The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has said challenges facing tertiary education delivery in Nigeria are far from over.
Adamu, who stated this at the just-concluded 66th National Council on Education, NCE, in Abuja, cited the recent prolonged industrial action by the academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions, as part of the challenges.
The minister also listed the success of the federal government in its effort to increase access to tertiary education by facilitating the establishment of new Federal specialised universities of science and technology in Jigawa and Akwa-Ibom states, and two universities of health sciences in Bauchi and Osun states.
According to him, his ministry constituted ministerial assessment teams that visited the institutions to ensure that they are in good stead for admission of students in 2022 as part of efforts to ensure the smooth take-off of the new universities in 2022/2023 academic session.
Adamu, however, lamented that despite government’s best efforts and numerous interventions in the past, the country is still confronted with the challenge of out-of-school children, as a result of the general insecurity in the country which also affected schools.
Speaking further on security in schools, he said “So far, during our time, the ministry has: (1) carried out effective sensitisation on the implementation of the Safe School Declaration (SSD) Initiative; (ii) secured $20 million for accelerated emergency funding for the North East zone from Global Partnership for Education.”
He said the government has also “conducted vulnerability survey on schools in order to devise robust security strategies (iv) constructed perimeter walls around schools, installed CCTV/ alarm systems in schools, temporarily abolished boarding in rural areas, coached students and teachers on emergency security measures and created a special security unit for schools.
He added that while the Federal Government, some states and the FCT have done their best to arrest the situation, several other states are lagging behind, even as he called on all states to rise up to their responsibilities, and provide a safe and secure learning environment for both students and teachers.
The theme of the 2022 NCE was “Strengthening of Security and Safety in Nigerian Schools for the Achievement of Education 2030 Agenda.”
Speaking on the theme of the event, the Minister of State for Education, Hon Goodluck Opiah, said it was timely in view of the challenges and incessant attacks on schools, churches, mosques, roads, railway stations and different villages and towns that have become increasingly frequent in news headlines.
“These attacks such as kidnapping, banditry, ritual killings among others in both public and private sectors are confronting us, thereby destabilizing our educational system and obviously eating deep into the foundations of our existence and exposing the sector to traumatic experiences. This trauma, can put our education system in a state of comatose, if nothing is urgently done to combat the menace,” he said.
Opiah called on all stakeholders to collaborate with government to address the state of insecurity in Nigeria as well as proffer practical solutions to the menace of Insecurity that has bedevilled the country’s institutions.
“Therefore, both kinetic and non- kinetic means should be employed to salvage our educational system. These strategies should be emphasized in both National and State Education Sector Strategic Plan,” he said.
