By Philomina Attah
The Secretary General, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Dr Mike Ike-Ene has raised concern over Federal Government’s plan to stop funding of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).
Ike-Ene, who expressed the concern during a news briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the withdrawal would pose a threat to the education sector.
According to him, education stands as a cornerstone for national development, and in Nigeria, NSSEC plays a pivotal role in shaping the secondary education space.
He emphasised that the NSSEC being a creation of the National Assembly(NASS) must be funded by the federal government and called on the NASS to intervene and prevent the NSSEC from being financially strangled.
“NSSEC is a legal entity created by an Act of the National Assembly of Nigeria which makes it imperative to be funded by the Federal Government.
“There is no executive power or office that can abrogate the existence of an Act of NASS without first of all returning to it for legislative proceedings,” he said.
He added that NSSEC has never been part of the Orosanya Report, which recommended agencies of the Federal Government to be self-funding.
He further warned of dire consequences for Nigeria’s educational system if the funding was halted.
He pointed out that the federal funding was crucial for maintaining educational standards, providing resources, training teachers, and updating curricula.
He expressed concerns that without federal support, the NSSEC may struggle to bridge educational disparities between states, leading to a decline in the quality of education.
He also warned of potential challenges in infrastructure development, teacher motivation, curriculum development, and educational research and innovation.
“The proposition to remove the NSSEC from federal funding brings forth a myriad of disadvantages that necessitates an evitable policy U-turn by the Federal Government in order to avert the concomitant time bomb in the educational journey and stability of the Nigerian State,”Ike-Ene explained.
He then called for careful consideration of the implications of excluding the NSSEC from federal funding, urging policymakers to prioritise the nation’s educational development and future stability.
“As Nigeria navigates through her educational course, diligent discrete consideration of the implications of such decisions are compelling.
“This is to ensure the nation’s educational space is sustained, stabilised, reinforced, made robust, equitable and conducive for national building and in furtherance of the Renewed Hope of the Federal Government. (NAN)
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