Funding quality education delivery more important than free education — Educationist

An education expert, Dr Dennis Imafidon has charged the government across levels in the country to prioritise funding the provision of quality education delivery rather than talking about free education.

Imafidon made this submission after he was conferred with an honourary doctorate degree of the Prowess University, Delaware, USA, at the weekend.

Imafidon also called on the government at all levels, other education stakeholders, parents, school management and students to be sincere about education funding.

Speaking, he observed that evidence abound that the free education programmes of some state governors were a failure and non sustainable.

Imafidon decried the large turn-out of graduates in the country to the labour world, with less productivity.

He said: «Free education is okay. It is not about free education but about qualitative education. You cannot say education is free, and then you now give something that is watery, whitewashed, lacking lustre, and at the end of the day, people are not properly educated.

«By the time they are through with the so-called education, they are not able to stand alone, defend their certification, and that is where the problem is. A lot of graduates from our many institutions are not employable in the company, firm, industry.

He lauded President Bola Tinubu administration for the Students› Loan saying it would greatly reduce mass illiteracy in the country.

«If we have a qualitative education that is free, it will do us good. In our school, Apex Olive College, we promote education of high repute, including procurement of laboratory gadgets, facilities and infrastructure to aid education advancement», he said.

Earlier, a Togolese Professor of Economics, Olubodun Olayiwola, while delivering a keynote lecture titled “Evaluation of Human Capital Development as a Strategy for Increasing Productivity in an Organisation,” emphasised the need for regular training of workers.

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