Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has disclosed that the Federal Government will not rest on its oars in repositioning education and giving it the desired priority for the attainment of the much-desired national
development.
To achieve this, he added that government will continue to invest on education through its various intervention projects by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, and others.
The Minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka, disclosed this while speaking on the sidelines of the 32nd Convocation of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.
According to him, there is no gainsaying that education is key in the development of any nation, therefore “if we must close ranks with the advanced countries, all stakeholders must work together to surmount the myriads of challenges facing the education sector.”
He added that private sector must partner with government to improve the standard and quality of education in the country.
“Let me at this juncture remind you that there are no challenges in the sector that are insummountable. All stakeholders must work together to surmount the myriads of challenges facing the education sector and to achieve the desired success, partnership with the private sector is very key,” he
said.
Adamu stressed that government’s emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training was a response to the economic realities of the nation as well as catalyst for national development.
“The thrust of the National Policy on Education which is the acquisition of appropriate skills and the development of mental, physical, social abilities and competences as equipment for individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society should guide the sector in its deliverables.
“It is in consonance with this thrust that I urge all stakeholders to ensure that the vision behind the thrust is actualised,” he
said.
Pointing out the institutions of higher learning’s efforts in sustaining both physical and infrastructural development, Adamu said government will continue to emphasise transparency, accountability and good governance in the nation’s higher institutions, while giving the necessary support needed for the tertiary institutions to be among the top ranking ones globally.
Challenging the management of tertiary institutions in the country to seize the available opportunities provided by the government for improvement, the minister said this was important because the solution to emancipating the country from poverty for all round development rests on quality of education it can provide its
citizenry.
“I therefore implore Nigeria’s institutions to work with relevant agencies, industries and researchers with the intention of generating concrete ideas and innovations aimed at tackling prevailing challenges of underdevelopment,” he added.
