Stakeholders in the sector have advised the new Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, to put proactive strategies and innovative approach in place to rescue the sector from collapse, Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon, Damola Kola-Dare, Victoria Amadi and Victoria Adewunmi-Oni report.
For pupils, students, parents and unions in the education sector, this is not the best of times, owing to challenges bedeviling the sector. Therefore, stakeholders have stressed the need for proactive strategies and innovative approach to rescuing the sector from collapse.
In a statement, National President of Congress of University Academics (CONUA) Dr. Niyi Sunmonu expects the minister, considering his solid academic and intellectual background, coupled with his vast administrative and political experience over an extended period, to ensure stability in university calendar and enhance the local and international profile of the Nigerian university system.
Sunmonu urged him to create a greater level of cordial relationship between government and labour unions.
The statement reads: “Considering the solid academic and intellectual background of Prof. Tahir Mamman coupled with his vast administrative and political experience over an extended period of time, CONUA is of the firm belief that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has made an excellent choice for the education portfolio.
“The core value of CONUA is the promotion of academic excellence at all levels in Nigeria, and we are committed to ensuring stability in university calendar and the enhancement of the local and international profile of the university system. CONUA hopes the new Minister of Education will make this set of goals his priority.
“CONUA is hopeful that during the tenure of this new Minister of Education, the relationship between the government and the Labour Unions in the tertiary education sector will be marked by a greater level of cordiality.
“Furthermore, CONUA is looking forward to productive and mutually beneficial cooperation to achieve our respective noble goals which include, but are not limited to, improved welfare of academics in terms of improved remuneration, improved working conditions and uninterrupted academic calendar.”
For Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch, Prof. Kayode Adebayo, Mamman should revisit the 2009 renegotiated agreement the union presented to the Federal Government to address the issues of welfare and poor remuneration.He urged him to ensure that the salaries of members held during the nine-month strike were paid to restore hope and boost the morale of lecturers.
In a telephone chat with The Nation, he said: “We hope that the new minister, considering his pedigree, will bring new hope to the education sector. We believe he will be able to understand the level of decay in the sector, especially the affront on public university system. And he will be able to put mechanisms in place to tackle all that. He should address the 2009 renegotiated agreement and poor remuneration of academic staff. We hope he can go back to the 2009 agreement to bring hope back to the university system. A lot of our colleagues are leaving for advanced countries, especially young ones. Can you imagine a department losing 14 academic staff, PhD holders? Government should understand that ASUU is talking about what will benefit the nation; we are fighting for the system to survive.
‘’We hope that our salaries held during the strike will be paid to restore hope and boost the morale of lecturers. He should also address the IPPIS issue.”
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) President, Anderson Ezeibe wants the minister to take steps to address the issue of certification by reviewing the status of HND and its possible replacement with a Bachelor of Technology certification (for qualified polytechnics) while retaining the ND certification for skills and artisanal certification in the sector.
In a statement, he said: “From our findings, the new minister is eminently qualified to head the Federal Ministry of Education. We see from his profile that he has significant experience at the highest level of tertiary education management.
“The issues at the basic education level border on the issue of out of school children in the country. The numbers are not going to get better with the worsening economic situation in the country. Indeed he has a lot of work to do there.
“At the tertiary level, issues bordering on sustainable funding, acceptable wage structure for staff, infrastructure deficit, violations of laws and extant regulations are all issues of urgent concern.
“For the polytechnic system, it is important that he takes verifiable steps to address the issue of certification by reviewing the current status of HND and it’s possible replacement with a Bachelor of Technology certification (for qualified Polytechnics) while retaining the OND certification for skills and artisanal certification in the sector. This will put the HND/degree dichotomy issue to rest.
The solution to the challenges in the education sector requires the different layers of stakeholders to commit to the restoration of proper values to the sector. Prudent management of scarce resources, appropriate and deserving wage structures, improvement in funding, respect for laws, statutes and regulations are the path to restoration of the education sector to its lost glory.”
