Press Statement
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) demands upward review of
the proposed allocation to the education sector in the 2017 appropriation bill.
The bill which was presented to the joint session of the National Assembly by
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday 14 December 2016 contains a proposed allocation
of a paltry 6 percent to the education sector.
According
to the bill, a total of N540.01 billion will be spent on education in 2017 with
N398.01 of this sum going for recurrent and N142 billion for capital (Vanguard
newspaper, 22 December 2016). For a federal education budget that is meant to
cater for 36 federal universities, 25
federal polytechnics, 22 federal colleges of education, 104 federal unity schools
and many federal monotechnics , this allocation is too low and incapable of
meeting the needs of the sector.
Already
the federal government is in deficit to the tune of N800 billion on the NEEDS
assessment intervention funds to revitalize public universities and over N60
billion Earned Academic Allowances to lecturers. This is aside debts owed
non-teaching staffs in the federal universities, staffs of federal polytechnics
and colleges of education as well as teachers in the 104 unity schools aside
numerous collective agreements awaiting implementation.
Therefore,
given the enormity of the crisis bedeviling the sector, a responsible
government would commit massive funds to revitalize the education sector.
Regrettably, it appears that the Buhari government is as clueless and irresponsible
as the Jonathan/PDP government it replaced. At this stage, we must sound a note
of warning to members of the National Assembly that they will be failing
Nigerians if they choose to pass this appropriation bill without increasing the
allocation to education. We therefore urge the members of the National Assembly
to increase the budgetary allocation to education in the appropriation bill to
at least 26 percent of the total budget as recommended by UNESCO.
Without
mincing words, the education component of the 2017 appropriation bill is a
letdown in many ways. First and foremost, it shows that just like past
government, the Buhari government is neither concerned nor serious about
addressing the crises bedeviling the sector. Secondly, it shows that all the
lofty promises made on the campaign trail by President Buhari and the APC were
mere hot air.
Today, Nigerian
students are studying in primitive conditions not compatible with the
requirements of 21st century education. Many universities,
polytechnics colleges of education and monotechnics lack the most basic
facilities and materials for quality learning. Laboratories where they exist
are decrepit with kerosene stoves being used as Bunsen burners. Classes are
often overcrowded and held in ramshackle structures converted to lecture rooms.
Most libraries are denuded of relevant materials and books. Recent warning
strikes by ASUU in December last year and SSANU, NASU and NAAT in January 2017
are indications of what is to come. If the allocation to education in the 2017
budget is not increased as demanded, the result will be chaos and disruption of
academic calendar as different workers unions embark on strikes to press home long-term
demands on salary, allowances and working conditions. This is why the ERC is
calling on the Federal government to increase the budgetary allocation to education in the 2017 appropriation bill.
We are not
unmindful that the country is in an economic recession. We are equally aware
that several apologists of the federal government are always quick to use the
economic recession to justify every anti-poor policies of this government
including the paltry allocation to the education sector. But outside of the
fact that this argument is at best specious and hypocritical, we are of the
opinion that it will amount to gross irresponsibility on the part of the
government to sacrifice public education under the guise of bailing out the
economy out of recession. This will in no way help to surmount the economic
quagmire but further deepen it. In actual fact, investments in public
education, job creation, increase in the minimum wage and a plan to redirect
the economy from profit to meeting people’s needs are the antidote to the
economic crisis. Therefore, if the Federal Government is so much sincere to
rescue the economy from recession, the salaries and allowances of political
office holders, which is very outrageous, must be reduced to a level not higher
than the national minimum wage and wastages like foreign trips, exotic vehicles
and numerous others which are provided for in the proposed budget must be
eliminated. The excess funds derived should be ploughed into funding public
education, health care and other social services.
While
calling for proper funding of education, the ERC equally deem it imperative to
also call for democratic management of schools to ensure that the funds are not
looted or mismanaged. Otherwise an increase in the education budget will only
end up enriching Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts. There is already too
much corruption in the education sector.
The spate of allegations against head of tertiary institutions bear this
out. Only democratic management of schools through the involvement of elected
representatives of staff unions and students unions in decision making organs
can stem this tide of corruption and ensure that funds allocated to the education
sector are judiciously spent..
Hassan Taiwo Soweto Ibukun
Omole
National Coordinator
(07033697259) National
Secretary