The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Examining Reps’ legislative agenda for education

    Examining Reps’ legislative agenda for education

    Education plays a crucial role in the country’s socio-economic growth. Unfortunately, education has continued on the downward trend over the years, owing to lack of infrastructure, trained teachers, poor funding, among others. These issues require legislative intervention. In this report, TONY Akowe examines the education component of the House of Representatives’ legislative agenda.

    In the words of Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, Nigeria faces numerous challenges across various sectors, and legislative interventions are crucial for addressing these issues and driving positive change. In his mission statement outlined in the legislative agenda, the Speaker said a well-defined legislative agenda with legislative priorities was of utmost importance for the efficient and effective functioning of the Legislature. He described it as a roadmap that would guide lawmakers and legislative bodies in decision-making and lawmaking processes.

    The agenda, he said, is also intended to streamline the activities of the House and guide the efficient allocation of resources. His words: “We expect this agenda to foster meaningful public engagement and encourage citizens and stakeholders to participate in debates, hearings and consultations related to the identified priorities, making the legislative process more inclusive and democratic.”

    Interestingly, it has become a normal practice for each assembly to put forward a legislative agenda on what they planned to achieve in the four years in office. These agendas are anchored on the fact that there is work to be done in changing the society and making it a better place.

    One of the key areas that requires urgent attention  is  education. There is no doubt that education remains the bedrock of human capital development in any society. Across the world, and with an increasingly knowledge-based society, technology and innovation have become the hallmark of economic and social advancement. With over 200 public and private universities, as well as other tertiary institutions, and thousands of secondary schools, Nigeria appears to be walking backward in educational advancement. The standard of education, even in the privately owned institutions has continued to dwindle.  Public schools across the country have witnessed decline  in funding and quality of students passing out of such schools. In the private schools, poor quality of teachers and lack of parents’ support have led to education decay.

    The complaint has often been poor funding, lack of teachers’ training, limited educational facilities, poor access to quality educational facilities, low teacher-to-student ratio and the abandonment of technical education, among other challenges. It is apparent that the government has not adequately provided the resources and infrastructure to prepare students to meet contemporary and future demands and needs of the society.

    The need for urgent reforms

    There is the need to initiate a holistic overhaul of the Nigerian educational system and also update standards, processes, equipment and infrastructure to respond to global needs. The House of Representatives has identified this need and that for urgent reforms to engender  functional, quality and transformational education of the highest standards to prepare Nigerian students at all levels to face the challenges ahead. While the Ninth Assembly gave attention to the issue of education as a subhead in its legislative agenda, the 10th Assembly has subsumed it under social sector reform and development, while also breaking it down into specific, with specific timelines and implementation plans.

    There is no gainsaying the fact that inadequate budgetary provisions and strategic investment in the education sector, huge infrastructural decay at all levels of education in Nigeria, limited access and application of ICT in educational training, lack of educational materials in most public schools, limited number of teachers and other professionals in the education sector, policy inconsistencies at various levels of government among are issues that have affected the education sector in the country in addition to poor management of schools and weak governance of the educational system.

    Under the current leadership, the House appears to have come to the realisation that you must have a strong education foundation for higher education to be meaningful. This explain the saying that when the foundation is weak, nothing good will come out of it. Therefore, in putting forward its legislative agenda for the next four years, the House has paid more attention to issues of basic education. In the opening statement of agenda 5 sub-8.1, the House said it will encourage measures through legislation, oversight and outreach to ensure the full achievement of Universal Basic Education, Almajiri education and technical education in Nigeria. It said further that “where necessary, legislation will ensure access to quality education, improve the infrastructure of learning institutions and teacher quality, and foster digital learning and technical education in Nigeria’s educational system. Efforts to make the constitutional provision of education a fundamental right will be revisited”. The House acknowledges the fact that reforming the education sector is a crucial step that must be taken towards achieving sustainable development and improving the quality of life for all Nigerians. According to the legislative agenda, the House promised to implement legislative measures that will improve the education sector. In doing so, the House intends to amend the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act 2004 to increase the share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund allocated to UBEC from two per cent to foue per cent. The goal, according to the document, is to ensure that the allocation to education meets the recommended benchmark by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) of 15 to 20% share of the total national budget. It also plans to enact a law that will promote the education of children with special needs, ensuring they have access to quality education, while also prioritising resource allocation to basic and secondary institutions and agencies.

