The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, on Wednesday, called on members to commit above 15 per cent of state budgets to education.
Chairman, NGF and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, made this call a briefing in Abuja, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, with the theme, ‘Scaling Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Nigeria’.
AbbdRahman, represented by the Vice Chairman of NGF, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, said there was a need to remove all barriers to education.
He said,“We must follow the UNESCO standard for an education system that is progressive and sustainable.
“Governors at the various states must commit above 15 per cent of our 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 sectors.
“We need a solid roadmap and I believe it is a collective involvement.”
Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, reasoned that the learning crisis needed an urgent solution.
He said,“Education is the cornerstone of societal progress and individual empowerment, yet the challenges we currently confront demand our immediate attention, dedication, and action.”
He emphasized on the political will of President Bola Tinubu to increase education budgetary allocation from eight to 25 per cent.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, said the UN General Assembly outcomes in September where countries were urged to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Munduate noted this was to regain ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw unprecedented school closures globally.
She said, “Three out of four children in basic education in Nigeria cannot read with meaning or solve simple math problems.
“When children fail to learn to read in the early years, they fail to read to learn in the subsequent years. Failure to learn begins to alienate children from the curriculum and their peers.
“This contributes to the staggering dropout rates each year between the first and last year of primary school.”