Deputy National President, National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo said: “We congratulate him. He is welcome on board to the education sector. We expect him to ensure all agencies and parastatals in the sector work effectively. He should ensure TETFUND’s funds are used judiciously. Then education should be accessible to everyone. No increment should be allowed from Federal institutions. Education at all levels should be prioritised and made affordable to all. Regarding the student loan, he should ensure effective implementation of President Bola Tinubu directive on the loan for easy access. Then, once funds are well utilised, there won’t be agitations from industrial unions.”
National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) National President, Yomi Otubela, in a telephone conversation with The Nation, appealed to Mamman to fix meetings with education stakeholders to keep him abreast of the challenges in the sector. He urged the minister to address the issue of lack of funding in the sector by establishing education banks to fund private institutions.
His words: “Prof. Tahir Maman, being a seasoned administrator and a former Vice Chancellor of Baze University, is well qualified to hold a position as Minister of Education. I do not doubt that as a technocrat, he is going to move our education sector forward and reposition it to an enviable height.
“There is need for policy formulation and implementation to take cognisance of the inputs of various education stakeholders.
“The continuous increase in the number of out-of-school children in the country has reached a critical state and needs to be well addressed by the minister.
“We, however, expect the minister to look into the issue of the establishment of Education Bank, by helping to push for a proposal to the Federal Executive Council for a concessionary interest loan to education institutions to alleviate the challenges of funding faced by private schools owners who are left with no choice but to obtain loans at high interest from commercial banks.
“The high interest on loans has become unbearable for school owners as private schools are not to be viewed as commercial ventures given the peculiarities of private education investments.
“We also want the minister to push for the inclusion of the private education sector in the various Federal Government’s palliative programmes to support private school workers. And the issue of multiple taxation from the Federal Government and state governments should be looked into for possible harmonisation.”
Setting up of cordial relationship between govt and unions
National President, CONUA, Niyi Sunmonu, urged the minister to strengthen the relationship between government and labour unions.
Sunmonu, on behalf of the academic body, urged the new minister to promote academic excellence, while ensuring stability in university calendar and the enhancement of the local and international profile of university system.
He congratulated Mamman, SAN, on his appointment as the Minister of Education, on the basis of his academic and intellectual background, alongside his political prowess.
He was confident that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu made an excellent choice for the education portfolio.
He said: “CONUA is hopeful that during the tenure of the new Minister of Education, the relationship between the government and the labour unions in the education (tertiary) sector will be marked by a greater level of cordiality.
“Furthermore, CONUA is looking forward to productive mutual cooperation to achieve our respective noble goals, which include, but not limited to, improved welfare of academics in terms of improved remuneration, improved working conditions and uninterrupted academic calendars.”
Address out-of-school children and outdated curriculum
Describing the appointment as outstanding, President, Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Mr. Emmanuel Orji, urged Mamman, to address the issue of out-of-school children as an emergency situation and convene a stakeholders meeting for a solution.
Orji described school’s curriculum as outdated and out of purpose which needs to be fixed.
He called for a review of the school feeding programme to include those who are deserving of it, especially those children in low cost schools.
His words: “The Nigerian curriculum is not just out of fashion, it’s also out of purpose and a total overhaul.
“How can you talk of a curriculum that have left Nigerians at the mercy of foreigners to tap her natural resources, like our crude oil, gold, among others. There is something that is not right here and should be tackled with all urgency.
“There should be a review of the school feeding programme to include those who are deserving of it, especially, those children in low cost schools which are obviously an extension of what the public school system could not accommodate as a result of either of lack of space or distance.”
AFED’s president advised the minister to reposition universities to serve majorly as centres for research and professional development and not just for certificate acquisition.
“We know why countries like Singapore, Japan, China and even India, which were at the same economic level as Nigeria have moved up? It is purely because of the attention given to education in these countries. We cannot continue to major in minor.
“He should press for funding for education of all deserving Nigerian children without bias. Teachers education should be prioritised. Colleges of education must be repositioned and equipped for the training of a 21st century local content teacher with global perspectives on national development needs.
“We must approach the world from our tailor-made or home grown solutions and embrace modern technology for efficiency not the other way round of pursuing trends that cannot be applied,” advised.
An educationist based in Sokoto, Dr. Mikailu Barau, said the new minister needs to engage in addressing the problem of out-of-school children through improved funding and deployment of adaptive strategies to ensure increased enrolment and retention of children in schools.