    Review and update of the national curricula

    In addition, it plans to work with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to support the review and update of the national curricula to meet global standards and respond to the specific needs of Nigeria. It will also support the Executive to improve teachers’ remuneration and welfare and attract the best talents; increase budgetary allocation for school infrastructure, facilities and technology integration and ensure that funds are provided to school safety and security through basic facilities like fencing, gates, lighting and communication equipment to provide early and secondary warning to students and security agencies. It also plans to ensure robust oversight of the recently established National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) to reposition our Secondary School graduates for global competitiveness and intervene in critical areas such as infrastructure deficit, human capacity development and instructional materials.

    Reform and modernisation of technical education system

    In the area of technical education, the House is planning to reform and modernise the technical education system, which it said is pivotal for equipping students with the skills required to thrive in the modern era and contribute effectively to Nigeria’s economic growth. Accordingly, it is planning to ensure that existing laws are amended or new laws introduced if necessary to improve the nation’s technical and vocational school system. Some legislative priorities of the House include working with the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) to update the technical education curriculum to align with industry needs, ensuring students learn relevant skills. In doing so, it said the curriculum will be tailored in a way that it will address local challenges and opportunities. It also plans to ensure the new curricula integrate entrepreneurship modules to enable students to start their ventures as well as the integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and renewable energy into the curriculum.

     Allocation of funds

    Other plans by the House for the sector include ensuring the allocation of funds to improve existing infrastructure, recruit qualified instructors, and train existing ones; providing more funding for the needed infrastructure such as modern laboratories, workshops, and equipment, strengthening and expanding TVET programmes to equip students with practical skills for the job market, working with the Executive to amend the Students Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023, to include the provision of scholarships and financial aid for students pursuing technical education and encouraging private sector involvement in funding, curriculum development and providing resources for technical education.

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    The House is not oblivious of the challenges faced by the Almajiri education system in Nigeria, particularly concerning the welfare and well-being of the children involved. Largely, the system has been associated with child begging, maltreatment, and lack of access to formal education. In addition, the number of out-of-school children has continued to increase across the country.  In other to address the situation, the National Assembly passed into law a bill to regulate the activities of this category of children. The House, therefore, plans to support the full take-off of the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (OOSC), ensure the integration of Qur’anic and formal education to encourage children to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills and support the development of a curriculum incorporating formal education, skills acquisition and vocation training in the Almajiri system.

    The agenda also states that the House will support establishing standardised and well-equipped Almajiri schools and ensure regular inspection and accreditation, engage religious and community leaders in these campaigns to give our legislative measures in this regard more credibility and acceptance; ensure that social intervention programmes of government are tailored to address underlying issues like poverty, which is a significant factor contributing to the Almajiri system and the high number of out-of-school children and undertake oversight of the National Commission for Almajiri Education and Out-of-School Children.

    Timelines for implementation

    Expectedly, the House has set timelines for the implementation of the agenda, which it believes, will help improve the quality of the country’s education. The timeline has been broken into short term, medium- and long-term plans. In the short term, the House plan to prioritise resource allocation to basic and secondary institutions and agencies, improve funding for the provision of basic facilities such as classrooms, libraries, and toilets in every UBE school. It will also support the Executive to improve teachers’ remuneration and welfare and attract the best talents and increase budgetary allocation for school infrastructure, facilities, and technology integration. In the short term, it also plans to encourage the development of new curricula that will integrate entrepreneurship modules to enable students to start their ventures, allocate funds to improve existing infrastructure, recruit qualified instructors, and train existing ones, support the full take-off of the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children (OOSC) Education and engage religious and community leaders in these campaigns to give our legislative measures in this regard more credibility and acceptance.

    In the medium term, the plan of the House is to amend the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act 2004 to increase the share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund allocated to UBEC from 2% to 4%; enact a law that promotes the education of children with special needs, ensuring they have access to quality education in inclusive settings.

     School safety and security

     It will also ensure that funds are provided to school safety and security through basic facilities like fencing, gates, lighting, and communication equipment to provide early and secondary warning to students and security agencies. It also plans to work with the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) to update the technical education curriculum to align with industry needs, ensuring students learn relevant skills. The curriculum will be tailored to address local challenges and opportunities, ensure integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and renewable energy into the curriculum. They will also strengthen and expand TVET programs to equip students with practical skills for the job market.

