Proposed 15% education budget: NAPS berates NEC, demands UNESCO’s 26% recommendation

The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has rejected the 15 per cent proposal for education budget by the National Economic Council (NEC), affirming that they stand by the 26 per cent recommendation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The student body lamented that the education sector has suffered enough ‘malnutrition’ from budgetary allocations in time past, stressing that “it is very saddening that a nation as big as Nigeria still doesn’t give education the needed attention and dedication.”

NAPS, in a statement made available to Nigerian Tribune, and signed by NAPS national PRO, Comrade Ijaduoye Olasunkanmi, said: “At over 10.5 million, Nigeria has the highest number of children out of school in the world. This is a matter of national urgency. The nation’s education sector is thoroughly bleeding from the primary school to the tertiary level. Poor funding; incessant strikes; preference for foreign certificates; better job opportunities; advanced teaching methods; and opportunities to combine study with a job are all key factors that have driven so many Nigerians away and would keep making them flee if these issues are not promptly addressed.

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“For the umpteenth time, there has been a call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector across the country but all efforts proved abortive.

“If the government doesn’t know, it does no harm if we remind them of the amount of risk our dear nation is putting herself into by having many children out of school. The bigger problem is that 60 per cent of those affected children are in the northern part of the country where terrorism is growing at an haemorrhaging rate.

“An idle hand, they say, is the devil workshop. The two most dreaded blood-sucking group in Nigeria are taking advantage of the lackadaisical attitude of the government to education and making these innocent children become tools for war. Fingers that should be busy with pipettes and burets are now busy counting bullets, brains that should be busy solving mathematics are busy counting casualties, kids who should only read histories of war in class are now facing the misery of war amid fears.”

It further stated that the “Government-financed schools have practically collapsed due to poor funding leaving affected children with no option than to wander around.

“Nigeria undoubtedly has betrayed these children and the only reasonable compensation is to get them back to class, motivate them by providing a peaceful and conducive atmosphere to ease their learning process.

“How do we provide all these things without adequately funding the education sector? How do the government intend to motivate the teachers without injecting a larger percentage to that sector? It is impossible to achieve national educational goals without the needed financial ammunition.

“Provision of quality education for all will definitely contribute to the overall set of national goals of sustainable development.

“According to the statistics from the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s external debt rose from $10.32bn in June 30, 201,5 to $22.08bn as of June 30 this year which means external debts has grown by 114.05 per cent in the last three years. The most worrisome of this bad development is that most of the loans are spent on rail tracks in Abuja while almost all educational institutions in the country are “shouting for help”.

“If the government had put the necessary infrastructure and learning environment in place, that would in turn inject world class graduates into the labor market and strengthen our economy, with a stronger economy the loans can be paid without defaulting.

“We seek a complete overhaul of the education sector and a rebirth, this should be done by bringing well-resourced and digital stakeholders together through a national education conference wherein a lasting remedy will be proffered.

“On that note, the leadership of NAPS implore the NEC under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Professor, Yemi Osinbajo to review the proposed allocation. We also call on international communities to throw their weight behind our struggles and make this not just a dream but a reality,” it said.