Pastor Peters Omoragbon, the Edo State governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), has his promise to make education free and compulsory for Edo people up to the secondary school level.
Omoragbon, who unfolded his agenda to the people at the weekend, said that indigenes of the state, who are in higher institutions of learning would also enjoy free education.
The NCP candidate maintained that through education a society reproduces itself in terms of passing to the new and fresh generation, the shared societal culture, mode and quality of management of different sectors of the economy, technological and scientific skills and knowledge, production of new sets of people with various skills.
He lamented that in spite of the centrality of education to national transformation, the nation’s educational system has virtually collapsed, stressing that only about 50 percent of children of school age are in school at all levels.
Omoragbon stated: “The national literacy rate of 57% lags behind the average for both industrially underdeveloped and industrially developed countries. From primary to tertiary levels there is acute shortage of teachers, textbooks, basic infrastructure such as building, equipment and furniture.
“The libraries, where they exist, have no current literature. The laboratories, where they exist, are poorly equipped. The end result is overcrowding, poor sanitation, poor working environment, poor quality of teaching, cult-related violence and general declines in the standard of education.
“The problem is compounded by poor condition of service, non-payment of salaries as and when due, threats of job insecurity, leading to brain- drain. On the whole, the Nigerian education system can be described as schooling without learning. This is because for much of the time, schools are shut down due to legitimate incessant strikes by the staff or justifiable protests by the students themselves.
“In most cases, only a few months are used to cover the syllabus for a whole year. At the end of the day, the graduates of the school system are hardly better off, in terms of knowledge acquisition, than they were before they were admitted.”
Omoragbom stressed that if elected governor of Edo State, his administration would deal decisively with the crisis of education in the state, even as it would adopt and implement the universal policy that regards education as a right, not a privilege.
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He said that his government would build more classrooms, offices, lecture halls, laboratories and libraries at all levels and properly equip the schools, colleges and universities with the tools, equipment, infrastructure, machines, books, and journals.
He also said he would carry out massive investment in the training and re-training of teachers at all levels and employ more teachers and lecturers and might be appropriate to attain the required lecture-student ratio applicable at different levels, discipline and faculties.
“My administration will motivate the staff in educational institutions by paying attractive and competitive wages and salaries as and when due and paying attention to their other welfare needs, make education free and compulsory up till secondary level.
“We will provide free education up to university level for those who desire and are capable of undergoing higher education, and ensure equal standards in all public schools in terms of staffing, physical structure and equipment.
“There will be free and nutritious mid-day meals in all public nursery, primary and secondary levels. In respect of post secondary institutions, the NCP government will heavily subsidise meals.
“We will guarantee the right of education irrespective of ethic, gender, religious or age differences. Educational opportunities shall be provided from cradle to grave. Private involvement in education delivery will not be discouraged but established statutory standards relating to private educational institutions will be strictly enforced.
“My administration will also invest in higher educational institutions as excellent centres of research. All institutions of learning from nursery to university levels including adult education shall enjoy access to advanced telecommunication services and facilitates.
“We will guarantee the right of independent students and trade unionism in schools and campuses, ensure genuine academic autonomy for educational institutions by making direct statutory allocations to them and industrializing democratic management by the involvement of students, teachers and the non-academic staff in decision making bodies.”
