Frank Nweke Jr. tasks FG to focus on education reforms

Worried over the increase rate of school children in Nigeria, the Former Minister of Information Frank Nweke Jr has called the Federal Government to focus more on reforming the education sector rather than placing attention on oil.

Speaking during a reunion of the Old Girls’ Association of the Federal Government Girls’ College Yola, said that a country can be resourceful only when it can offer best quality education.

Daily Times recalls that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had said that over 13.5 million’ Nigerian children are out-of- school.

Hammid Bobboyi, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, said that over one million children have been forced out of school by insurgency in the North eastern part of the country as well as other crisis in other parts of the country, making the 13.5million figure of out-of-school children unreliable to work with for planning and policy making.

Meanwhile, who was represented at the reunion by Michael Magaji, the National President, Federal Government College, Jos Old Students’ Association, said that it is only with quality teaching that Nigerians would be able be to generate wealth.

He said with the best quality education, Nigerians were capable of generating wealth if the right knowledge was impacted on citizens.

“We must look at education reform and position it for the 21st century.

Education is not just in the content but in delivery.

“If you want to know how resourceful a country is, you should first

Count its highly effective teachers and how involved the parents are,” he said.

Lamenting the 13.5m figure of the out of school children, Nweke described the development as a social and moral gap as well as threat to the society.

Nweke said that the role of the association is to help set an agenda for the young students who are coming up.

“This reunion is aimed at creating value in the education sector and also giving back to the school.

“’The message today is how the association would help mentor the young students in school and also train the teachers’’, he said.

Earlier, Dr Antonia Obike, a representative of the old girls in Diaspora, said that they were willing to support education to strengthen the system.

Obike said the old girls in Diaspora were resolved and prepared to give back to the system that made them professionals in their various fields.

Also speaking, Mrs Christy Bature, a representative of the Class of 84, said the association and reunion was all about supporting each other.

Current principal of the FGGC, Yola, Hajia Zulaika Usman Momodu, expressed gratitude for what the association was doing.

She urged that the next reunion of the school be held in the college, so that the students could have an encounter with the old girls to mentor them and encourage them to aim higher and contribute their quota to nation building.

“I have seen their co-operation and really want to encourage them to continue.

“This year alone they installed fans in all the hostels and embarked on many other infrastructure developments in the school.

The high point of the event was the election and swearing in of the New Exco Members, where Aishatu Mohammed, emerged as the new president of the association.