20-45 years and inherited by fourth generation landlord still exploit new /old tenants by increasing rents.
This has shown that the Nigeria brand is from creation and not the problem, but we Nigerians as a people need to change first to move our nation forward.
To introduce re-branding in Nigeria is a very good idea.
Re-branding of Nigeria should start from individual in our villages, to our locality, to private sector and government, and our country at large.
Every Nigerian family, youth, student corporate body and very important sector need collectively change in their perceptions and believe in Nigeria brand, because no nation or society is perfect and problem free.
The global economic crunch has largely exposed that vices of corruption indiscipline and fraud are not limited to our country only. How explain that big corporate and government vice in America can affect the world? It is our country.
We say that our country has failed or is a filed nation.
My follow Nigerians why not say, God is our hope.
There is hope for us, our educational sector and all systems in our country; lets embrace a nation wide moral, spiritual re-birth from each, individual families and society at large.

WHAT IS RE-BRANDING?

Re-branding is upgrading or amendment of thing in a system country or product as the case may be. Thing that cause re-branding in system, country or product. Bad image of country, bad image in the since that people out and in side the country are seeing the country as a bad, corrupt country.
In a system, system may need re-branding in order to upgrade & enhance it. That is to say that our educational system need to be re-branded in order to be enhance poor performance of students in their academic career, in terms of their performance in some external exams like WAEC, NECO etc.
Education also heed re-branding due to irregular payment of teacher salaries which affect the students. Which means the teachers are force not do their works happily. Also due to lack of parental interest in the system.
Government negligence towards educational sector. Government neglect to educational sector is cause problem to education, a lot of infrastructural problem, bad studying environment. If you go to schools today in our city not to even talk off the once at some villages you will even find out that some class rooms are not roof, some are roofed but not every well, some student seat on the floor while some teachers, teach two times in a week. How can student learn and understand or even read very well in such condition. Our government heeds to look into the educational sector and re-branding and so also our parent because some of them are not helping matters at all.
To enhance & upgrade our educational system nationwide. Our Educational sector need re-branding as to produce qualified professional in all field of study.
Effect of re-branding in the system, we need re-branding in the system in order to improve our economy even in our individual families. Re-branding will change some of our attitude towards things in our personal life. Things will be better. That is to say that re-branding will affect us positively in terms of upgrade and change our attitude towards some activities, if we re-branding our Nigeria. Things will be good. In our educational sector re-branding is important. It will bring conducive and qualified professionals in society that means we need to re-brand Educational sector.



What is Economic melt down?

This is when the economy of a nation or the whole world is fixed, industries are going down while employment crashes. Workers, because they are not meeting up with situation at hand we need to re-brand our country, our educational sector, the entire sector in our country at large.
Things that can cause economic melt down.
One of the things that can cause economy of a country to go down is mismanagement of government fund. Looting of public fund and exploiting citizen of a country for selfish interest. Another things is if the country did not manage their resource normally the country is likely to experience melt down in economy when their resources reduce. The country is to have problem in their economy when the ex-change rate of their resource is reduce in the global market. And when so many people rise against each other in the country due to non-rationalization of fund. In Educational sector we need re-branding in the area of infrastructures and teachers salaries.

Statement of the problem as it affects Government.
Despite the efforts made of instructors and teachers in the educational Sector to improve Education and efforts of others. We still find out that the economic melt down is affecting the educational sector in our Country.

Education need to be re-branded to address the issue of re-branding educational

sector in a period of economic melt down. Is because things have not been okay in time sector which means economic melt down is affecting negatively.

And unless you and I will be talking & writing about and obtain same strategies for re-branding it.

As it is re-branding will not be obtainable in educational sector except we boast our educational sector in terms of providing structure, Good environment and good paying package for our teacher and instructors. Who have their own families to take care of. They cannot sit down and continue receiving the educational sector as a charitable organization while the so called politicians go on fat allowances at the end of the day and every body goes to the same market, market will not ask you whether you are paid or not.

Education sector is not what we can just wakeup one morning and say or publish that we have re-branded. That is to say who , when , how will it be implemented if Government so not approve it.

That is to say Government need to sit down with all the concerned individual like teachers, student and others who will implement it to find out the possible way of going about this re-branding in educational sector because is not a man task . It needs joined hand, spirit mind. I think importance to attach to the sector if alternation is to move forward, if other nation is to be develop if the nation is to be completely favorable with other nations of the world, if a nation should have sound psychological balance. Etc.
We should not fold our hands to see the educational sector foil because we may be a fetching source money from the economy and feel we are exempted or because we feel we can buy education with money that is to say some parents feel they can buy certificate will buy, don’t rejoice do something, join in the re-bounding programmed because four children or your relations may be affected even your loved ones, and that your child your send abroad to study in a conducive environment may not like to identify him/herself as a Nigerian if nothing is done in our educational sector. Remember the adage that say no place like home, you can only measure yourself or complete be favorable in your own land and not in a foreign land.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1. The scope of study will explain and cover re-branding of education sector as it affect government, corporate bodies, parents, teachers and others. And link all the people that are needed for the re-branding of the system, in a period like this, (economic meltdown). Because the sector need to be re-branded.
The problem arrived from economic meltdown and examination malpractice was tarnished the linage of the sector.
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We are going to see the reaction of ten prominent Nigerians out of the majority using interview method.