He noted that the Federal Ministry of Education is one of the biggest in terms of number of parastatals such as: Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for College of Education (NCCE), Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), among others.
Mr. Barau noted that the new minister of education needs to strengthen the coordination function of the ministry by ensuring harmony and synergy between agencies and the ministry.
“The Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP) 2018-2022 has exhausted its scope. A new strategic plan is required 2023-2026 to identify strategic priorities and targets of the ministry in key subsectors of its operations,” he said.
Adequate funding of education sector
An educationist, who craved anonymity, said the minister needs to look critically into the education financing model of the country. He added that the funding for education at the basic education level, needs some rethinking, both curriculum-wise and funding.
“The higher education, I cannot say what I feel. But truly the Federal Government has no business there. There is politics in education funding between federal and states. As it is, the local governments that are in charge of primary education and after paying for teachers salary, absolutely nothing is left for school resourcing.”
“And UBEC is merely an intervention that is barely capable of catering for more than five per cent of states’ primary schools’ needs. So what is free about poor education?
Mamman, good omen for education, says rector
Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, Rector expressed high hopes that the minister would perform well.
Abdul described Mamman’s appointment as a good omen for the sector.
“Having once held public office as the Director-General of Nigeria Law School, and the current VC of Baze University, there is no doubt that he will perform and excel.
“The appointment to superintend over this very important core sector is not only a welcome development but a breath of fresh air,” he said.
The YABATECH Rector, however, said Mamman needed the support of tertiary institutions’ management and other education stakeholders, both the public and private, to deliver on the job.
He said everyone must contribute his or her quota to move the sector forward.
“This is the more reason our new minister needs the collective support of all of us, parents, school administrators, teachers, alumni, unions and corporate organisations.
“Above all, his employer (the government), as the cooperation of these critical stakeholders will help him to succeed and deliver on this new task that has been bestowed on him.”
Similarly, the President, National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS), Shasanya Akinlola, said the incoming minister might need to review some policies in the sector, in order to meet current demands across the country.
Akinlola also said there was need for inspection in tertiary institutions, by way of visits, to ascertain state of infrastructure across campuses.
“It is a good development that we have a new minister and there is no doubt that expectations are high, we are hoping that he’ll bring new policies.
“The state of infrastructure in some tertiary institutions needs attention, ranging from inadequate lecture theatre, hostel, school libraries amongst others, and these are very essential in learning environment.
“The Lagos State Government has been doing well in bursary but the reverse is the case for fellow students in other states, and it’s an important area that calls for attention.”
The NULASS president also called for increase in budget allocation to the sector to improve standards.
Needed:’ Renewed hope’
Speaking with The Nation, an educational administrator, Mr. Ogunbodede Adedeji David, said: “Education is pivotal to a country’s economic growth and development.” He added that there are some hindrances to the smooth running of the education sector, such as socio-economic factors.
“The Minister of Education should bring a renewed hope for teachers across all educational institutions for both private and government owned schools, there should be quality education delivery through practicable curriculum especially for institutions of higher learning. In addition, the academic calendar should be stabilised, there must be an end to incessant strikes in our institutions of higher learning. Scholarships should be appropriately awarded, as a means of promoting the value of education, special educational shows or programmes on radio and television stations.” He said these should be included in the agenda of the Minister of Education.
The Project Manager of Starlab Academy, Miss Stephanie Adesola, emphasised that more extra-curricular activities should be inculcated into the system, in order to educate the students all round.
Another stakeholder, Mr. Lucky Isaiah-Okoli, said the Minister of Education should make necessary drastic changes to the educational system of the country. He said: “we need to learn what will make us survive in the real world. It is what you know that can give you a job, and not what you need to pass an examination. Distant learning should also be encouraged.”
He added that the gap between B. Sc. and H.N.D. should be bridged. He said the Minister of Education should take the bull by the horn, to avoid brain drain. He also compared the situation of the country, with that abroad, saying that if nothing is done, people will leave the country to study abroad, because of the readily available facilities, the conducive environment, the good economic situation.
Based on what the stakeholders have said, they require a co-operation with the minister to achieve these goals. They expect that the minister will consider their views, as he discharges his duty as the head of the sector.
