A NATION HARVESTING THE SEEDS IT SOWED

 

REJOINDER: A NATION HARVESTING THE SEEDS IT SOWED. By Tijjani Sarki

The viral write-up titled “INTERNET AND THE EMERGING ZOMBIE GENERATION IN NGR” strikes a nerve,but it barely scratches the surface. The truth? What we’re witnessing in the 2025 JAMB disaster is the result of years of collective negligence, starting from the home, the classroom, and all the way to the corridors of power.

Let’s not pretend this failure was sudden. This isn’t a tragedy,it’s a harvest. A harvest of bad parenting, compromised values, fake schools, weak policies, lazy students, and a government that plays dead when the future is burning.

PARENTS: YOU GAVE THEM PHONES, NOT PRIORITIES

We handed smartphones to toddlers but never handed them books. Now they scroll 10 hours daily—TikTok, gossip, unregulated skits, and internet trash,while their textbooks gather dust.

You reward your child for “going viral,” not for reading.

You paid for “special centres” to cheat, then act shocked when they can’t pass JAMB unaided.

You raised screen addicts, not scholars.

TEACHERS & SCHOOLS: FROM BLACKBOARD TO BACKDOOR

Our classrooms have become certificate factories. Schools now focus more on school fees than sound education. Private schools mushroom daily—many without qualified staff or libraries, just uniforms and hashtags.

Teachers who can’t write a sentence are preparing students for national exams.

School owners are more concerned about the next term's “graduation party” than lesson quality.

“Help” in exams is now part of the service package. Pass by fraud, fail in life.

We have teachers who sell answers and schools that sell illusions.

GOVERNMENT: DEAD SILENT WHILE STANDARDS DIE

From federal to state levels, the government has played the role of a passive observer as education crumbles.

Budgets are padded, not prioritized.

Policies are copied from foreign systems with zero local relevance.

Monitoring? Non-existent. Oversight? Forgotten.

Qualified professionals are ignored; the clueless are licensed to run schools.

You abandoned the education sector to vultures, now you act surprised that it’s rotting.

STUDENTS: YOU CHOSE COMEDY OVER COMPREHENSION

Yes, we must talk to the students, too. Many have traded excellence for entertainment. They mock brilliance, worship influencers, and scroll endlessly while failing repeatedly.

You know Instagram trends, but not the formula for velocity.

You spend hours rehearsing TikTok dances but can’t write a coherent paragraph.

You want to “blow” but not to grow.

You skipped preparation and prayed for miracles. Even miracles need effort.

OTHER HIDDEN CULPRITS: THE UNMENTIONED FACTORS

I.Peer Pressure: A toxic culture where reading is mocked and shortcuts celebrated.

II.Mental Health Neglect: No guidance counselors, no safe spaces,just exam fear and trauma.

III.Lack of Digital Discipline: Technology meant to aid learning now fuels endless distractions.

IV.Parental Illiteracy: Many parents can’t help because they themselves were never helped.

We’ve raised a generation that can edit videos, build followers, and stream content,but can’t study without leaking questions.

THE WAY FORWARD: FROM SHAME TO STRATEGY

Enough talk. What we need is a total overhaul. We must:

i.Return parents to their primary role as the first educators.

ii.Flush out unqualified teachers and shut down substandard schools.

iii.Redesign the curriculum to reflect present realities and future needs.

iv.Invest in teacher training, digital learning, and school infrastructure.

v.Revive a reading culture in homes, media, and communities.

This is more than about JAMB. This is about national survival.

If we don’t act now, we’re breeding doctors who will misdiagnose, engineers who will design death traps, and leaders who will sell our future for gigabytes and greed.

Let’s not bury the truth. Let’s fix the future.

Tijjani Sarki
Public Policy Advocate & Executive Director
Responsive Citizens Initiative
Zawaciki, Kano – 10/05/2025
Email: responsivecitizeninitiative@gmail.com