By Gabriel Dike, Bianca-Iboma-Emefu (Lagos), Obinna Odogwu (Awka) and Jude Chinedu (Enugu)

It is no longer news that the presidential candidates of the various political parties have emerged. Some have even gone further to unveil their manifestoes.

However, there is no doubt that the nation’s education sector is in a shambles. It requires political will to overhaul the system and allocate adequate funds to tackle the rot.

Currently, public universities are grounded due to strikes by ASUU, SSANU and NASU.

Some presidential candidates have unfolded their education agenda. The standard-bearer of All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, said he would allocate 25 per cent of his budget to education, continue with the school-feeding programme and end the incessant strikes in tertiary institutions. 

His Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, vowed to break government monopoly in some sectors. He promised to spearhead education reform to be driven by innovation, science and technology.

Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) promised to overhaul the education sector and ensure adequate funding.

However, professor of Political Science and former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Obasi Igwe, has picked holes in the programmes of the candidates: “The PDP candidate can never bring anything good to the education sector going by his past and by his agenda. That agenda is a danger to society.

“At a time that governments the world over are employing public resources to improve the standards of living and competitive edge of their peoples, the PDP candidate released a vow to break government monopoly in all infrastructural sectors and allow the market greater leverage in determining prices.

“He did not make education an exception, and so-called market forces in education that are already only benefitting the rich shall further escalate the already terrible school fees to students and parentally suicidal levels.”

On Obi: “The candidate of the Labour Party is a reputably good ‘liberal’ economist. And because of his dislike of corruption I personally have a great liking for him. I also like his entry into the presidential race to give the two corrupt but dominant parties a good run for their money and arrogance.

“I’ve severally heard of his agenda to develop the economy and on education, to overhaul the sector, but yet to know in what direction and on whose behalf. He returned public schools to religious bodies. This led to escalated school fees, discriminatory admissions of innocent children on the basis of faith. It was disguised intrusion of denominationalism/religion into public policy in an officially secular state, an unnecessary fire still simmering till today.

“The Tinubu educational and related agenda are clear, social democratic and therefore welfarist: increase the education budget to 25 per cent and health to 10 pet cent for the good of everybody, in a country where prosperity is broadly shared by all irrespective of class, region and religion.

“I stand by these social democratic objectives of Bola Tinubu. I am not surprised of his position. Tinubu inherited a culture in which education and to a good extent also good health being considered as rights instead of privileges, are made free for every citizen without any distinctions.

“As a former teacher I know first-hand about the hungers, wicked school fees and other charges killing students and their parents.”

Former Deputy Chief Whip, Anambra State House of Assembly, Nze Tony-Uche Ezekwelu, said: “APC and PDP are only playing politics with the minds of our people.

“Tinubu is the leader of the APC and his party has been in power close to eight years and instead of improving, they have failed the nation’s educational system.

“Atiku was vice president for eight years. He has been around all these years they couldn’t do anything. Rather, they brought down education more and more. Most of them, their children study abroad; some built private universities with the funds they looted from the Nigerian system.

“Whatever the PDP candidate or the APC is saying, they are just playing politics. They are trying to play politics and get our votes again like they had done severally in the past.

“If you look at Peter Obi’s own, people can believe him. You know why?  As the governor of Anambra State for eight years, in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), he overhauled the education system of Anambra. I don’t know what he can do as a Labour Party man.”

A school administrator and social entrepreneur in Enugu State, Chief Chukwuma Okwnwa, suggested that anyone that emerges president should reposition the education sector to produce job creators rather than job seekers:

“I am pleased with the education agenda by the leading presidential candidates. Whether it is the increase in education budget as proposed by Tinubu or making our educational system compliant with the technology and innovations suggested by Atiku or a rather more revolutionary approach of overhauling as put forward by Obi, the beauty of it all will be in the integration of all of these ideas towards reviving our dying educational sector.

“More budgets for education will mean more investment into infrastructure and staff welfare with less likelihood of ASUU strikes. Integrating technology into our educational processes will make learning fun, more productive and give our graduates a global competitive edge. 

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“Talking about overhauling our educational sector, it is indeed long overdue and a necessary move to give education its noble place and meaning in our national development endeavours.

