FG, stakeholders urged to raise education budget to 20 percent

A Professor of Educational Management in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Akinrotimi Oyetakin, has called on the Ministry of Education to join hands with other stakeholders to sponsor a bill at the State and National Assemblies to increase annual budgetary allocations to education not below 20 percent.

Oyetakin whO gave this recommendation during his inaugural lecture held on Tuesday and titled “Cost Explosion and Expenditure Implosion of Tertiary Education: Equilibrium Heresies In Motion.” said increasing the current budgetary allocation to the education sector to 20 percent would help to sustain inclusive and equitable basic education for all.

The Don also recommended the urgent need to establish a new agency and new strategies on additional funding, explained that it is important to remove parasites plaguing education.

He said, “The Ministry of Education should join hands with other stakeholders of education to sponsor a bill to the legislative arm of the governments at both Federal and State levels to increase their annual budgetary allocations to education not below 20 percent.

“There is an urgent need to establish the Education Emergency Relief Ageney of Nigeria (EERAN). The agency shall carry out functions on emergency management of educational institutions in Nigeria which is currently facing fierce terrorism and
natural attacks.

“Disaster Management: The process of disaster management in schools involves four phases; mitigation, preparedness,
response and recovery.

“Aside from the multi-faceted roles of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the real challenge for every Nigerian is to the problems and prospects of managing emergencies.

“In the light of these issues, it is imperative to eliminate the entrenched financial Super-parasites and super-viruses plaguing the tertiary education system through the outlined integrated approaches to education financing,”

The Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, in his welcome address commended the university lecturer for his scholarly contributions to the University.

Ige said “The inaugural lecture is a significant academic engagement that reinforces the University’s commitment to scholarly research.

“This lecture contributes to sustaining a vibrant academic culture within our community. The lecturer’s scholarly contributions have greatly enriched the University.

“He has successfully supervised 17 postgraduate students, including four PhD candidates”

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