Despite the public outcry to overhaul the education
sector due to out-of-school children, obsolete and lack of facilities, inadequate classes, unqualified and
insufficient teachers among myriads of challenges facing the sector, only 42.96
percent, an equivalent of N25,215,815,214.69, was released against
N58,689,905,930, which was appropriated for the education sector.
Worst hit are the federal universities with 29.64
percent which is N3,281,942,332 as against N11,073,950,101 as appropriated;
Colleges of Education, 40.00 percent which is N957,603,663 against
N2,364,008,340, and polytechnics with 40.00 percent which is N1,071,693,801.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, stated
this on Tuesday through a document released by the ministry when the Basic Education
Committee from the House of Representatives paid a visit for oversight
functions.
Informing the committee that inadequacy of funds and
late release has affected the sector in terms of performance, he said the sum
of N84,728, 529,572 was allocated to the sector in the 2020 Appropriation Act.
Appealing to the committee to assist in the upward
review of the education budget in 2021, he called on state governors to invest
more in basic education, while conditional cash transfers, scholarships and
aggressive enrolment drive for the girl-child among others will be explored.
Adamu said: "In our determination to adequately
address this issue, strategies have been put forth for implementation within
the available resources under the 2020 budget, and this include sensitisation
of traditional and religious leaders, provision of counseling centres for
parents, and location of schools and literacy centres nearer to the communities
for proximity.
"In most of our schools, there's acute shortage
of teachers, while in some schools, unqualified teachers abound in large
numbers in the states. The provision of
classrooms is in short supply as against enrolment in most of our schools.”
The Committee Chairman, Julius Ihonvbere, in his
address, noted that Nigeria is topping the chart in the number of out-of school
children, and pledged the support of the National Assembly towards revamping
the sector.
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