Sonekan Advocates 25% of Budgetary Allocation to Education
Former Head of Interim Government, Ernest Shonekan has advocated the allocation of 25 per cent federal and state budgets to education.
Shonekan said unless attention is paid to education the vision of becoming one of the 20 largest economies in the world by 2020 cannot become a reality. He said it can only be realised if conscious steps were taken now to reform and revitalise the educational system.
He gave the suggestion at the opening of a two-day summit on education organised by the Senate Committee on Education in Abuja.
He said for Nigeria to reposition her education and achieve her economic potential there must be massive investments in education.
“This means funding must increase significantly to at least 25 per cent of the annual budgets of federal and state governments or at least five per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, (GDP)’, he said.
Shonekan noted that to improve quality, funding must be substantially beefed up at all levels. “Quality education or anything good for that matter, does not come cheap,” he stated.
President Umaru Yar’Adua however, in his speech presented by Minister of Education Aisha Duku, reiterated that Vision 2020 is realistic and achievable.
“Vision 2020 is realistic and achievable. What is required is the will and determination of government to achieve it. We are resolute in our belief that Vision 2020 is feasible and achievable and we are determined to realise that.”
Senate President David Mark in his remarks lamented that the federal government was biting more than it could chew by dabbling into areas of education, which is outside its purvey.
Mark advised that states and local government should be allowed to run education while the federal government concerns itself with policy formulations.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Joy Emordi explained that the summit was convened to find solutions to the deplorable state of education in the country.
She said a country committed to education for all by year 2015, where more than 10 million children are out of school in 2008 is unacceptable.
