New Education Policy Under Way – Jonathan

Tony Ailemen

20 May 2011

Abuja — President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday gave indication of a new-look federal ministry of Education saying he is considering a separation of pre- and tertiary education as different job schedules for the two ministers handling the ministry.

The president stated this yesterday at the State House, Abuja when he received the report of the Presidential Task Team on Education, chaired by Professor Pai Obanya.

The report recommended, among other things, a splitting of the ministry into two as it was too large and complex whereas tertiary education was expanding exponentially.

But Jonathan while thanking the committee for a job well done, promised to start the new administration on May, 29 with the recommendations of the committee ,

argued against splitting of the ministry in favour of redesigning the job schedules of the two or three ministers that would be assigned to man the ministry.

He noted that one minister can specifically handle pre-tertiary education while a minister of state can be saddled with tertiary education.

This is just as Jonathan reiterated that the administration’s commitment to Vision 2020 will be incomplete without strengthening the country’s educational system.

“Education is core to whatever we want to do as a nation. Nigeria cannot make much progress towards the attainment of its Vision 20-2020 unless we strengthen our educational system.

“We will therefore do our best in the next four years to reposition our educational sector in a way that the entire nation will appreciate,” the President said.

He opined that neighbouring countries should be sending their children to acquire solid education in Nigeria and not the other way round.

The task team’s other recommendations include non-creation of new parastatals in the education ministry and reforming the 6-3-3-4 system as the policy is not essentially bad but should be made more result oriented.

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