    Among others, it also plans to ensure that social intervention programmes of government are tailored to address underlying issues like poverty, which is a significant factor contributing to the Almajiri system and the high number of out-of-school children.

    The long term plan is to ensure a  robust oversight of the recently established National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) to reposition Secondary School graduates for global competitiveness and intervene in critical areas such as infrastructure deficit, human capacity development, and instructional materials, work with the Executive to amend the Students Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023, to include the provision of scholarships and financial aid for students pursuing technical education and undertake oversight of the National Commission for Almajiri Education and Out-of-School Children.

    As ambitious as the education agenda is, implementation has always been a major challenge in the country. It is left to be seen how the legislature will ensure the implementation of the ideas contained in the agenda. In the Ninth Assembly, more than half of what was contained in the education agenda of the House was not implemented. Many believe that was largely due to the fact that the house had no standing committee to monitor the implementation of the agenda. In the 10th Assembly, the leadership of the House has put in place a full standing committee with members drawn from all states of the federation.

  • ‘Nigerian varsities require impactful research to be world class’

    ‘Nigerian varsities require impactful research to be world class’

    The Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, Prof. Abiodun Adebayo, has said Nigerian universities require intensive and impactful research, alongside teaching and community service to become world-class.

    Adebayo said this at a workshop at the University of Benin, organised by the University of Benin’s Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI).

    It was tagged: University Ranking: Experiences of Covenant University.

    The vice-chancellor said that universities in Nigeria could not continue to do what they were used to and expect different results.

    Covenant University, he said, had long resolved to be doing what world-class universities, such as Harvard and Oxford, were not doing; hence its high rating among the world’s higher institutions.

     “Most universities in Nigeria concentrate on teaching and, perhaps, community service and have left out the area of research.

     “Impactful research is almost non-existent in most of the universities,” Adebayo said.

    According to him, to secure first ranking in Africa, the university had set a vision of 10:2022, meaning to be among the best 10 in the world by 2022.

    He said that although the University of Benin was not doing badly, it would need to improve on its publications, particularly in Q1 and Q2 journals.

    Besides teaching, research and impact, Adebayo identified citation, reputation, international outlook and industry income as other metrics considered for university ranking across the world.

     “You have to go beyond your best to accomplish some of those things. If we want to become world-class universities, beyond classroom teachings, we have to spend extra-time doing researches. We must go beyond the kind of civil service work we do.

     “The world is a global village and the rankings of universities have really come to stay.

    Whether or not you wish to be ranked, you will be ranked. It is high time, whether management, staff or students, we must work together to see that we place our universities on the world map, standing at par with other world universities,” he said.

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    University of Benin Vice Chancellor Prof. Lilian Salami said the lecture had brought out the deficiencies as well as the things that the institution was doing right.

     “I think the most important thing is that we all have determined that we can do it because he has simplified how we can get to that world-class level. At the University of Benin, we are also proud to be the university of the universe, but we must match our words with our actions. So, our students and staff; we challenge you to step into the shoes of a digital generation.

     “Some of our students are coming up with some innovations that we never thought would happen at the university. We are almost there and we can get there. What is left for us is to be determined, dedicated, and willing to learn. There is no one who is too old to learn,” Salami said.

    Speaking with reporters, Leader, CERHI, Prof. Friday Okonofua, said the lecture had opened the university to what it should be doing. We thought that what we needed to do was to rejig the university towards high ranking, for the entire institution to be aware of what the issues are.

     “I knew the university community was not fully aware. That is why I organised this lecture, and we are going to do more because we want to create awareness. It is only when staff and students are aware of this fact that the university ranking will improve,” Okonofua said.

  • Dental college seeks inclusion in TETFund

    Dental college seeks inclusion in TETFund

    The Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu, has appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to include it as a beneficiary of the scheme.

    The rector of the institution, Prof. John Emaimo, made the appeal in Enugu at a news conference to herald the second combined convocation of the college coming up on Saturday.

    He said it was unfair denying the institution eligibility to access the fund, saying as a federal institution, its eligibility ought to have been automatic.

    This, he lamented, had largely limited the rapid pace of progress in the college in both academic and the health sector.

    Emaimo, however, noted that his administration had within the circumstance worked hard to build a number of classrooms and offices for students and staff. He said infrastructure deficit and inadequate funding still remained major problem facing the institution.

