If you're a student in Nigeria, you've likely encountered the controversial phrase “School Na Scam,” circulating in secondary and tertiary institutions across the country. 

Proponents of this phrase argue, symbolically, that postsecondary educational establishments exploit students, providing them with something ultimately meaningless. 

They suggest that schools, rather than education itself, are scams.

But how plausible is this claim? Has education turned into a real-life scam metaphor?

While I'd like to respond to these questions immediately, especially the latter, it's best to thoroughly investigate the assertion's justification.

• Under Expectation and Unemployment

Let's first discuss the problems prompting our young people to adopt this ideology.

Though I don't support the notion that education or schools are complete scams, let's examine the issues making this way of thinking prevalent.

Firstly, the moral and ethical standards of our society have deteriorated over time, focusing on rewarding financial success by any means. 

Illiterate and semi-literate individuals dominate politics and the social fabric, enforcing a fetid moral code, while the learned are ignored.

To make ends meet, many educated individuals turn to menial labor, squeezing out those who never attended school. 

All the lectures, assignments, projects, fieldwork, and theses they've completed seem for naught. Despite their best efforts, many young people leave school with little to show for their dedication.

Decades ago, high-paying jobs and cars awaited new university graduates. Rebuilding Nigeria's educational system now would require a miracle, as it is in such bad shape.