Education experts have called for adequate funding of the sector for increased teachers’ performance. The experts also advocated for innovative ideas to create a sustainable financing scheme for the teaching profession.
They spoke at a one-day roundtable discussion on sustainable financing for the teaching profession in Lagos, organized by Human Development Initiative (HDI) in partnership with Actionaid Nigeria under its ‘Breaking Barrier Project’.
Adebukola Adebayo, an inclusive education expert, said Lagos has the highest number of government-owned inclusive schools in Nigeria. He, however, pointed out that not much investment has been made on the teachers to deliver inclusive education in the state.
According to Adebayo, there are less than 200 inclusive education teachers in public primary and secondary schools serving over 15000 disability pupils and learners in the state.
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As a result, the few teachers are overstretched, which is negatively affecting the teaching outcomes in the state. According to him, some of the special teachers spend their personal resources on pupils with disabilities in ensuring they are in school and learn.
Adebayo added that though Lagos has two legal frameworks expected to drive its inclusive education; the special people’s law and inclusive education policy, most of the provisions in the two frameworks are far from being met.
He, therefore, called for a review to ensure that they come with timelines deliverables.
Olufunso Owasanoye, the executive director, HDI, and Kyauta Giwa, the coordinator of the Breaking Barriers Project, Actionaid Nigeria, both posited that the quality of teachers determines the society’s standard of education; hence government and other stakeholders must promote and ensure quality teachers within the education sector.
Stephen Oyebade, a professor of education management at the University of Lagos, said the education sector would not improve until the welfare of teachers is taken seriously.
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