STUDY QUESTIONS
1. What do the teachers have to do in order to be part of these re-branding in educational sector in the period of economic meltdown?
2. Do the families parents have any thing to contribute to these improvement
3. What part does the government have to play to help re-brand education in this period?
4. Has the corporate bodies, politicians have any part to play?
5. Are there going to be any improvement in the re-branding considering the economic meltdown
FINDINGS
The importance of re-branding educational sector in this period of economic meltdown cannot be over emphasized because we need to do something now. There is no order appropriate time for it, but to start now, not minding the face of things or nations. it will bring solution to the problem of economic and also rampage the face of nation.
This issue is actually reflecting to the nation policy on education (1998) where it is state that “Education shall continue to be highly noted in the nation development plans because education is the most important instrument of change, and fundamental change, in the intellectual and social out look if any society has to be preceded by the educational resolution.

The content and quality of the education enterprise in any nation determine the valve orientation of its citizens.

According to Plato “those who are rightly educated generally becomes psychologically sound good man”.

Taking about educationalist or teacher, instructors at all level was lot to do and should at the same time took hand in with the government by calling a spade a spade and putting a square peg in a square hole what I mean by these is that an instructor who is not economically balanced cannot perform well, the government should always meet them at the point of their needs by paying them fat salaries that will enable them cope with the changing in the nation. When this is done government or those in higher authority should check them at all level concerning poor or low performance in duty, sex for marks at all level and other vices indulged by these teachers and instructors to make money which is bringing down our education standard.
Nigerian have enough money to do this even in the face of economic meltdown but their problem in that money is not or the resources of this nation is not properly utilized by those in authority
Another prominent Nigerian who was interviewed on the part that government has to play to help in re-branding educational sector in the period of economic meltdown.

Say that the government should allocate a very huge sum of money into educational sector and follow it up to make sure that that it is implemented.

This money should be used to pay salaries expose teacher to work shops and seminars make sure that the structures like laboratories, sports facilities, books are made available to both the instructor and students make sure that the right people handles tragic position in education like the Ministers and Commissioners of education must be an educationalists, vice chancellors, provosts, rectors etc as well must be educationalist. And must be qualified for the post given to them. And not mounting a politician on post who will never know what to do in system or sector because is not his/her area.

Another is on the part our families have to play. The image or brand of our families has to play. The image or brand of our family matter a lot in our society persons is who he/she, because of his think and the brand of his/her mind this is to say that re-branding or branding should start from our families to brand and re-brand or identification and differentiation concept in the society.

Some parents are quick in pushing that children forward with money not minding whether the education is passing through them or not, thereby corrupting those children. The children will pass through education and education will not pass through them.

So when these child become ministries or commissioner, chancellor or even teacher they don’t care of you are doing well or not they are only interesting in you can offer them ad not the society or even contribute in the society.

We should not take sense that since the government is not doing anything to improve educational sector, we should not live up to expectation for them.

We should not forget that the parent influence or socialization has a lot to do or even determine the children behavior.

Imagine the situation were the parent brought admission for his/her child how is not qualified to be admitted admission is not given by merit anymore is now given by how much do you have to offer.

Causing parent who are not economically balance and secured but their children has all it take and they merit it to read that course will be problem to them because the financial problem or their families .

Think of the potentials that have be wasted because of these case if not been economic balance due to the families that are balance are sub-pressing the ones that are not with money.

Also talk about the part of politicians in re-branding education system in our nation, these periods of economic meltdown is nothing to write home about the politicians a looking funds form education sector funds that are made for payment of teachers salaries, infrastructural development, etc. They use these money and funds to send their children abroad to study and pay comfortably for them in the economic meltdown not minding what is happening to their own educational sector where the children here is not getting what is expected to get from the sector because of the indecent act that is affecting the whole economy. What of politicians talking strategic positions that is not meant for them and will out of sentiment use their loved ones to surround themselves and run down the educational sector completely what of their huge allowances running into millions that would have been used to mend the salaries scale of these educational instructors that have resonated to sorting of their papers and take bribes for admission before they can eat and train their own children. If all these atrocities are checked in the economy will go a long way in re-branding educational sector in these period of economic meltdown fighting the child that is at the centre of defending and represent the sector and the nation in general.

