Stakeholders urge FG to revitalise education sector
By Blessing Ibegbu
Some stakeholders in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, have urged the Federal Government to revitalise the education sector.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Karu, that there was an urgent need to revive the sector in the country for better equitable quality education.
Mr Daburi Misal, a staff of Bingham University, who applauded the appointment of an educationist as minister of education, believed that the minister would ensure a better education system.
“The new minister of Education is a Professor of law, very experienced with the Nigerian educational landscape, so my expectations of him are very high.
“I expect him to make a very huge impact by solving the numerous challenges in the education sector. Principal amongst them is the issue of funding for research,” he said.
Misal said nations that are doing well all over the world in terms of development owe their successes to investment in research.
Misal also urged the minister to prioritise the welfare of personnel in the sector in order to maintain stability and retain our best hands.
“The country has continued to lose valuable personnel to constant search for greener pastures. We cannot make headway as a nation if we cannot retain our best minds.
“We cannot progress if the funding for education continues to fall below the 26 per cent threshold of UNESCO recommended budgetary spending on education by governments,” he said.
Mrs Folashade Vincent, Proprietress of Wemicent International Schools, Koroduma Island, Karu, Nasarawa State, urged the minister to ensure adequate funding and proper infrastructural development to enhance learning in Nigerian schools.
Vincent emphasisedon the need for the reformation of the education sector by reviewing the present curriculum and proper training of teachers.
“Our curriculum should be reviewed because for decades, we have been using same curriculum. There should be an improvement.
“Compulsory training and retraining of teachers should be given priority. Most teachers are not in tune with current trends in the sector. You cannot give what you do not have.
“Training of teachers should be inculcated into the curriculum and funded too, thereby making it easier for the teachers,” she said.
Vincent urged the minister to put an end to the Academic Staff Unions of University (ASUU) strike by initiating positive changes in the sector.
“Let the Nigerian youths and students be able to attend Nigerian universities without fear, rather than running away to seek better university education elsewhere,” she said.
Mr Linda Dabit, a teacher, said that the state of education in the country calls for a state of emergency in the sector.
She urged the minister to look into the area of infrastructure, welfare and training in the education sector, especially secondary and primary.
“I was privileged to supervise a NECO examination in different schools, and I discovered that there are insufficient classrooms and chairs for students and pupils to sit on.
“We need more schools to be established and more classrooms. Imagine, the whole of Nyanya in FCT, it’s only one Senior secondary School in spite of the dense population.
“Teachers welfare should be given utmost priority; steady workshop and training to update their knowledge and also every allowance due to them be cleared,” Dabit said.
Dabit commended the government for the implementation of the 65 years teachers` retirement age.
“I believe that the president Bola Tinubu`s administration through the new minister as an academia would revive the sector. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Joseph Edeh
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