Declare State of Emergency in Education, School Proprietor Tells Govt
The founder of Showers Christian High School, Port Harcourt, Mrs. Ekama Akpan has called on government at all levels to declare a state of emergency in education to stem the rot in the system and position the country for development.
She also warned Nigerian parents against being in a hurry to send their young children and wards to foreign universities.
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, Akpan noted that the future of the country depends on the quality of the output from its educational institutions, adding that there is need for government to take conscious decisions to improve the quality of teachers and regulation of the sector.
She also appealed to parents and the media not to leave the development of the sector to government alone as the result could be disastrous.
“The future of this great country depends on the quality of our education and the children we train. We must make the children know that their parents will not be there forever. Also, parents must start talking because most of our youths are now drug addicts, who engage in all forms of criminality.
“We need to see how we can encourage parents to look into the education sector. If you leave the sector for government and politicians, they will reduce the quality of education in the country. The more private schools we have, the better for us.
“To have quality education, we must pay teachers, buy books and pay more attention to ICT. The policies of both federal and state governments in the sector must be transparent.”
On the cries of some private school owners against government regulation, Akpan insisted that government has a right and should ensure regulation of the sector to ensure that all schools meet minimum standards.
She however said the regulation should be transparent and carried out by officials who have passion for education. “Government has the responsibility to regulate the education sector. If it regulates well, things will change for the better.”