If we are properly oriented on the things that will make us improve in performance and not indulging in examination malpractice and other things that affect educational sector or has contributed to fallen of educational standard.
Children should start by re-branding themselves, it is not proper for student to sit for an examination for other which is always obtainable in final examination like JAMB, WACE, and NECO.
Since the measurement and evaluation used are inconsistent these things are not dictated of out educational instructors.
The students can no longer defend the courses into which they are exposed in school imagine an ss1 student cannot express his or her in simple English vocabularies cannot even make a simple correct sentence or write. Or solve some mathematical problems because they are not interested in it, but they pass it how? These are the thing we are going to re-brand in the child
There especially in ss11and below, they no longer take their studies serious since they can indulge in one form of malpractice. And excel through examination and these has led to the chance of contacting general disease (STD) and drug abuse.
Even when they enter into the universities the cannot do any thing. Because that vacuum has been created and will continue to affect them and that means there will be continual dropping the standard of education and what they can achieve in life. So if these things and more are been done, re-branding will be effective in educational sector even in the presence of the economic meltdown.
Another interviewee talking a little about educational environment said it needs re-branding because it constitutes a problem. Some schools are not situated in quite and conducive atmosphere for teachers and students to perform, are the classrooms well ventilated and spacious enough to give comfort to the students.

According to (Angelo, 1998 Smith and Regan, 1999, Wiggins 1998) said” that academic instructions are clear on what they want their students to know and be able to do at the culmination of instruction good lessons and units have clear and specific academic aims but unfavourable academic environment will not allow the teachers to achieve these aims of Education of having seen all these factors or finding if treated accordingly starting from family, individuals, instructors, government and other highly placed individual will go a long was re-branding the educational sector even in the presence of economic meltdown because Nigeria have enough resources to cater for it’s citizens but the greatest problem lies in the utilization and so these re-branding should affect the whole Nigeria for us to achieve our aims educationally and otherwise.

CONCLUSION
Having seen all these findings and quoting Dora Akungili in one of her write ups in the daily Sun, Wednesday June 24 2009 by Kowon tan “Re-branding educational sector or any other sector may prove difficult without carrying the whole Nigeria along, because if this thing Hung re-branding is done well starting from the families a person is who he or she is it will affect all the sectors of the economy not minding the meltdown.

She went further to say why we say Nigeria is a hard sell? As a student marketing communications and practitioner of a grassroots national experiential corporate nation branding and promotion, at times I find it very difficult to attach constructive reasons to why some Nigerians and particularly the so-called professionals do not mind what they say and do but only think after the deed had been done. It seems many of us are after self-serving benefits than what we can give first to Nigeria, before we take from the system. The concept of change is now.
However one of the strongest challenges is to get the president willing leadership and support of Nigerian in checking the almighty civil servants who will handle administrative aspect of the brand and not to personalize the re-branding for self service and profiteering. Let us believe and hope in God that Nigeria can raise, change is possible.
At this point, we should all not loses sight or forget the core reality when people are hopeful and happy about the land they occupy they become excited about reaction of ordinarily, people are prepared to believe in their country they all become the brand ambassadors in the war chest of the marketing of new nation by selling the brand to the rest of the world.
So no nation is problem free there is corruption everywhere and we are all guilty, every Nigeria citizen, institution leader, follower trader, religious/ traditional body is guilty. We must all change in alignment with the brand Nigerian project campaign to make it work.
No individual has a monopoly of knowledge, what the book say by theory is no longer workable in the global setting of today, new ideas rule the world.
Another analyst anya (1998) observed that each generation of Nigeria has out stripped its parents in education in iterating and in economic attainments for the first time in the history of our society (country) the performance of the generation will not surpass, will not equal, will not even approach those of their parents. How then can we rest assured that our teachers and counselors handle it adequately?
From all indications all hands should be on decks work hand in hand with all concerned as mentioned above to re-brand the educational sector which is still possible based on the findings in his period of economic meltdown.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the findings on context above I recommend that every body should rise up to his feet since all of us are guilty, to start by re-branding ourselves, aspire for better name for our selves, removing all that have corrupt us, and which in turn is affecting the educational sector. You should been know by who you are, because you are the one, also there in the educational sector. I think these should go a long way in solving the problem.
Secondly, I think that those in authority and the teachers should rise with the parents to check truancy among the learners and other deviant behaviors that hinders them from learning effectively and report them to the appropriate authorities that will bring the weight of the law on them.

At least when all these brings and many more is put in place, our educational sector will be a new brand for other sectors of the economy to emulate even in the face of the economic meltdown.


I still repeat and quoting the national policy on education that “Education shall develop plans because education is the most fundamental change in the intellectual and social outlook of any society has to be preceded by an educational revolution”.

And according to Plato “those who are rightly educated generally become good men.