Proposed national minimum standards will boost secondary education, NSSEC, Akwa Ibom govt agree
Dennis Udo – Udoma, Uyo
The National Senior Secondary School Education Commission (NSSEC) and the Akwa-Ibom State Government have agreed that the proposed national minimum standards would set benchmarks for the establishment and operation of senior secondary education in the country if implemented.
It is believed it would also significantly reposition the sector which had suffered neglect, deterioration in terms of infrastructures and equipment, leading to production of poor quality students.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Iyela Ajayi confirmed this during the opening ceremony of the critique workshop for southern zone on the draft document on the minimum standards for Senior Secondary Education in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday.
The Federal Government had in it bids to reposition the sector saddled the Commission with the responsibility of prescribing minimum standards documents that would enable the operators of subsector to function in line with the goals and aspirations of Nigerians education.
Ajayi said that the views of the zonal workshop would be harmonised with that of the workshop held in Bauchi State for the Northern zone, before the validation of the documents.
“We are gathered here today to critique the draft National Minimum Standards of senior secondary education in Nigeria and this exercise is for critical stakeholders in the southern zone. We had earlier held the first workshop on the same issue at Bauchi to cover the Northern zone of the Country.
“When approved and implemented, the minimum standards would set bench-marks for all aspects of senior secondary education in Nigeria. Also, the national minimum standards would play an important and critical role in the repositioning of senior secondary education in Nigeria.
“There will be harmonization of the views on the minimum standards from the northern and southern zones. Next would be the validation of the document and then to the JCCE and finally to the National Council on Education for final approval.
“We are confident that when, released and implemented, the Minimum Standards would revolutionise senior secondary education in Nigeria,” Ajayi said.
The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pst Umo Eno, while declaring the workshop open said there was urgent need to revisit the school system with a view to establishing certain minimum standards if the Country is to be fixed again.
Represented by the deputy governor, Senator Akon Ayakenyi, the governor noted that “Nigeria can’t grow beyond the quality of our school system, adding that the giant strides recorded by developed nations of the World are always traceable to their school system
“Education is the heart of our socio economic development. We can’t grow beyond the quality of our school system. The giant strides recorded by developed nations of the World are always traceable to their school system.
“If we sincerely want to fix Nigeria, we must re-visit our school system with a view to establishing certain irreducible minimum standards in the quality of personnel, infrastructures and curriculum,” the governor said.
He, however, commended the Executive Secretary, Ajayi and the leadership of the NSSEC for taking steps to regulate the sector.
