NANS urges reform of public schools, distributes materials to Gombe pupils

THE National Association of Nigeria Students has expressed concern about the deplorable state of public schools in the country and urged the Federal and state governments to bold steps in revamping the sector.

NANS President, Comrade Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, decried the situation where private schools have become the mainstay of moral and educational development young Nigerians is not healthy for our the society.

He noted that while Nigerians in leadership positions in the country were products of public schools, the public school system have been pushed to the background through neglect and abandonment.

He said the occasion of 2017 Children Day celebration, which was marked on May 27, “calls on the Federal Government to refocus on public schools as the cradle of cultural, moral and academic formation of future leaders.

“We believe that Nigeria public schools could reclaim its past glory if governments at all levels take interest in provision of critical infrastructure, capacity building for teachers and expansion of facilities to accommodate the growing population.

“It is distressing that there is a spiraling growth of private schools while in most states the number of public schools remains stagnant in spite of increasing population of children in need of access to functional primary education facilities.”

Obasi, said public schools should not be the dumping grounds for children of the less privileged members of the society, but the mainstay of the nation’s well planned and developed educational policies for building a new generation of future leaders equipped with proper knowledge and moral training.

“This calls for a constant review of curricular to match modern trends, training and retraining of teachers and upgrade of educational facilities so that instead of serving as poor alternatives, public schools will remain as our national pride in education complemented by private schools and not the other way round,” he said.

He added that in line with NANS’ resolve to encourage state governments that are doing well in the area of education and social welfare of young Nigerians, the student body has distributed over 15, 000 exercise books and writing materials to primary school pupils in Gombe State.

“This gesture by NANS is to challenge the pupils to devote themselves to education as key to a better future and reach out to these future leaders by reminding them to draw inspiration from their Governor, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who has become a shining example of what education can do in the life of any dedicated young person.

“As a nation’s greatness depends on the quality of its citizens, we believe that all hands must be on desk to ensure that the future of Nigerians is well catered for so that their tomorrow would be better.

“The Federal Government should focus on education as potent weapon in the fight against corruption and other social ills,” he said.