Infrastructure decay, dilapidation our major challenge —NERDC boss

The executive secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Professor Salisu Shehu, has lamented the high level of infrastructural decay and dilapidation, making it difficult for the council to maximally deliver on its mandate.

According to an official of the council, NERDC, was not among the professional bodies and councils that the Federal Government has stopped funding, noting however that the council is poorly funded with little or no capital budget to carry out renovation of infrastructure and other requirements to function effectively.

NERDC is a key agency responsible for implementing educational policies in Nigeria and has a significant role in curriculum development, book development, and educational research.

The NERDC boss, who saw the opportunity of the visit of the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, to the council to adequately brief her on the challenges being faced by it, solicited the intervention and assistance of the Federal Ministry of Education in the areas of infrastructure overhaul and development.

The minister was said to be at the Council Headquarters, Sheda, Abuja, to familiarise herself with the council as well as look into how the government could support the council as part of broader efforts to transform basic education in Nigeria.

Professor Shehu earlier informed the minister that NERDC had been doing its best in areas of its mandate delivery, but in terms of physical infrastructure, there is the need to come to the council’s aid as it seeks intervention funds for infrastructure renovation, renewal and development.

While thanking the minister for the honour done to NERDC by her visit, the executive secretary of NERDC noted that he invited her to come to the council in order to witness firsthand and see for herself, the level of infrastructure decay and dilapidation in the council, “hence, the need for the intervention so that council, as the ‘think-tank’ of Nigerian Educational System, can be the conducive environment it was supposed to be for conduct of Educational Research and Development activities.”

He told the minister that the core mandates of NERDC include the conception, formulation and conducting of policy driven educational research; promotion and formulation of a National Book Policy as well as, promotion and development of curricula at all levels of the nation’s education system.

In her response, the minister stated that she was very familiar with the Executive Secretary and his abilities; hence, she had no fear or doubt about his delivery capability.

While commending the Executive Secretary for his grasp of the mandate and activities of NERDC within this short period of appointment, she assured the council that the ministry would do whatever could be possible, to give NERDC 100 percent support for the council to perform at its optimal level.

The minister, however, expressed worries that the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) is bitterly complaining of constant review of books used in schools by publishers leading to wastage of scarce resources in the purchase of almost the same books year after year, after the book covers have just been changed.

She called for a Book Policy that would stipulate a time frame before the revision of any published books used in schools.

She equally observed the non-uniformity of the implementation of National Language Policy on use of Mother tongue as language of instruction in basic schools where some states have it till primary 3, others have up to primary 6, and other states are using it even in senior secondary level and beyond.

Ahmad informed that the National Council on Education at its last meeting, had given approval for the review of the National Language Policy, urging NERDC to take into cognisance concerns raised so far, in formulating new policy on language.

She called for an assessment of educational policies before carrying out reviews, so that whatever policies approved for implementation, must be uniformly implemented.

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