Governors’ forum backs state of emergency in education

• Says sector in crisis, needs solid roadmap

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has thrown its weight behind the call for a state of emergency in the education sector.

Speaking at the national conference on the learning crisis in Nigeria in Abuja yesterday, the Chairman, NGF, Gov. Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman of Kwara State said resources must be provided for sustainable and promising education.

The conference, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has as its theme: “Scaling Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Nigeria.”

Represented by the Vice Chairman of the NGF, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Abdulrahman said education is in crisis, and a state of emergency should be declared in the sector.

He stressed the need to remove all barriers such as gender, poverty, location, disabilities, language and ethnicity, that could hinder children from accessing foundational literacy and numeracy.

“We must follow the UNESCO standard for an education system that is progressive and sustainable. Governors in various states must commit above 15 percent of their budget to education.

“I support the call for a state of emergency, but it must be backed by actions. The resources must be provided, and we must look at issues that have mitigated against achieving that sustainable growth.

“It is one thing to declare a state of emergency, but it’s another thing to put all the resources and elements that will allow us to achieve it.

“So, I support putting the resources in place to allow us to move fast at it. Our education is in crisis, and a state of emergency should be declared in all the sectors. We need a solid roadmap, and I believe it is a collective involvement,” he said.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, said the learning crisis had been a challenge the education sector is faced with, and it needs urgent solution.

“The consequences of the learning crisis are far-reaching, and profound, as we risk widening the already significant education gap, perpetuating a cycle of poverty, illiteracy, diseases and stifling innovation and progress.

“Education is the cornerstone of societal progress and individual empowerment, yet the challenges we currently confront demand our immediate attention, dedication, and action. In recent years, Nigeria has been grappling with a severe learning crisis that hinders our youth from achieving their fullest potential.

“A significant portion of our school-aged population, especially those in underserved communities, face barriers to access quality education. The factors contributing to this crisis are multifaceted, and include inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortage, unequal distribution of resources, outdated curricula, and socio-economic disparities,.”

Sununu said the country must rise to protect the potential and aspiration of the youths, saying they are the greatest asset and hope for a prosperous future.

He expressed hope that President Bola Tinubu has the political will to raise the budgetary allocation of education from eight percent to 25 percent in the next few years.

He said the gesture would be a major breakthrough in addressing the learning crisis issues.

In the same vein, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, said the conference was from the outcomes of the UN General Assembly in September, where countries were urged to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Munduate said this was to regain the lost grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw unprecedented school closures globally.

“For Nigeria, convening a conference on the learning crisis is opportune as the government defines its priorities for the education sector in the new Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP).

“Just as Nigeria has galvanised significant support around the out-of-school problem, so too must it give attention to the learning crisis that is, in fact, fueling the out-of-school problem in Nigeria.

“Three out of four children in basic education in Nigeria cannot read with meaning or solve simple maths problems,” she said.

Also, the Chief Education, UNICEF Nigeria, Saadha Panday-Soobrayan, said the learning crisis in Nigeria begins in early childhood education, stressing that only half of the children were developmentally on track in early childhood.

She said that learning gaps persist across the life course, and are most severe in the northern part of the country.

According to her, by the end of grade nine, only 74 percent of pupils demonstrate foundational literacy, and 69 percent foundational numeracy. She, therefore, said that all hands must be on deck to find a lasting solution to the country’s learning crisis.

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