Stakeholders Urge National Assembly to Pass Bill on Senior Secondary Education Commission

Kuni Tyessi

Stakeholders in the education sector have called on the National Assembly to reconsider the resuscitation of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) Act which was described as inoperative since its enactment in 1999, and pleaded for the passage of the bill.

This was made known in the stakeholders’ submissions to the Senate Committee on Education during a public hearing in Abuja recently.

In a statement, which was signed by its Head of Media and Public Relations, Fatima Bappare, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Benjamin Abakpa, stated that the bill seeks to repeal the National Secondary Education Commission Act N0 47 of 1999 LFN CAP N73 2004 and enact the name: National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).

Abakpa stated further that: “The bill seek to infuse and expand the functions of the commission in line with the present reality in the country and also seek to stream line the composition and functions of the state Senior Secondary Education Board.”

Speaking also, the Chairman, Governing Board of the commission, Dr. Nimota Akanbi, in her remark stated that the passage of the bill would help the commission to provide effective guidance  and oversight functions on broad policy issues, adopting best practices, monitoring institutional projects and getting funding outside the government to improve the facilities and infrastructure, which are the hallmark of outstanding Senior Secondary Education Commission.

She stated further that: “The commission, in quest of repositioning senior secondary education, will improve community participation and foreign country relationship in our senior secondary schools, as well as partnering the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) in updating the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum.”

She then appealed to the Senate Committee on Education to pass the NSSEC Bill into law, adding that the commission and its stakeholders are eager to have the amendment of NSSEC Act of 1999 align with current realities.”

Speaking earlier, the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawal, who declared the public hearing opened, said the Senior Secondary Education is a formative stage in education, and as such, adequate attention must be paid to get it right.

He beseeched the stakeholders to come up with good submissions that would help the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education headed by the Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Gaidem, to find a good outcome in legislating on it.