Foundation, NAE seek declaration of emergency in education sector

The Seed Care and Support Foundation and Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) have called on the government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector to holistically address the challenges in the system.

The Executive Director of Seed Care and Support Foundation, Olanrewaju Oniyitan, made this call in the face of the alarming number of out-of-school children.
She appealed yesterday at the launch of the foundation and inaugural conference in Lagos.
Oniyitan urged stakeholders to recognise and support the role of low-fee private schools in advancing educational access in Lagos State.

Speaking on the significant number of private institutions serving low-income communities, the executive director emphasised that achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on quality education for all requires a collaborative approach, involving both public and affordable private education sectors.

Oniyitan called on government agencies, private stakeholders and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) to uplift these low-fee private schools, which, she noted, are essential in reaching children, who might otherwise be left behind.

Meanwhile, the President of NAE, Prof. Kabiru Isyaku, proposed that there is a need to declare an emergency in the education sector because it affects all other sectors of the nation’s economy. Isyaku made the call at the 38th Annual Congress, 2024, held in Abuja. The theme of the congress was, ‘Nigerian Education System: Past, Present & Future.’

He said that the national policy on education was last reviewed over 10 years ago, stressing that the declaration of emergency would allow the government to assemble experts for the policy review, and address challenges in the sector.

He emphasised the necessity of appropriate compensation for personnel within educational institutions, along with the timely disbursement of their salaries and other entitlements as stipulated.