Education stakeholders want speedy amendment of NSSEC Act

Education stakeholders have called on the National Assembly to reconsider the amendment of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) Act.

The stakeholders, in submissions to the Senate Committee on Education during a public hearing in Abuja recently, said the act has been inoperative since its enactment in 1999 and pleaded for the passage of the bill.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of NSSEC, Prof. Benjamin Abakpa, stated that the bill seeks to repeal the National Secondary Education Commission Act No. 47 of 1999 LFN CAP N73 2004 and enact the name, National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).

Prof. Abakpa said the bill also seeks to infuse and expand the functions of the commission in line with the present realities in the country and to streamline the composition and functions of the State Senior Secondary Education Board.

Speaking, the chairman of the governing board of the commission, Amb. Dr Mrs Nimota Akanbi, said the passage of the bill will help the commission to provide effective guidance and oversight functions on broad policy issues.

It will also help in adopting best practices, monitoring institutional projects and getting funding from outside government to improve the facilities and infrastructure, which are the hallmark of an outstanding senior secondary education commission.

Earlier, the Senate president, Ahmed Lawal, who declared the public hearing open, said senior secondary education is formative and as such, adequate attention must be paid to get it right.