Kwara State Governor Seeks Increased Investment in Education

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Governor, Kwara State, Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq, has emphasised on the need for the present administration to invest massively in the nation’s educational sector.

This he said is imperative, pointing out that in the next decade, Africa will provide about half of the world’s increase in the working-age population, stressing that investing in future generations’ learning will determine the skill set of these world-shaping young people.

He said as a fervent believer in Africa’s potential, he considers investing in education is the greatest human capital opportunity the world has ever seen.

“But, as with any opportunity, it is going to take commitment to meaningful and lasting solutions for the unprecedented potential of Africa’s future generations,” he said.
To lend his voice to celebrate the International Day of the African Child, celebrated every June 16th, the Kwara State Governor said:

“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” Spoken by Nelson Mandela, these words ring true, eluding time and geopolitical context. For Africa, they resonate today more than ever before because of our historic boom in the population of young people.”

He stated that investing in education is investing in the future, and with Sub-Saharan Africa certainly not lacking potential with its rapidly growing population of young people, prioritising fruitful education systems is essential.

“Unfortunately, this can be difficult, and as always, barriers get in the way. It is these education challenges that contribute to learning poverty, defined as the percentage of 10-year-olds unable to read a simple sentence. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of Learning Poverty is 90 per cent.

Narrowing down to Nigeria, AbdulRasaq said in many States in Nigeria, learning outcomes are not so inspiring, with many pupils being left behind.

“For example, there are areas where, after five years of schooling, the average rate of reading is seven correct words a minute, well below the expected rate. It is figures like this that spark the need for urgent solutions,” he lamented.

“As the Governor of Kwara State, and now Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, I am privileged to see firsthand the transformative power of education and the way its carry-on effects empower the nation,” he he averred.

He noted that In particular, the KwaraLEARN education transformation programme, launched in Kwara State just over a year ago, is delivering a vision and way forward for pupils to learn in a meaningful way.

“Our administration has worked with our technical partner, NewGlobe, and our fine technocrats across different MDAs to build a holistic education system that brings the state a sense of pride. I have seen first-hand the rapid transformation KwaraLEARN has delivered through data-driven pedagogy, innovative learning technologies, and powerful school administration systems,” he assured.

The Governor said with the population of Sub-Saharan Africa skyrocketing, so does the demand for essential services like healthcare, infrastructure, and all the elements that create and maintain a prosperous society.

In his words: “Education is the foundation of these services; it will provide a pathway for Africa’s young people to seize career opportunities. On an economic level, the potential of embracing Africa’s youth population increase through education is obvious
A study co-authored by the Yidan Prize winner Professor Eric Hanushek estimates the value of ensuring all students achieve global basic-level skills.”

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, 94 per cent of youth do not reach basic skill levels, heavily contributing to global levels, which have been estimated at present value to equate to a lost world economic output of more than $700 trillion over the remaining century. This highlights the alarming opportunity cost of not investing in African human capital,” he added.

According to him, civil societal and social cohesion also heavily rest on education, saying that when a young person lacks confidence in their education system and is unable to embrace learning and are put at risk.

He also warned that young people with poor education outcomes tend to have less economic prospects, locking them in a vulnerable position, and increasing their risk of becoming victims of vice, such as human trafficking – something Nigerian governments battle with.

“With more and more pupils to educate, it is incumbent on us as leaders to strengthen the bedrock that is learning,” he advised

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