By Martin Odiete, Abuja

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Ach Sonny Echono has laid the blame of the seemingly slow pace of the nation’s educational development on poor budgetary allocations. 

Echono said this on Tuesday in Abuja when he received the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services, who visited on an oversight function.

He said that due to the significant role of education in the development of the country, it is pertinent that the National Assembly and other relevant agencies do an overhaul of its budgeting parameters and consider improving allocations to the education sector.

Lamenting the Eighty-Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Eight Million, Five Hundred and Twenty-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy-Two Hundred Naira (N84,728,529,572) the sector received in the 2020 Appropriation Act, Echono stressed that it cannot cater for the yearnings and challenges of the sector.

He subsequently appealed for more budgetary allocations in the 2021 budget, if the country is to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs), by 2030.

According to the Permanent Secretary, budgetary allocations to the sector needs to be improved as the country’s tertiary institutions are plagued with a lot of challenges, including shortage of lecture theatres, hostel accommodation, obsolete laboratories and library facilities.

Echono added that the sector is also faced with lack of adequate security infrastructure in tertiary institutions and non-completion of National library headquarters complex.

He stressed that the challenges have hindered proper assimilation of knowledge that the institutions are supposed to impart to students.

The Permanent Secretary said that despite inadequate funding, a lot has still been achieved in the development of the nation’s tertiary institutions.

He disclosed that to reduce or end strikes in the nation’s institutions, arrangements are ongoing to constitute visitation panels to deal with some of the challenges facing varsities with a view to finding lasting solutions to the problems.

Echono also revealed that the sum of Eighty-Six Billion Naira (N86,000,000,000) has been paid to members of academic unions of the tertiary institutions as earned academic allowances between 2013 to 2019 financial years.

He added that approval has been granted for a pension fund administrator to handle the pension and gratuities of staff of Nigerian universities. 

In his remarks, Hon. Aminu Suleiman, Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education and Services and leader of the delegation said the visit was not for fault finding but to build synergy with the Ministry on enhancing better service delivery in the nation’s tertiary institutions, within its limited resources.