How to use private initiatives to boost Nigerian education sector — Experts

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•As education stakeholders conference holds

By Adesina Wahab 

For the government to use private initiatives to boost the education sector in the country, transparency and public accountability must be the watchword, some stakeholders in the education sector have said.

They stated this in Ikeja, Lagos during the National Education Stakeholders Conference 2024 themed “Private initiatives and the Nigerian education sector: Gains, shortfall and way forward.” 

Welcoming participants, the Chief Executive Officer of Education Update International/ Education Sector Television International, Mrs Modupe Onabanjo,  said the conference was to evaluate and check if private sector people in the education sector were actually contributing to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. 

“We also here to discuss ways to restrategise on our numerous activities, to note specifically where we are, where we are supposed to be and how to get there. The moment of truth and self assessment. You will agree with me everything is not about the government and the government alone.

“Also, we need to ensure that we are on top of our games and stepping up. We also need to challenge different arms of government where necessary. The government must also be alive to its responsibilities and not just take issues and recommendations from gatherings like this with levity. While the private sector is ready to collaborate with the government, the government must be ready to be accountable too,” she said.

In her key note address, the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, ABUAD, Prof. Sidi Osho, said the current economic situation in the country has further brought home the need for collaboration between the government and the private sector to move the education sector forward.

According to her, the award of scholarships, philanthropic gestures and others to assist indigent students, their parents and help provide facilities in school, had become imperative.

She, however, sounded a warning that if government would not be transparent in the process of the collaboration, then the private sector could be pissed off.

“The private sector is a key driver of innovation. Private companies invest in research and development, which leads to new products and services that boost the economy and improve people’s lives.

“Recently Dr Chris Ogbechie, the Dean of the Lagos Business School, emphasized the importance of partnerships between the private sector and the government to improve education outcomes in Nigeria. He called for a reevaluation of the country’s education funding strategy, stressing that investment in education is crucial for Nigeria’s development. In same context I express gratitude to individuals and organizations in the private sector who have supported the schools / higher institutions in the past years till date.

“Globally, funding of education is a joint responsibility between the public and private sector and Nigeria cannot be an exception. 

In making quality education inclusive, accessible and adaptable to all, there is a need for public/private engagement and partnership in funding and delivery of education at all levels (i.e. Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and specifically Technical Vocational Education and Training). 

While agreeing that there are some factors mitigating against a smooth Public Private Partnership, Osho noted that such could be dealt with by taking some steps.

“The key to unlocking their full potential lies in addressing these challenges head-on. This includes improving the clarity and fairness of PPP contracts, ensuring a balanced risk distribution that does not overburden the public sector, and enhancing transparency and accountability throughout the project lifecycle. By doing so, PPPs can truly leverage private sector resources and expertise for the public good, driving meaningful improvements in infrastructure development, service delivery, and ultimately, economic grow,” she stated.

Reeling out statistics of the poor state of education in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, Osho noted, “The universal access to equitable quality education is Sustainable Development Goal 4. UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics provides a sobering reality that the world is no-where close to achieving this SDG by 2030. 58% of upper secondary level age in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school. 80% of the children in sub-Saharan Africa are still not being taught in a language they speak at home. 15 million primary school and secondary school teachers need to be recruited.

“244- 258 million children and youth  between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide  were out of school in 2021 of which 118.5 million are girls and 125.5 million were boys/ were out of school in 2021 while 484 million children in school are not receiving quality education.”

There is an annual financing gap of $39 billion for attaining universal pre-primary, primary, and secondary education in low and lower middle-income countries. 

“In most low-income countries, less than 5 percent of people have completed tertiary education, and in five countries, the number of poor youth attending university is “not statistically different from zero.” Speaking on “Impacts of effective education budgeting in national development,” Prof. Godwin Oyedokun, opined that government has not paid adequate attention to the sector.

For private school owners, he also advised them to do more regarding drawing their budgets and sticking to reasonable spending pattern.

“Guide against emotional spending and have personal budget. Manage well your personal finances. Be intentional in your budgeting and expenses and make sure everything is balanced,” he said.

In his message, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Adeniran Kasali, described education as a pillar of the THEMES Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He reiterated the commitment of the administration to promoting education through collaboration with the private sector.

Vanguard News

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