2024 Budget: Seven Percent of N27.5 Trillion Allocated To Education, Below UNESCO Benchmark, Senator Cries

By


2024 Budget: Seven Percent of N27.5 Trillion Allocated To Education, Below UNESCO Benchmark, Senator Cries 


Adedoyin Oguntade 

In a recent Senate session on December 1, during the second reading of the 2024 Appropriation Bill, several lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro, voiced their concerns about the current allocations for education. Representing Benue South, Senator Moro criticized the inadequacy of educational provisions in the bill, citing a clear gap in meeting the demands for improved funding in Nigeria’s education sector.

The focal point of Senator Moro's criticism was the 7% allocation for education proposed by the Tinubu administration, which he noted is significantly less than the 26% recommended by UNESCO. This benchmark is part of UNESCO’s global standards for education funding, aimed at enhancing educational infrastructure and quality.

Senator Moro highlighted the ongoing discontent from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) regarding this issue. He underscored the urgency of increased financial commitment to education, as advocated by UNESCO. The senator pointed out the tendency of Nigerian students to seek education abroad due to insufficient resources at home, underscoring the need for substantial improvements in domestic educational facilities and funding.

Further emphasizing the issue, Tribune Online refers to UNESCO's 'The Dakar Framework for Action' from the Education For All Report (2000-2015). This framework calls for governments and donors to significantly increase their financial support to the education sector. According to UNESCO, this is crucial for accelerating progress towards Education For All (EFA) goals. The recommended financial commitment involves allocating 4-6% of a country's Gross National Product (GNP) to education, with a specific 15-20% of the government budget earmarked for this vital sector.

Senator Moro's call to action reflects a growing consensus on the need for Nigeria to align its educational budget with international standards, emphasizing the critical role of education in national development and the future of the country's youth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breaking Barriers: Exclusive Interview with the Only Female Bus Driver on OAU Campus

By
Image
By Esther Ademola The Icons Organization, in collaboration with Great Ife Network, recently conducted an exclusive interview with Mrs. Elugbaju, the sole female driver on the OAU campus. Standing out as the only woman among the Towngboro drivers, Mrs. Elugbaju has sparked curiosity about her motivation. During the interview, she shared insights into her experiences and shed light on her journey as a female driver in a male-dominated field. Question : Can you introduce yourself? Mrs Elugbaju : My name is Mrs Elugbaju. I am one of the driver of buses in the campus, I'm the only lady. Question : How did you become a bus driver especially in a University like Obafemi Awolowo University? Mrs Elugbaju:  I'm a civil servant. This is just a part time job for me. After office hour like 5:00pm, I do bring my bus and I will be loading from campus to gate and from gate to Campus like around 7:30pm-8:00pm then I will go back. READ ALSO: OAU Secures Two Gold Medals in Judo at FA...
Read more

Fresher's Week'24: Students' Union Holds Freshers Inter-Faculty Debate

By
Image
By  Adetunji Oluwafemi The Great Ife Students’ Union on Monday, 3rd November 2024, held its planned inter-faculty debate for freshmen. The debate is part of the events that have been prepared for Fresher’s Week 2024. The event experienced a slight delay, as the venue was moved from the 1000-seater to Oduduwa Hall by the order of the school management, which requested that the initial venue be vacated because the office of the Vice President, responsible for the event, failed to seek permission before using it. The event began at 12:35 PM. Faculties were paired and assigned topics: the Faculty of Administration and Science had the topic "Corrupt Democracies are Preferable to Dictatorships"; the Faculty of Agriculture and Dentistry debated on the topic "Subsidy is a Necessary Compromise of the Government, and Should be Implemented in Areas of Essential Public Domains"; the Faculty of Arts and Technology had the topic "Civil Disobedience is a Moral Wea...
Read more

Nights of Horror: Men Invade Moremi Hostel At Night. Here's what they did

By
Image
MOREMI HALL: A Tale of Night Stories: When Will It End? In the quiet corridors of Moremi Hall, a disturbing series of events has shaken the residents, raising questions about security and the unknown intentions of an elusive intruder.   It all started two weeks ago when the inhabitants of Moremi Hall were awoken to the cry of a lady, "Ole! Ole! (the Yoruba name for thief). At exactly 5:00 am, a guy who was wearing a mask was seen darting across the corridors. He was said to have stolen phones, and while he tried to escape, he was seen by some ladies who raised the alarm.   An eyewitness who will like to remain anonymous said he ran out of the kitchen and jumped down from the second floor to the ground. He sustained minor injuries, and to reduce the chase, he let go of the phones, which he had put in black nylon.   The Moremi residents were able to recover their phones, but he escaped through a gutter, and no one knows where he went. The porters were informed i...
Read more