Adequate funding for public education, challenge to FCT authorities ― Perm Sec

Mr Christian Ohaa, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Permanent Secretary, says adequate funding for public education has always been a challenge.

Ohaa said this at a One-Day Education Stakeholders Conference on Sustainable Funding Options for FCT Public Schools and Vocational Centres, organised by FCTA Education Secretariat on Thursday in Abuja.

According to Ohaa, this is not surprising in the FCT,  considering the high education standards in the territory at the fraction of the cost of private education.

“The challenging economic situation has also encouraged many parents to withdraw their children from private institutions and enrol them in public schools.

“The attendant result is that our facilities become overstretched and this puts a lot of pressure on the government to provide amenities in terms of classrooms, school furniture, instructional materials and so on,’’ he said.

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Dr Bala Liman, Secretary, FCT Education Secretariat, said the theme of the conference, “Seeking Sustainable Options for Funding of FCT Public Schools/Vocational Centres”, was timely.

He said the conference was organised against the backdrop of the need to develop a framework for addressing the funding of FCT with particular reference to addressing issues.

“This issues revolved around the management of school charges as well as seeking alternative options for operational cost in these schools/vocational centres,’’ he said.

Liman said the conference was conceived after careful consideration of the myriad of complaints and reports in the media on school charges in the FCT public schools system.

The secretary said the secretariat was confronted with issues that required urgent interventions that included determining and justifying how free education was in the territory in the light of some charges being paid in public schools.

Liman advised the participants to be open-minded, forthright and constructive in presentations and contributions.

He assured them that the Secretariat would take note of all suggestions made with a view to producing a comprehensive position paper for school/vocational centres funding to the FCT Minister for approval.