Corona College Urges State of Emergency on Education

Uchechukwu Nnaike

Worried about the level of insecurity in the country and its effects on education, the Corona College of Education has called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the education sector.
The college also advocated value re-orientation and transformation to adequately address the precarious state of the country’s education system.

The college stated this during its third public lecture in Lagos recently.
Speaking on the theme ‘Emergent Security Issues in Nigeria: The Facts, Puzzles and Remedies for the Education Sector’, the Director-General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, appealed to the government and every stakeholder that identifies with the problems of education in the country not to handle the security issues with levity.

“People really need to know what it means when there is a crisis in a sector. It means that the country cannot make any meaningful economic development or growth if we don’t fix that sector,” said Osaghae.

He explained that challenges, ranging from banditry to civil unrest, kept students out of school, making youths easy recruits for bandits and terrorists.
Osaghae added that although insecurity is a global problem, the government must see education as a veritable tool for curbing violence.

“Government must find a way of providing security for the sector. The nation must seriously invest in education if we must catch up with the rest of the world on economic and infrastructural development.”
He also called for a technological-driven curriculum that will develop youths’ job competencies and help them add value to the system.

The call to action came amidst concerns about Nigeria’s failing education system. According to UNICEF, one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria. Though primary education is officially free and compulsory, the report said more than 10.5 million of the country’s children aged 5-14 years are not in school.

In her remarks, the college’s Provost, Dr. Olajumoke Mekiliuwa, said the lecture’s topic was chosen to capture the numerous security threats confronting educational institutions, from primary, secondary to tertiary schools, in recent times.

“Government should embrace more actions and less talk in solving the problems of education which include, lack of innovation, lack of infrastructure and teaching aids, poor funding, and governance,” said Mekiliuwa.