Education: BBYDI Advocates Proper Funding, Review of Curriculums
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Education: BBYDI Advocates Proper Funding, Review of Curriculums
By Kaosara Olayemi Oladimeji
Mr Olasupo Abideen, Executive Director of Brain BuilBrain Builders’ Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), has tasked the federal, state governments, as well as other stakeholders on the need to properly fund education, and review education curriculums.
Abideen made the demand while unveiling BBYDI’s policy brief titled: “Ride to Remote: Towards Improving Nigeria’s Education System Amidst Covid-19″ on Thursday in Ilorin.
The call, he said would ensure that learning and learning methods meet current realities and as a result, overcome the unforseen challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said in the last 10 years, the budget allocation for education is less than 10% (AVERAGE), urging the government to take education seriously and improve investment in education to prepare young people for the present work life.
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In his words, “As we all know, the world was brought to a standstill in the year 2020 with the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in many countries. The pandemic affected almost all sectors of our lives, with the education sector emerging one of the worst hit.
“In different parts of the world including our dear Nigeria, educational systems were disrupted leading to temporary closure of schools and other academic institutions.
“Government at all levels and school authorities were obviously not prepared for this unprecedented disaster. The abrupt closure of schools therefore resulted to learning losses and increased inequality in accessing education for students, particularly in the northern part of the country and other disadvantaged communities,” he noted.
He, however, said Nigeria’s internet penetrative is currently poor, “Therefore the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) must collaborate with the ministry of education to ensure that Higher Institutions and their surbubs have access to quality Internet”.
He further urged NCC to deepen its efforts to implement the National Broadband Plan to improve internet penetration across the country.
The BBYDI boss remarked that, “The National University Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and other accrediting agencies should include digital latency as part of accreditation criteria for higher institutions,” adding that “Improving digital frontiers of higher institutions should not be at the behest of the school management, rather, it should be a legal mandate, for the establishment and maintenance of the institutions.”
In the same vein tasked management of higher institutions, “To invest in digital technology for distance learning,” stressing that, ”the pandemic has brought a new wave of education systems and institutions are struggling to adapt.”
