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 Education Budget: FG asked to double allocation        

Written by Emmanuel Edukugho  
Wednesday, 30 January 2008

While the national budget is undergoing the legislative process of approval as ministries, parastatals and government agencies are providing information required, the allocation to education has not met with the expectation of the stakeholders.

About N210.5 billion, representing 13 per cent of the federal budget was allocated to education with only N47.8 million earmarked for capital projects. So, the bulk of the budget, which is over N162 billion will go to recurrent expenditure like staff salaries, allowances, emoluments, personnel welfare, fringe benefits, etc.

Apart from this lopsidedness in favour of staff emoluments and personnel hiring costs, to the detriment of infrastructural develop-ment, the total allocation to education is grossly inadequate. Moreso, there is no meaningful tracking mechanisms to identify projects implemented.

The 13 per cent budget for education is half of the 26 per cent recommended by UNESCO. Many stake-holders are calling for increase in education funding in Nigeria. Administrator of Holy Child College, Obalende, Rev. sister Sophia Onuora, decried the budget for education in 2008 as it did not meet with international benchmark for quality education delivery.

"The budget for education should be doubled. Education should take the lion share. But the issues of transparency and accountability are important.

 Even if 10 per cent is given to education, only 2 per cent get to the schools," alluding that so much of the funds were stolen or embezzled. She added that tackling corruption may be overwhelming to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) which cannot do much to sanitise the nation.

"Whenever we talk of corruption, we talk of EFCC. Who is EFCC? The problem is our system.

Put Nigerians in USA, UK, they will excel, win laurels and awards. But when they come home to Nigeria, it becomes a different matter, as EFCC will be looking for them over financial crimes. Our system in Nigeria encourages corruption.

It’s survival of the fittest. People don’t obey rules and regulations in Nigeria."

On challenges facing schools, Sophia said that first and foremost, teaching staff should be young at heart in order to keep pace with the students.

"It’s not easy keeping pace with them, or even be a step ahead. These students have great energy, they keep you going and put you on your toes. They have tricks, but teachers must keep ahead.

These students are hormones on two legs. There is need to chanel these hormones in the right direction and not to make mistakes, and to also work with their parents to help cope with these challenges."

She pointed out that children are children everywhere and therefore, important to help them to be properly focused.

"Each person is gifted and unique. If you help a child to identify the gift and talent, he/she will work to success.

If children are not focused, peer group will mislead them. We should remain focused and so help the students to be focused."

On the Nigerian education system, she charged the nation to keep improving and ensure fairness in admission in order to get the best as only those who pass entrance examinations should be offered admission and avoid "entering from the back door".

"We need committed teachers with interest of the students at heart. Parents should co-operate and the society involved. A child is collectively owned. Teachers are not properly taken care of, therefore, using teaching as stepping stones to other jobs.

They should not be treated as second class people because teachers train doctors, engineers, lawyers and presidents." The US-educated school administrator advocated for an overhaul of our education system.

"We have to create a healthy environment for the children to blossom. But if there are no seats for students, 100 pupils to one teacher, over crowded classrooms; these will make them to play a lot instead of studying. Government should be serious in quality and make schooling exciting, teachers well paid, provide comfortable environment and learning facilities."

According to her, to enjoy education now is an uphill task for students and teachers.

"Learning is not there, but people have got good certificates. How come? It’s cheating. Certificates obtained do not portray what they have.

Quality of education should be raised. People should be able to defend their certificates. The discrepancy between certificate and the person carrying it is so wide. So our education needed to be overhauled."

She also called for national unity. "If Nigeria is to forge ahead, we must learn to live together and be one another’s keeper. Nobody chose to be Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, or Efik. God chosed it. It’s an accident of birth, so we should work together for unity."

Sophia revealed that the entrance examinations into six catholic colleges including Holy Child College, Obalende, will take place in March, 2008.

"People who want to appreciate good catholic education are invited. The aim is not to make them catholic, but to raise them as God-fearing, responsible citizens. Since 1945, Muslims have been admitted. Students are not necessarily Catholic, although the schools are owned by Catholic."

Written by Wale Ajao  
Wednesday, 30 January 2008

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) needs up to N30 billion to develop  education and manpower, Education Secretary, FCT, Mrs Felicia Odejide disclosed in an interactive session with journalists in Abuja.

 She said that so much fund is needed because of lack of infrastructure and adequate manpower. The increasing population of the FCT also makes it necessary to commit more funds to the delivery of education and health services. Another reason for the territory to spend so much on education is due to the fact that it is expected to feed existing government and private establishments with adequate manpower. As the seat of the nation’s capital an enlightened citizenry in the FCT will also contribute to overall national growth, Mrs Odejide noted.

To ensure rapid educational growth in the FCT, both local and foreign agencies have been contacted to support efforts being made to develop the area. For example, the American ICT giant Intel was expected to work with the Federal Government and the FCT to implement the one laptop per child project although Intel unfortunately pulled out of the arrangement. Mrs Odejide, however, said that the FG was determined to continue with the programme whose pilot scheme took off in the FCT as there were no plans to abandon it mid-way. The chairman, FCT Universal Basic Education (UBE), Alhaji Hussani Halilu Pai also confirmed that instead of jettisoning the programme, it would rather invest more on the programme. He also said that the ICT Classmate Project which is being run by the FCT in collaboration with Intel would not stop just as he assured that it would be expanded to include more schools.

The UBE boss also disclosed that FCTA Minister, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar had approved additional N150 million to expand the project to cover more schools in the territory adding that Intel was involved in certain aspects of the project because it manufactures chip.

Alhaji Halilu Pai said further that the administration is determined to provide ICT learning facilities in all schools in the FCT. He called on all stakeholders to co-operate with government so as to achieve the laudable goals of educational development.

As he put it, "The Federal Government would not stop the one laptop per child project. We are into it and we are continuing. We are aware of the pull-out of Intel in the global project but that will not stop the project here in Nigeria."

The Intel Classmate Project involves learning with mini laptops in the junior secondary school. It was launched in Abuja last year. The purpose of the programme is to give access to ICT for children in developing countries through the use of laptops.

Intel said it withdrew from the project due to philosophical differences.

The FCT authorities also used the media interactive session to call on education editors in national dailies and indeed all education reporters in both print and electronic media to give adequate and factual coverage to their activities in the area of education and health. The need to mobilise funds for education means that all hands must be on deck. If all citizens must be involved in the development of education, then there is a need for the people to get adequate, reliable and useful information and this is where the media comes in.

Mrs Odejide therefore told education writers both from Lagos and those based in Abuja to cross-check relevant information so that "we can all work together to improve educational services delivery in the FCT."

Similarly, the UBE boss expressed the desire of the UBE to carry along all stakeholders through regular dissemination of information. This is why UBE has organised series of workshops to train its personnel and expose the media to a thorough understanding of its activities.

It is clear therefore that the FCT needs more funds which it could get through the participation of all stakeholders.

Mrs Odejide prayed that this year will witness greater commitment to education by government, parents, teachers and indeed all stakeholders. This is why she solicited the support of both the Lagos based editors and their Abuja counterparts.