Humanity Impact and Inspire has called for more investment in education funding to achieve national development.

Development Diaries reports that the non-governmental organisation (NGO) made this call in Lagos while awarding scholarships to some students who are beneficiaries of the NGO.

Founder of the nonprofit Wuraolami Jacobs said the target of her NGO was to award scholarships to 100 students in 2023 and, so far, 20 students have benefited from it.

She further noted that her NGO also takes it as a responsibility to help rebuild classrooms in some schools and laboratory halls.

Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to education has never reached the recommended minimum of 15 percent by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The education budget allocation in 2015 was 10.79 percent; in 2016 – 7.9 percent, in 2017 – 6.1 percent, in 2018 – 7.1 percent, in 2019 8.4 percent, in 2020 – 6.5 percent, in 2021 – 5.7 percent and in 2022 – 5.4 percent.

Also, the country’s running education budget is about 8.8 percent of its total appropriation for 2023, which is still less than the UNESCO-recommended benchmark.

Despite being the second richest country in Africa, Nigeria spends less on education than all but one (Somalia) of the ten poorest African countries, according to data from the World Bank.

It is no longer news that the budgetary allocation to the sector since the start of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration still struggles to meet global standards.

Development Diaries joins Humanity Impact and Inspire in calling on the incoming federal and state governments to make education funding a priority.

Photo source: Oxfam International