Victor EzejaA Nongovernmental Organisation, Save the Children International (SCI) in Nigeria, has urged the Federal Government to increase funding of the education system in the country to 14 percent in the 2022 fiscal.
The group said the government should make the intervention to ensure access to inclusive and equitable quality education in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.
SCI made the call while commemorating the fourth International Day of Education.
The group in a statement signed by the Media and Communication Manager Save the Children International Nigeria, Kunle Olawoyin, reminded the Federal Government to use the occasion to commit itself to the pledge made by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Global Education Summit (GPE).
Buhari at the GPE in 2021, pledged to increase education funding to 14 per cent by 2022, 16.7 per cent in 2023, 20 per cent by 2024, and 22.5 per cent by 2025.
“Education is no doubt at the heart of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. It is a singular act that is needed to reduce inequalities (Goal 10), reverse cycles of intergenerational poverty (Goal 1), and improve health (Goal 3) as well as the vehicle to achieve gender equality and eliminate child marriage (Goal 5).
“It is high time the government and all stakeholders prioritise education as a public good; support it with cooperation, partnerships, and funding; and recognize that leaving no one behind starts with education,” the statement reads in part.
It said that its report on education (2017) in Borno State titled, “Turning Education Around: Responding to the Crisis in Borno State” revealed that one of the key drivers of the conflict in Borno was the pre-existing crisis in education.
“Over the years, especially in northeast Nigeria, schools cannot cater to the high demands of out-of-school children due to lack of adequate funds, technical capacity, and loss of infrastructure, materials, and teachers’ lives because of insurgency.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing education crisis while reliance on digital technology for learning has deepened exclusion and gender inequalities. There are more children out-of-school now in North-East Nigeria than before the insurgency.
“In some other parts of Nigeria, schools do not have the technical capacity to support physically challenged, marginalised, or minority children. Funding remains a challenge to the education system across the board.”
The Country Director, Save the Children International (SCI) Nigeria, Ms Mercy Gichuhi, said, “Children constitute a great number of the world population and they are the future of the society.
According to her, the worst option was to see a generation of children and young people who lack the skills they need to compete in the 21st-century economy or leave behind half of humanity, adding that “the prize of non-providing the necessary skills to the leaders of tomorrow is a catastrophe.”
Save the Children recommended the incorporation of technology in education that is inclusive, prioritises the girl child to ensure no one is left behind in the race to agenda 2030. We ask that teachers be recognised and be provided with professional support so that they can bring innovation to learning.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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