    “Since my advent as the rector of this college, we have built a number of modern classrooms to ensure that our students learn in conducive atmosphere, yet we still need more.

    “A major setback for us has been our inability to access tertiary education fund (TETFUND). We had thought that being a federal institution, our eligibility to access the fund should be automatic. But the reverse has been the case as several efforts we made had proved abortive.

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    “We, therefore, call on all appropriate authorities and lovers of education who desire the kind of revolution that we are currently spearheading to bridge existing gaps in the areas of manpower development in our health and education sectors to come to our aid. Individuals and philanthropists are also called upon to support our quest for exclusive manpower development,” he said.

    Despite the challenges, the rector noted that the college’s success story today was that “we have moved from being an institution offering only two courses and awarding only OND and HND in Dental Technology and Dental Therapy. We have expanded the frontiers of learning by opening a new chapter in the annals of this college.

    “Following the enactment of the Federal College of Dental Technology and Dental Therapy (Establishment) Act, 2017, which empowers us to offer degree programmes, we have expanded the scope of our academic curriculum and commenced degree programmes. We are glad to inform you today that the first set of our degree students in Dental Technology, Biomedical Engineering and Public Health are among the graduands at this forthcoming convocation”.

    He disclosed that the 2023 combined convocation would not be a mere tradition but a gathering of champions who would be shot into the world to make a difference in certain areas of the health sector often challenged by shortage of personnel.

  • Ebonyi to return mission schools to owners

    Ebonyi to return mission schools to owners

    Ebonyi State Government will return mission schools to their original owners by December, Governor Francis Nwifuru has said in Abakaliki.

    Nwifuru made the promise during a pastoral visit to him by Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, Most Revd. Peter Nworie.

    He acknowledged that the Catholic Church and others were crucial in improving quality of education in the state.

    He directed the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to begin the process of returning the schools to the missions.

    “We are badly challenged in the area of education. We have agreed at a cabinet meeting to send 100 First Class and 2nd Class Upper Division graduates to countries of their choice to further their education.

     “We will also sponsor 300 persons to study for their Masters degrees in Nigeria’s institutions of higher learning of their choice.

    “We won’t hesitate if the Catholic Church and other missions are ready to take back their schools that were taken over  by government,” Nwifuru said.

    He earlier lauded the bishop for the visit and for blessing the congregation of the Government House chapel.

    Nwifuru assured of his readiness to carry churches along in his administration.

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    Earlier, Most Rev. Nworie said the church was ready to work with government to enhance teaching and learning in Ebonyi.

     “Those schools were forcefully taken away from us after the civil war. The governor knows our feelings about this,’’ he said.

    The cleric also expressed readiness of the church under his leadership to support the governor to achieve his goals for the state.

    He praised Nwifuru for the steps so far taken by his administration, calling on cabinet members of government to give their full support to the governor.

    “If there is failure in your area, there is a failure in the whole government because the success of any member of the cabinet is the success of the governor and that of the whole government,” Most Revd. Nworie said

    “Today’s reading is an invitation for all members of the current government to assist the governor to achieve his goals for the state,’’ Nworie noted.

  • 288 bag first class as UNN graduates 12,962

    288 bag first class as UNN graduates 12,962

    No fewer than 288 graduating students of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, will bag first class degrees at the 51st convocation ceremony of the institution billed to hold on Friday.

    Also, at the week-long event, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Sonny S. T. Echono, will deliver the convocation lecture titled, “University Autonomy and the Challenge of Sustainable Education Funding in Nigeria”.

     The vice-chancellor of the university, Prof. Charles Igwe, while addressing a news conference on the activities lined up for the event, disclosed that of the 12,962 graduating students, 11,444 will receive first degrees with 67 receiving diplomas.  He added that 1,451 will receive postgraduate degrees for the 2022/2023 academic session.

    A further breakdown of the Bachelor’s degrees, according to the VC, include 4,853 for 2nd class (upper division); 5,077 for 2nd class (lower division); 653 for Third class with seven graduates leaving with pass while 616 were unclassified.

        He noted that the unclassified degrees are awarded to graduates of some courses, such as medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine which are not usually classified into first, second or third class.

        “Similarly, a total of 67 diplomas will also be awarded at the convocation. The breakdown is as follows: 7 Distinctions, 35 Credits, 22 Merits and 3 Passes.

