The Federal Government has been advised to increase funding for education sector by 14 percent in 2022 to fast-track the Sustainable Development Goals.
A Statement by Save The Children International Nigeria Country Director, Ms. Mercy Gichuhi, to commemorates the fourth International Day of Education, calls on government to ensure inclusive, equitable quality education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all.
“It requires the Nigerian government’s fulfillment of the commitment made at the Global Education Summit GPE 2021, to increase education funding to 14% by 2022, 16.7% in 2023, 20% by 2024, and 22.5% by 2025.
“Education is no doubt at the heart of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. It is a singular act that is needed to reduce inequalities (Goal 10), reverse cycles of intergenerational poverty Goal 1, and improve health Goal 3, achieve gender equality and eliminate child marriage Goal 5”.
“Save the Children recommends the incorporation of technology in education that is inclusive, prioritizes the girl child to ensure no one is left behind in the race to agenda 2030” She said.
The statement notes that Save the Children’s report on education 2017 in Borno State tagged “Turning Education Around: Responding to the Crisis in Borno State” revealed that, one of the key drivers of the conflict in Borno was the pre-existing crisis in education.
“Over the years, especially in northeast Nigeria, schools cannot cater to the high demands of out-of-school children due to lack of adequate funding, technical capacity, and loss of infrastructure, materials, as well as teachers’ welfare”.
“In some other parts of Nigeria, schools do not have the technical capacity to support the physically challenged, marginalized, or minority children. Funding remains a challenge to the education system across the board”.
According to the statement “Children constitute a great number of the world population and they are the future of the society. The worst option is to see a generation of children and young people who lack the skills they need to compete in the 21st-century economy or leave behind half of humanity”.
The prize of not providing the necessary skills to the leaders of tomorrow is a catastrophe. We ask that teachers be recognized and be provided with professional support so that they can bring innovation to learning”.