Stakeholders in the education sector are worried over the poor state of education in Nigeria and the inadequate level of government investment in the sector. Therefore, they have called on the government to increase the amount budgeted for education and to be more proactive in fixing the issues confronting the educational sector.
Addressing the percentage of the national budget that was allocated to education, various stakeholders have pointed out that no society can thrive without an adequate budget for education. Some stakeholders also argued that for the nation to nurture the children, who are its future, children have to be educated properly – it is important to ensure adequate funds are put in place for the education of children. Other stakeholders maintain that the need for vocational education, whereby students acquire skills and, in the long run, become employers of labour, cannot be overemphasised.
One such stakeholder, the Principal Consultant at Lonadek, a consulting firm that focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, Dr. Ibilola Amao, called attention to the vital role of attracting and retaining the best brains in the teaching profession. She said, ‘For the country to get the foundation right, there is a need to get the best brains teaching by developing centres of excellence, innovation hubs, and education communities’.
Outlining her ideas for rethinking teacher training and attracting professionals from other jobs into teaching, Amao opined that ‘if teacher training is revamped the best brains are guaranteed. The [better] quality of life [of teachers] will encompass comfortable housing, uninterrupted power supply, resident support and a maximum of 30 minutes travel time to and from work, as well as the best [teaching resources. People will] be enticed to resign from their stressful jobs, with poor-work balance, and relocate to these hubs, centres and education communities’.
Stakeholders in the education sector have called on the government to dialogue with them in a bid to create solutions to the problems facing the educational sector.
Source: Thisdaylive
Photo source: GotCredit