“The few that have released their programmes about their proposed interventions in education sector are yet to convince us how they intend to raise all of the money for the needed investment into education. Even the 25 per cent of the budget as proposed by Tinubu will still be very poor to have a well-funded education.

“Areas I would want them to address will be to invest more into research and development, as well as in raising entrepreneurs through education.”

Deputy National President, Joint Action Committee (JAF), Mr Achike Achude, said any presidential candidate can say anything; tout any figure as future allocation for education: “The issue is not the what, but the how.

“It is good that Tinubu recognises the importance of properly funding education. But how will he fund education with 25 per cent of the budget given that the country is spending as much as 90 per cent of her revenue for debt servicing, leaving very little for capital expenditure. And yet it is critical for national survival to properly fund education.

“Atiku is talking about education reform. What exactly does he mean by that? He is right about driving education with technology, science, and innovation. Atiku’s statement on breaking government monopoly in all sectors is worrisome. Has government not already done enough in divesting from areas where she had firmer control? In education, does that mean privatization?

“I think that as for Peter Obi, he has shown enough practical interest as former governor of Anambra State to be taken seriously on his commitment to education in our country. He took the state from number 25 to number one in the country in a matter of a few months.”

NANS Zone D Coordinator, Adegboye Olatunji, said the proposed education agenda are white elephant projects, “because promises are not real in this country. And that is why NANS served as watchdog to checkmate them.

“Atiku’s promise to spearhead education reform driven by innovation, science, and technology, is a good idea. But he should have given Nigerians facts and a clear picture of how to achieve this.

“Looking at the reality of things in the country, 25 per cent of the annual budget for education is not enough but to be realistic. The percentage will be okay with all the institutions granted financial autonomy. More so, that will eradicate strikes because that is one of the major internal issues between ASUU and Federal Government. 

“We recommend to Tinubu to include an agreement with tertiary institution workers to deliver qualitative education and to ensure a conducive environment for learning if financial autonomy will be granted and systematic checking to standardise our educational system. 

“For Obi, this is also very good at this moment. Total overhauling is essential at the moment in our educational system. But he should give us how he wants to go about it.

“The aspirants that did not deem it fit to give Nigerians their blueprints on education are not ready to serve. We are not likely going to get it right even in the future unless we sanitise our educational system to produce educated minds. We want a world-class standard educational policy in Nigeria and Africa at large.

“The aspirants should promote values in our education system from primary to tertiary education. There should be total review of our curriculums and the process of education in Nigeria to reduce the malpractices and manipulations in our educational system.”

Executive Director, Greenspring Development Initiative, Margaret Mekwuye, said: “Many of the presidential candidates have grandiose manifestos for electioneering. When they assume office they hardly implement their manifestos. We want them to walk-the-talk.

“Lack of document on agenda for education will make it difficult for Nigerians to engage them when they fail to implement their manifestos. I appeal to them to make our schools safe, violence free and secure. They should equally build and upgrade educational facilities and create conducive learning environment for kids with special needs and equally make it accessible for People With Disabilities (PWD).”

“Candidates should increase scholarships awards to meet with the modern trend. They should encourage vocational education as well as promote science, technology and information in the sector.

Execute Director, Glowing Splints Development Initiative, Lagos, Mr Olubunmi Francis, said: “If truly, Tinubu proposed 25 per cent for education in line with UNESCO, it will be a good step in the right direction. So also with Obi’s promise of increased funding for the sector.

“Any candidate without a policy document for the country does not mean well for us and does not deserve any vote from Nigerians. The place of technology and ICT in the education delivery must be addressed in the sector.”                                               

Founder, Centre for Leadership and Creative Entrepreneurs in Africa (LTD/GTE), Mr Kingsley Nwanze, said: “I had anticipated a clear blueprint on the funding of education particularly tertiary education considering the on going strike by university lecturers. Funding should be prioritised.

“It shows that the candidates don’t see education as a veritable tool for development that needs strategic approach in decimating poverty ravaging the country. Their attitude is obviously a continuation of the old order.

“A proposal of 25 per cent budgetary allocation is meagre in addressing the challenges bedevilling our educational sector. I will suggest a 40 per cent budgetary allocation to the sector.”