• Friday, March 29, 2024
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2014 education budget proposal will bring improvement – stakeholders

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Stakeholders in the nation’s education sector say government’s 15 percent hike in the 2014 budget proposal over that of 2013 shows promise and is capable of bringing some relief to the troubled sector, despite falling short of the UNESCO 26 percent recommendation for significant impact.

Nigeria’s 2014 budget proposal for education is N493 billion, representing 10.7 percent of the total national budget proposal of N4.6 trillion. It also amounts to a 15 percent increase over the 2013 budget.

Education stakeholders say that with this, there is a chance that some of the myriad problems of the sector can be resolved or reduced. They list the problems as including inadequate funding, infrastructure decay and shortage of qualified teachers, as well as failure to upgrade existing teachers to match evolving trends.

Stakeholders, who spoke to BusinessDay, said that with the right partnership between the Federal Government and education operators at various levels, there would be quality improvement.education

Adolphus Toby, head, Department of Banking and Finance, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, said the 15 percent increase was a clear indication of the plans of the present administration for a sector that had over the years been neglected by successive governments.

Toby observed that aside from the budget increase, some functions in the educational institutions needed to be outsourced under a Public Private Partnership initiative, rather than putting everything in the hands of bureaucrats who may lack the required training, experience and focus.

“I hope that with this increase in budget and proper management of these resources, the education sector will begin to operate better,” he said.

Analysing the contributions from the various arms of government to the success of the budget, Toby called for adequate funding from state governments, stressing that this would further aid the Federal Government’s efforts.

“I think that there is the need for these agencies and government to coordinate their policies and ensure that at the end of the day, there is a chain of coordination and impact,” he said.

Peter Okebukola, former executive secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), said the proposed budget for education in 2014 was heart-warming, as there had been an increase in the education allocation each year since the present administration took charge. He added that it was an indication that the government recognised the power of education in addressing many of the challenges facing the country today.

“Education is the clear solution to a lot of the problems facing the country and the key for unlocking natural resources. It is often said that education will not solve all of society’s ills, but without education, no solution is possible,” he said.

“Through quality education, the challenges facing Nigeria, relating to youth unemployment, crime and insurgency, will be severely reduced. We should, however, note that if our investment in education is not sustained at a high level over the next decades, the 2014 performance will be a flash in the pan, we will fail to reap the dividends of such high investment in education,” he added.

He further observed that the increase, when considered alongside the recent N200 billion the Federal Government promised to universities, was indeed commendable, adding that the increase was a necessary condition for the growth of the education sector, and that the impact, if properly implemented, would go a long way to effect significant improvement.

“Government across levels should put money in secondary, put money in the basic education, so that by the time they come into the university system, the pupils are good quality material,” he said.

Tolu Odugbemi, vice chancellor, Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), lauded the present administration for the 15 percent increase in the proposed education budget, saying it would help strengthen the sector the more, even though the country was yet to meet the 26 percent UNESCO minimum recommendation.

“If we look at education operationalisation globally, be it primary, secondary or university, there must be a progression in Information Communication Technology (ICT), well-equipped laboratories, and conducive classrooms to facilitate learning in its ramifications. Many universities in our country do not have equipment,” he said.

Bothered by the inconsistency in policy and the plethora of challenges that bedevilled the sector last year, Odugbemi called for an education agenda which every minister in that sector must strictly follow.

“We cannot achieve our vision without human development in training and retraining teachers. We should endeavour to effect partnership with universities abroad for effective research work. We cannot talk of effective government outside education,” he said.

On his part, Yinka Gbadebo, national president, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), applauded President Jonathan for the improvement in the budgetary allocation to the education sector, while maintaining that the government had realised the need to invest more in education in a bid to foster overall economic growth and state-wide development.

In 2013, the education sector gulped 8.7 percent of the national budget, the first time since independence that the sector would top the national budget.

By: KELECHI EWUZIE