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        “The Summary of Postgraduate Degrees:  I am pleased to announce that a total of 1,451 postgraduate degrees and diplomas of the University of Nigeria will be awarded at the 51st convocation ceremony. The breakdown of the postgraduate degrees and diplomas is as follows: 479 persons will earn the Doctorate degree, while 884 persons will be awarded the Master’s Degrees. A total of 88 postgraduate diplomas of the university will also be awarded at the convocation,” the VC said.

        Igwe used the opportunity to personally debunk the allegations that the institution was involved in admission racketeering.

        Stating that the allegation was far from the truth and negated the transparency pillar upon which the University of Nigeria stands, Igwe also added that the university had always conducted its admissions transparently, complying strictly with the Federal Government’s established criteria of 45% merit, 35% catchment and 20% Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS).

  • Centre gives doctoral students, others N18.9m research grants

    Centre gives doctoral students, others N18.9m research grants

    Participants and stakeholders to the just concluded workshop organised by the National Teachers Institute (NTI) Kaduna for 40 primary school teachers at the Teachers Continuous Training Institute (TCTI), Cross River State have rated the latter institution as the best teacher training centre in the country alongside the NTI.

    Observers at the three-day seminar tagged: “Global Goals for Sustainable Development”, which held between November 15 and 17, lauded the concept, which, according to them, stands unequalled in terms of hospitality, facilities, training and research and planning.

    According to Malam Suleiman Jibril, a teacher from Kaduna State, ‘the facilities on ground are in line with the latest technological advancement obtainable in modern learning anywhere.

    “The TCTI is one of the best teacher training institutions of development l have seen. The facilities are superb and the place is second to none. It is even included in our report,” he said.

    Another teacher, Mr. Leonard Iyeje testified: “The institute has inculcated great knowledge into me with its up-to-date training facilities and l am happy that my students and wards back home will have something new to learn from this experience.”

    Continuing, Iyeje added: “The amenities are the best anyone can imagine in this country. Sincerely, l was amazed at what l saw on ground.

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    An elated Mrs. Emilia Matiki noted that “the place is one of its kind. From the location, high tech facilities, instructional materials, to the general coordination we were all very impressed with what we saw at the TCTI and l hope to be there for another training. It was indeed a wonderful experience”.

     The State Coordinator, Cross River State Chapter of the National Teachers Institute, Mr. James Edet, affirmed the comments made by the visiting tutors, highlighting the importance of the Institute to national integration and learning.

    Addressing participants after the exhibition, renowned educationist and pioneer Director-General of the TCTI, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, hinted that the institute is open to local and foreign collaborations as a way to foster learning. Prof. Adedoja thanked the NTI for the continued synergy in enhancing teacher’s growth.

    The TCTI, solely owned and financed by the Cross River State government, was conceived to boost manpower development and guarantee quality learning that meets global teaching. It is the first CERTIPORT approved institution for digital literacy proficiency testing with a view to filling the gaps on knowledge and skills needed for global employability and competitiveness.

  • YABATECH alumni association election to hold Jan 27

    YABATECH alumni association election to hold Jan 27

    The Yaba College of Technology Alumni Association has announced that the selling of election forms has begun this week and will end on Saturday, December 2, 2023.

    The alumni encouraged potential candidates running for various offices to take advantage of the opportunity by obtaining an election form.

    The Electoral Committee Chairman, Tunji Makinde, and Secretary, Mark Orgu, said in a statement yesterday that all election guidelines and processes had been made public.

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    Makinde assured the alumni community that the electoral committee is fully committed to holding a verifiable, credible and fair election that would stand the test of time.

    He reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to ensuring a level-playing field for all candidates. He also urged contestants to conduct a peaceful and mature campaign.

    They urged candidates to contact the alumni secretariat to collect the paperwork after making the required payment at the College Micro-Finance Bank in the name of the Yabatech Alumni Association.

  • LASUSTECH NAAT exco inaugurated

    LASUSTECH NAAT exco inaugurated

    • By Ibrahim Adam

    The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has been inaugurated at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).

    Its National President, Ibeji Nwokomma, who was represented by Zonal Coordinator, Olurinde Joseph, certified the association AS qualified to operate as a union in the university at an occasion, which took place in the auditorium of the College of Agriculture, Ikorodu campus.

    LASUSTECH Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olumuyiwa Odusanya, welcomed the new association.

