Student leaders lament poor state of sector

The National Association of Polytechnic Students, (NAPS) has frowned at the paltry sum allocated to education in the 2020 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Of the total N10.33tn budgeted for 2020 by the Federal Government, N48bn was allocated to education.

In a statement by the president, National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Mohammed Eneji, the group enjoined government at all leve4ls to give priority attention to education to enhance the nation’s growth and development.

“We hereby appeal to the Federal Government to give priority attention to education by improving its budgetary allocation to the sector in line with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) recommendation of 26 per cent. This would enhance the proper funding of our educational system and in no time, we would have world-class institutions where research work will be done, “he said.

The association also called on other state governors to emulate their Kaduna state counterpart, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who enrolled his son in a public primary school within the state.

Eneji also commended the rector of DS Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, Ogun State. Prof Alfred Fatade for shelving the proposed increment in tuition fees and averting crisis in the school.

“We commend the Ogun State government for its effort to make quality education affordable to the poor by rejecting the planned hike in tuition fee for state-owned institutions.”