Stakeholders bemoan poor funding of public schools, indict elite

Stakeholders in the country’s basic education sector have bemoaned the attempt, by design or coincidence, to emasculate public schools through poor funding.

National Association of Local Government Education Secretaries of Nigeria (NAESN), yesterday, accused the elite of contributing to the destruction of public schools, to the benefit of private schools, which they establish as business ventures.

They stated this during NAESN’s two-day retreat in Benin City, Edo State.

The retreat, according to the association, is aimed at taking stock of basic education nation-wide, as well as the challenges and achievements of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act, 2004.

Administrative secretary/consultant of the association, Nicholas Agboola, said, “Nigerians will attest to the fact that the elite have destroyed public schools system and built their own.”

He said the education secretaries were at the base of managing UBE programmes in schools at their various councils.

Lamenting that Edo delegates were absent at the retreat despite being the hosts, he added, “I was made to understand that they (Edo delegates) were absent because a private firm in Lagos is the sole manager (consultant) of public schools in the state.”

National president of the association, Dr. Hassan Sule, said the retreat would afford the education secretaries opportunity to explore their potential.