The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has called for a declaration of a state of emergency in education by all tiers of government to rescue the sector from near-total collapse.
The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrazaq AbdulRahman, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at a two-day conference on the learning crisis in Nigeria organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Abdul Rahman, who was represented by the vice chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, decried the myriad of challenges bedevilling the education sector in Nigeria.
He noted that education in Nigeria is in crisis and called on both the federal and state governments to declare a state of emergency on education, targeting the basic level, while stressing the need for immediate action to bridge the learning gaps observed at the elementary school level.
He also urged all the governors to ensure that the budgetary allocation to education is raised to between 15 and 20 per cent and above.
He noted that the NGF is a critical stakeholder in the provision of quality and affordable education in Nigeria.
The governor further noted that the protracted insecurity in the country has negatively impacted education.
Speaking on efforts to address the challenge of out-of-school children in Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde said his administration has brought back to classrooms over 50,000 children in the last four years.
He noted that in the past, Oyo State used to be the only state in the South-West with the highest number of out-of-school children, disclosing that his administration is tackling that headlong through improved allocation to the sector and bridging the infrastructure gap.
“To have an educational system that is progressive and sustainable, you must commit between 15 and 20% of your budget.
“When we came in, we met it at about 5% in Oyo State, and Oyo State happened to be the only state in the South-West with the highest number of out-of-school children.
“We had to do something; we tackled it headlong; we prioritised our budget; and we have to put our money where our mouth is. Now, budgetary allocation to education in Oyo has been hovering between 16 and 21% in the last four years.
“And we saw results quickly; in four years, we were able to take over 50,000 out-of-school children off the streets and bring them back to school.
“We have substantially been able to bridge the infrastructural gap within the period as well,” he said.
On the declaration of a state of emergency on education, Makinde said, “I do support the call for a state of emergency on education. But it is not just to mouth it; it must be backed by action.
“You must provide the resources and also look at the issues militating against achieving that sustainable growth. It is one thing to declare a state of emergency and another to put all the resources and elements needed to achieve the goal together.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised concerns over the slow progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG4), which aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Chief of Education, UNICEF Nigeria, Saadhna Panday-Soobrayan, lamented that sub-Saharan Africa has achieved just 41 per cent of SDG4 commitments.
“Only 18 countries have achieved 80% of the SDGs, while Sub-Saharan Africa has achieved just half of the SDG commitment.
“Only half of Nigeria’s children are developmentally on track in early childhood, and 60% participate in organised pre-primary learning, leading to late primary entry and poor learning outcomes,” she said.
Panday-Soobrayan added that the quality of teaching in Nigeria is limited by poor pedagogical skills and a lack of teaching and learning materials.
She said, “Nigeria has a shortfall of approximately 195,000 teachers at the primary level. Only 84 per cent of primary school teachers and 59 per cent of JSS teachers are qualified.
Over 60% of public JSS classrooms in Borno, Kano, Kaduna, and Kebbi have no teaching materials. Global data show that Nigeria could achieve a higher level of learning outcome given its pupil expenditure.”
UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Ms Cristian Munduate, emphasised the need for targeted efforts to address the learning loss in the country, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
She noted that the pandemic worsened the existing education crisis in the region, with many children losing access to education due to the closure of schools.
“For Nigeria, convening a conference on the learning crisis is opportune as the government defines its priorities for the education sector in the new Ministerial Strategic Plan.
“Just as Nigeria has galvanised significant support around the out-of-school problem, so too must it give attention to the learning crisis that is fueling the out-of-school problem in Nigeria,” she said.
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