By Parrot Newspaper How Spelling Competition Exposes Poor School Standards in FCT
By Ricky Awodi
A recent spelling bee competition in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has spotlighted the stark educational divide between public and private schools, raising serious concerns about the standard of basic education in the nation’s capital.
The fifth season of the Project Hope Spelling Bee, organized by Paraclete Hope Foundation in collaboration with Helpline Social Support Initiative, brought together pupils from private schools, government-owned institutions, and orphanages across Abuja. The event, designed to encourage literacy and academic excellence, instead revealed troubling realities: not a single public school or orphanage emerged among the winners.
Observers noted a wide performance gap, with private school students dominating all categories, while their counterparts in public schools struggled to keep up. According to education stakeholders, this outcome is a reflection of deeper structural challenges facing the public education sector in the FCT.
Deepening Concerns Over Education Quality
Education expert Taiwo Ojulari blamed the declining standards on prolonged neglect by government authorities. “Many public schools in the FCT are grossly understaffed. In some junior secondary schools, one teacher is forced to handle up to five subjects for a class of nearly 100 pupils,” he said.
Ojulari pointed out that such teacher-to-pupil ratios make meaningful learning nearly impossible and place public school students at a disadvantage compared to peers in better-equipped private institutions. Despite appeals to the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) for teacher recruitment, he said no concrete action has been taken.
“With the appointment of Nyesom Wike as FCT Minister, many of us hoped this problem would be urgently addressed. Sadly, almost two years into his tenure, we are yet to see any policy shift toward recruitment of qualified teachers,” he added.
Dr. Ahmed Yahaya, a retired principal, also expressed dismay at the deteriorating conditions. “In many rural schools, there are hardly any teachers. The classroom conditions are appalling, and learning materials are either outdated or non-existent. Under such circumstances, no meaningful education can take place,” he stated.
Impact of Industrial Actions
Adding to the woes is the ongoing teachers’ strike in the FCT, which has paralyzed learning in many primary schools since March. A public school teacher, speaking anonymously, explained how months of academic disruption have left pupils unprepared for any form of academic contest.
“These children missed their second term exams due to the strike. Now, they’re stuck at home again. You can’t expect them to compete with pupils from schools that have uninterrupted calendars and better resources,” she explained.
The strike, led by the FCT chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), stems from unpaid arrears and the delayed implementation of a new N70,000 minimum wage by the six area councils. While council chairmen have recently begun implementing the new wage, teachers insist they will not return to classrooms until all outstanding payments are made.
FCT UBEB Reacts
Chairman of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Dr. Hassan Sule, acknowledged the need for additional teachers but attributed delays in recruitment to financial constraints tied to the new wage structure.
How Spelling Competition Exposes Poor School Standards in FCT
“Recruiting new teachers when the current ones are on strike would be premature,” he said in a phone interview. “Once we resolve these issues, recruitment will commence. In the meantime, PTA-employed teachers are helping to keep some schools running.”
Call for Urgent Reform
The spelling bee outcome, while disheartening, is serving as a wake-up call. Educationists, parents, and civil society groups are urging the FCT administration to urgently address infrastructure decay, teacher shortages, and policy lapses in the public education system.
More than a competition, the event has become a mirror—reflecting not just the competence of students, but the capacity of the institutions that are meant to nurture them. Until those institutions are strengthened, such competitions will continue to expose a widening gap in educational opportunity and outcomes within the FCT.