NAPS Berates NEC, Demands Implementation Of UNESCO’S 26% Recommendation
PROPOSED 15% BUDGETARY ALLOCATION TO EDUCATION: NAPS BERATES NEC, DEMANDS IMPLEMENTATION OF UNESCO’S 26% RECOMMENDATION
“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.”
– Edward Everett
The leadership of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has been following keenly the outcome of the recently concluded National Economic Council (NEC ) meeting. We must now address what is ours and show our disapprobation now or never.
The education sector has suffered enough malnutrition when it comes to budgetary plans, it is very saddening that a nation as big as Nigeria still doesn’t give education the needed attention and dedication. We are calling on NEC to review the quota and increase it to the UNESCO 26 percent recommendation or more.
At over 10.5 million, Nigeria has the highest number of children out of school in the world. This is a matter of national urgency. The nation’s education sector is thoroughly bleeding from the primary school to the tertiary level. Poor funding; incessant strikes; preference for foreign certificates; better job opportunities; advanced teaching methods; and opportunities to combine study with a job are all key factors that have driven so many Nigerians away and would keep making them flee if these issues are not promptly addressed.
For the umpteenth time there has been a call on the Federal government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector across the country but all efforts proved abortive.
If the government doesn’t know, it does no harm if we remind them the amount of risk our dear nation is putting herself in by having so much children out of school. The bigger problem is that 60 percent of those affected children are in the northern part of the country where terrorism is growing at an hemorrhaging rate.
An idle hand they say is the devil workshop. The two most dreaded bloodsucking group in Nigeria are taking advantage of the lackadaisical attitude of the government to education and making these innocent children become tools for war. Fingers that should be busy with pipettes and burets are now busy counting bullets, brains that should be busy solving mathematics are busy counting casualties, kids who should only read histories of war in class are now facing misery of war amid fears.
Government financed schools have practically collapsed due to poor funding leaving affected children with no option than to wander around.
Nigeria undoubtedly has betrayed these children and the only reasonable compensation is to get them back to class, motivate them by providing a peaceful and conducive atmosphere to ease their learning process.
How do we provide all these things without adequately funding the education sector? How do the government intend to motivate the teachers without injecting a larger percentage to that sector? It is impossible to achieve national educational goals without the needed financial ammunition.
Provision of quality education for all will definitely contribute to the overall set of national goals of sustainable development.
According to the statistics from the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s external debt rose from $10.32bn in June 30, 2015 to $22.08bn as of June 30 this year which means external debts has grown by 114.05 percent in the last three years. The most worrisome of this bad development is that most of the loans are spent on rail tracks in Abuja while almost all educational institutions in the country are “shouting for help”.
If the government had put the necessary infrastructure and learning environment in place, that would in turn inject world class graduates into the labor market and strengthen our economy, with a stronger economy the loans can be paid without defaulting.
We seek complete overhaul of the education sector and a rebirth, this should be done by bringing well-resourced and digital stakeholders together through a national education conference wherein a lasting remedy will be proffered.
On that note, the leadership of NAPS implore *NEC* under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Professor, Yemi Osinbajo to review the proposed allocation.
We also call on international communities to throw their weight behind our struggles and make this not just a dream but a reality.
Save Our Education
Say No To Paltry Education Budget
Education Is Our Fundamental Right
Sign:
Comr. Ijaduoye Olasunkanmi
NAPS National P. R.O