Lagos NUT tasks government on education trust fund 

. Says education drifting to abysmal decay
The Lagos State Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), has challenged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to introduce and launch education trust fund to address myriads of infrastructural degradation in public primary and secondary schools.

The union, which expressed dismay at the rate of dilapidated facilities and infrastructure in majority of public schools in the state, noted that it was not just an eyesore but dehumanising to teaching and learning processes.
Speaking at a press briefing in celebration of the World Teachers’ Day, the State Chairman, NUT, Lagos State Wing, Adedoyin Adesina, said education in the state has descended into the abyss of decay with the solo funding policy by the government in the name of free education and zero tolerance for fees or levies of any sort.

He said the call for the launching of education trust fund in Lagos State is most timing, as the fund would assist the government in addressing some identifiable challenges facing the education system.

Adesina said the fund will draw its resources from the corporate social responsibilities of national and multinational companies in the state to address the shortcomings in the field.

“The education Trust Fund will cater to sports grounds, provision of students’ and teachers’ furniture, school facilities like restrooms, clean water, additional school buses and refurbishing of old ones, re-innovation of class rooms, employment of security personnel and sanitation managers.”

The educationist, who spoke on this year’s theme “Young Teachers, the Future of the Profession”, maintained that youths have a significant role to play in the teaching profession in the future following their mastery in the breakthrough in Internet and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

He urged them to leverage on the enormous opportunities embedded in the knowledge space noting that the next world of teaching and learning will not be the same again.

In his remarks, the state secretary, Gbenga Ayetoba, argued that with the enormous resources in the state’s government coffers, these would be done if government musters the will power to formulate right policies, take decisive measures and lead the way.

“The number of students in public schools is declining because of these administrative and management pitfall which has encumbered the penchant of teaching and learning in the state.

The government has no justification to fail in this regard in line with international best practices,” Ayetoba said.

Among other challenges facing teaching progress in the state, the union wants the state government to “address dearth of teachers as old ones are statutorily or voluntarily retiring, build more standard classrooms, erection of befitting office for headmasters.

“The office of the tutor general /permanent secretary created for secondary schools should have its equivalents in the primary schools to give room for equity, fairness and balance. The primary school is the foundation and bedrock of the educational edifice, they must be shown a sense of belonging,” Adesina said.