FG Sets to Organize Summit to Tackle Rot in Educational Sector

The Federal Government is planning to organize a summit to address the challenges facing the nation's educational sector.

Minister for Education Professor Ruqayyatu Rufai, who disclosed this to newsmen in Ilorin at the weekend after commissioning some projects at the University of Ilorin, said the summit, being planned by her ministry, would determine and resolve issues surrounding the controversial post-matriculation examinations, among others.

According to the minister, Literature-in-English is now compulsory for students in all public secondary schools.

"I am a university person, and at this time of Nigeria's history, we are particularly interested in quality. Quality is what everybody is emphasizing now. We know that we are emphasizing an aspect too, because we have to ensure equity. But definitely, our mission is to ensure quality to cut across the entire sector. So, that is why we say that post UME, at least for now, is something that we should continue.


 

"And we are pleading with the senators. I am happy that there will be a stakeholders' forum very soon and the outcome will determine the future of the post-UME. But I feel that the issue of ensuring quality is one thing we should be interested in. JAMB is our product also. It is our baby and part of us. We are proud of what JAMB is doing. At least, if universities are going to admit 5,000 students, 3,000 may have applied through JAMB, we may have about 800 or so. So you can have fewer people coming, but the universities also have imbedded in their own Act to now have a say which they actually admit. So, it is very technical. Definitely, I am sure the senators are also looking into this."

On the issue of mass failure in public examinations by Nigerian students, the minister said, "We have been talking about mass failure for awhile. Even last year, we had a stakeholders' forum and this year, we are also organizing one. But if you look at the statistics from the past five years, we have been moving gradually. Each year, we are having a little increase but it is not enough and we cannot say we have passed."