Stakeholders fault proposed bills on federal unity schools, national exam management council

Stakeholders in the education sector have kicked against the Federal Unity Schools Establishment Bill, 2022 and the National Examination Management Commission, 2022.

This followed a public hearing organised by the Senate committee on Basic and Secondary Education on Monday in Abuja.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Senator Okon Eyakanye (PDP Akwa-Ibom) said the two bills sponsored by Senator Bima Enagi (APC Niger state) and Senator Kabir Birkiya (APC Katsina state) are aimed at providing legal frameworks for the unity schools in Nigeria and the establishment of Examination Management Council.

Senator Enagi who was asked to give the intent of the bills said the proposed law would help to strengthen unity schools in the country as against any politician who might want to abolish the unity schools.

Speaking at the public hearing, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr David Gende, said the Bill when passed into law would duplicate the functions of the Federal Ministry of Education which is the mother ministry.

Adamu said that the Bill undermines the role of the ministry in supervising the different types of examinations in the country.

He disclosed that by giving the role of supervising examination to the proposed examination Management Commission, there would be too many administrative bottlenecks that would result in reckless spending by the federal government.

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Adamu urged the senate to discard the bill as it creates conflict with current educational policies and confuses operations of tertiary institution with that of secondary schools in the country.

He therefore said that the Bill is undesirable, retrogressive, and a waste of public funds.

The minister further stressed that unity schools were established with specific purposes and tempering with it would affect it negatively.

He advised the federal government to establish more model schools that will meet the yearnings of Nigerians.

Registrar, Joint Administration and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyode, said that there is actually no problem with the current examination bodies in the country, as they are all doing well.

Prof Oloyede noted that the bill would only end up causing more confusion as it will create duplication of duties.

Also, Mr. Patrick Arena, the head of WAEC, Nigeria, said that the bill would make room for counter productivity as all examining bodies have governing boards.

Others who called for the discarding of the bill are NECO, UBEC, NERDC, NABTEB,NUT, Unity School Old Students Association (USOSA) amongt others.

The sponsor of the Federal Unity schools establishment bill, 2022, Senator Enagi thanked the stakeholders for their contributions and promised that all neccessary changes would be carried out on the said bill, while noting that the aim of the bill is to have a legal framework that will protect unity schools.

The Committee chairman commended all stakeholders for bearing their minds on the two Bills and assured them that all necessary adjustments will be carried out by sponsors of the bills.