Minister seeks increased budgetary allocation to education

MINISTER of Education, Adamu Adamu, has called for an upward review of the 2021 budget for the education sector.

He made the call in Abuja in his presentation before the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Service who were on an oversight visit to the ministry.

Adamu bemoaned the challenge of out-of-school children, saying it requires urgent attention.

“In our determination to adequately address the issue of out-of-school children in the country, various strategies have been put in place for the 2020 budget.

“Sensitisation of traditional and religious rulers, state governors’ investment in basic education and access to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds, awards of scholarship, and location of schools and literacy centres nearer to the communities for proximity were among the strategies,” he said.

Other challenges, according to him, include acute shortage of classrooms, hostels, laboratories and library facilities.

He also listed inadequate teaching personnel, unqualified teachers, poor and inadequate provision of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) facilities in schools.

Adamu commended the efforts made by the members of the committee to combat these issues and appealed for more support to the ministry.

“We shall continue to give all the necessary support to the committee toward the realisation of its dream of moving basic education sector to greater heights,” he said.

The house committee was also earlier at the Universal Basic Education Commission headquarters where the executive secretary of the commission, Hamid Bobboyi, told legislators that over N70 billion basic education funds had not been accessed by states.