Nigerian Education Minister Tahir Mamman launched an eight-person committee to develop a roadmap for the country’s education sector.
Inaugurating the committee at the ministry on Tuesday, Mamman, a teacher, called on members to help chart a clearly defined path to develop the country’s education sector.
Newslodge previously reported on some of the challenges ahead for the Education Minister when he takes office.
The minister noted that his ministry must address the challenges that have brought setbacks to the sector in recent years.
Priorities
The minister urged the members of the committee to prioritize the treatment of issues such as financial autonomy in tertiary institutions, access and equity, research and innovation, as well as the government-industry-academic nexus.
He said that the global competitiveness of the country’s educational system should also be prioritized.
Mamman also listed some of the most important issues that must include ensuring that “the curriculum from basic to tertiary level meets the demands of our times and the needs of society.”
“I am glad to know that work has started at some level, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels. What we need to know is to what extent we have what we already have to meet contemporary demands for education globally, and if not enough, how to address them,” he stated.
“One thing that I must not fail to add is that we must have an educational system that embraces technology and moves towards a digital future where our education responds to the demands of society. We need to move away from education for its own sake and towards education for development not only of the individual but, more importantly, of the society in which we live”.
The minister praised the efforts of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to address the infrastructure deficit in the country’s schools.
He said the roadmap should go hand in hand with the vision of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said: “On education specifically, our President has declared his commitment and as a priority, among other missions, to re-empower around 10.5 million out-of-school Nigerian children with self-sufficient skills.
“Therefore, we will need a clear roadmap and framework to guide the ministry in achieving these goals.
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“I understand that the four-week deadline may seem too tight, but I am counting on your experience, the availability of the preliminary work carried out by the ministry in the revision of the recently concluded strategic plan, your commitment and patriotic zeal.”
He added that the committee members were chosen based on their backgrounds and involvement in the education sector in the past.
committee members
The committee will be chaired by the former executive secretary of the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Nuru Yakubu, while Joseph Achede, a ministry official, is expected to act as secretary.
Other committee members include former Nigerian Law School Enugu Campus Director Ernest Ojukwu; the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Council for Educational Research and Development, Ismail Junaidu; Sa’ad Umar, former Director General of the Electoral Institute of the Independent National Electoral Commission, all professors. Others include the Shulamite Paul, Garba Ibrahim, and Hindatu Abdullahi.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter for Premium Times in association with Report for the World, which pairs local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-reported issues around the world.