EDUCATION TO BE FREE, EQUITABLE BY 2030, SAYS LASU VC
EDUCATION
TO BE FREE, EQUITABLE BY 2030, SAYS LASU VC
By 2030 there will
be free, equitable primary and secondary education for boys and girls in
Nigeria. There will also be an increase in the number of youths and adults with
relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills for employment,
decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
These were part of
the targets, which education hopes to achieve in the next 12 years, according
to Lagos State University (LASU) Vice Chancellor, Prof Olanrewaju Adigun
Fagbohun.
Fagbohun, who spoke
at the 55th birthday lecture in honour of Chairman, Ad-Hoc Committee on
Education, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon ‘Lanre Ogunyemi, titled:
“Attaining global quality education standards: Prospects and challenges of
achieving United Nations funding target in Nigeria”, in Lagos, listed other
targets to include access to quality early childhood development care and
pre-primary education; equal access to affordable and quality technical,
vocational and tertiary education including university; a substantial
proportion of adults, both men and women, to achieve literacy and numeracy and
eliminate gender disparities in education; and ensure equal access to all
levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including
persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable
situations -most marginalised and hard to reach children.
Fgbohun also said
otehr targets include a substantial increase in the supply of qualified
teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in
developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island
developing states; building and upgrading education facilities that are child,
disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and
effective learning environments for all; and that all learners would
acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development,
including, among others, through education for sustainable development and
sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture
of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural
diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
Fagbohun, a
professor of Law, also included substantial global expansion in number of
scholarships that will be available to developing countries, in particular,
least developed countries, small island developing states and African
countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and
information and communications technology (ICT), technical, engineering and
scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries.
Touching on contemporary
issues affecting education, Fagbohun listed expansion of the education system;
stagnation/declining enrolment (conflict areas); educational wastages;
objectives and content of the educational processes; educational achievement /
condition of learning; quality of educational services and whether the
education system is able to attract and retain quality teachers because the
role of qualified teachers is pivotal to improving quality of education, as
some of the factors militating against education.
Comparing 20th
Century and 21st Century education, Fagbohun said the former placed premium on
knowledge and recall and high standards of reading, writing and mathematics,
while the later emphasises capacity for students to think for themselves and in
teams; ability to think deductively, inductively and creatively; and the
resilience, adaptability and capacity to listen, argue and persuade.
According to him,
teaching more, learning less as against “teach less, learn more” concept; sound
knowledge of basic fact, but lack of motivation for creative/independent
thinking; insufficient infusion of the contribution of culture in our
curriculum (Loss of Identity, ethics and values); and insufficient leverage on
cultural diversity as an agent of economic growth, contributor to quality of
life, and magnet for talent are some of the issues for concern that are unique
to Nigeria.
Stressing the
importance of quality education, Fagbohun said it will help ensure fundamental
human right and dignity and forms the basis for the realisation of other human
rights.
According to him,
quality education is the key that will enable the achievement of other
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is a vital investment in human capital
with substantial benefits to the individuals and nation’s economic development.
Dwelling on the
relationship between quality education and adequate funding, Prof Fagbohun said
adequate funding promotes quality education facilities, quality learners and
learning environment, quality content and quality graduates.
According to him, a
recent global report on education funding revealed that level of investment in
education is critically low and that there is global education/ learning crisis
among the poorest and most marginalised children.
The report also showed
that more than 250 million children are either dropped-out of school or not
able to read, write or count well enough to meet the minimum learning
standards, even though approximately half of them have received at least, four
years of schooling.
Highlights of the
birthday lecture included presentation of scholarship awards to 30 pupils of
both primary and secondary schools and 10 students of tertiary institutions in
Lagos State. A total of N2.8million was disbursed to four categories of
pupils/students as scholarship award with categories 1, 2 & 3, which are
primary, junior secondary and senior secondary pupils (30 in all) receiving
N50,000 , N60,000 and N70,000 respectively, while the fourth category,
comprising 10 students of tertiary institutions received N100,000 each.
The celebrator, Hon
Ogunyemi, while addressing the audience, said the birthday lecture was part of
his contributions to the education sector which, he said, deserved all the
attention it should get as it is pivotal to all human endeavours.