    Olumuyiwa, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Basirat Oladipupo, said the management remained committed to the well-being of its members.

    Olayinka Uthman is the inaugural Chairman of LASUSTECH NAAT.

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    Other elected executive members include Adewunmi Olorunfemi as Vice Chairman; Olatayo Agogo as Secretary; Olaitan Peters as Assistant Secretary, Fatiat Tairu as Treasurer, and Adesokan Akinwumi as Financial Secretary.

    The union’s Chairman, Olayinka Uthman, expressed his appreciation for the confidence that was placed in them.

    Uthman emphasised that they would work relentlessly to represent their members.

    The Nigerian Labour Congress, Lagos Chapter Chairman, Funmi Sessi, urged the union to prioritise the welfare of its members.

    The inauguration ceremony was attended by other staff unions in the university.

  • All Saints’ student Ibadan wins ESGN competition

    All Saints’ student Ibadan wins ESGN competition

    A science student of All Saints’ College, Ibadan, Bolorunduro Oluwadarasimi has won the 2023 Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria (ESGN) Senior Secondary School Essay Competition.

    Oluwadarasimi won the competition among over 90 entries from across the country. Leila Eneche from Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Oregun, Lagos, and Opara Nmesoma Success from Anglican Comprehensive High School, Ipaja were the first runner-up, and Egbehule Sharon Sisami from Anglican Comprehensive High School, Ipaja, was the second runner-up.

    The winner received the sum of N50,000 with her school receiving a complete set of computer, printer, and UPS. The runner-up was given N30,000 and the second runner-up got the sum of N20,000.

    Endometriosis is a disease, where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing pain and/or infertility. At present, there is no known cure for the condition, and treatment is aimed at controlling symptoms.

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    Oluwadarasimi pledged to contribute her quota to ensuring endometriosis is brought to its barest minimum, by creating more awareness about the condition that is affecting 190 million of reproductive-age women and girls globally.

    She said the competition had enlightened her about the disease, which she knew nothing about before now.

    The Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre and Convener of ESGN, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, while congratulating the winners, said the essay competition was put in place to enlighten young girls about the condition.

    adding: “It is best to empower young girls and women with knowledge of endometriosis to enable them make an informed decision about their future and to become advocates of the condition.”

  • Commission urges Fed Govt to release two per cent consolidated fund to tackle rot in secondary education

    Commission urges Fed Govt to release two per cent consolidated fund to tackle rot in secondary education

    The Executive Secretary, National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr. Iyela Ajayi, has called on the Federal Government to release the two per cent consolidated revenue fund for the commission to tackle the various rot in senior secondary education.

    Dr. Ayaji said the rot in senior secondary education, which included inadequate facilities; inadequate number of teachers in terms of quality and quantity among others, was so much and needed to be addressed.

    He said the commission has developed a document on guidelines for accessing, disbursing and utilising the Federal Government /NSSEC intervention fund.

    He said the senior secondary education has remained an orphan since 2004 when the Federal Government removed junior secondary education and merged it with primary education to form the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

    While noting that in order for state governments to benefit from the fund, they must contribute five per cent as the counterpart funding, the executive secretary said many state governors have already keyed in and are waiting to access the fund to tackle the rot in the senior secondary education.

    He disclosed that as part of efforts to revolutionise the senior secondary education in the country, the commission has developed a Minimum Standards for Senior Secondary Education, which defined the benchmark on how many teachers a school should have, the ratio of teachers to students, size, qualification of teachers, governance and safety requirements of every school among others.

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    He said: “This document is capable of revolutionsing secondary education in the country.”

    He lamented that paucity of funds was affecting the commission from achieving its required mandates as well as inadequate office accommodation.

     He said: “Although the commission has embarked on needs assessment of senior secondary schools in some states, there is a need for a comprehensive needs assessment exercise of schools in the states across the country.”

    He said funds are needed for it and other things like development of instructional materials, publication of important documents such as minimum strategic plan, capacity building and meeting with stakeholders among others.

        On repositioning the commission he said: “I have introduced the culture of due process transparency, probity and accountability in all financial matters in the commission and ensure that due process in line with the procurement act is fully implemented in the award of all contracts in the commission.”

        He also disclosed that the commission has introduced policy of ranking of senior secondary schools in Nigeria just as universities are being ranked, saying the guidelines for it is being prepared and they will commence after the approval and implementation of minimum standard.