If there is any reason as to why Elder Sheriff Oborevwori led Delta state Government must pay disciplined attention attention to funding education in the state, it is the recent news report that the senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State, Chief Ede Dafinone, recently, paid an unscheduled visit to Sapele Technical College, the second oldest technical college in Nigeria, where he bemoaned the present state of dilapidation of the institution.
The development apart from vindicating well meaning deltans that persistently advocate for proper funding of education in line with UNESCO budgetary requirement, also painful is the lawmaker’s description as worrisome the current state of disrepair of the college, noting that Sapele Technical College, aside being the second oldest technical college after Yaba Technical College in Nigeria, is the first technical school in Delta, and it is owned by the state government but has been without power for the past two years, while its workshops for practical is in complete disrepair.
Regrettably, instead of tackling the kernel of issue elicited by the senator, i have in the past few hours of the publication watched pro-state government commentators underline that the Senator, is a member of the opposition party, The All Progressive Congress (APC), and therefore, his judgments were more political than factual, adding that the school is not as bad as was painted. I have also seen others argue that this is not the time to hold our state governor accountable for such an ugly scenario as he is new and just settling down. To others, the only remedy for this problem is simply to encourage parents to accept fate as across the world, education is neither easy nor cheap to fund.
Without a doubt, the immediate past administration in the state has done appreciably well for the sector. Take, as an illustration, Delta state under Governor Okowa’s first term in office witnessed the
renovation/reconstruction/
However, even though my previous opinion articles, commentaries and interventions favored or supported policies and decisions of the Delta State government,(past and present), the truth is that the current state leadership is bound to face confusion in their minds if the present reality at Sepele and other schools is allowed unaddressed.
Why the state governor needs ample courage to tackle the present challenge created by poor funding of education in the state is that while the Sapele case exists in the open, many others may in a covert/subtle manner be in that condition. If the Sapele experience is a challenge, others may be a crisis.
Take as an illustration, a few months ago, the pictures of the sorry state of Oyoko Primary School, Abavo, Ika South Local Government Area of the state went viral.
Similar to the Sapele description by the Senator, the Oyoko disturbing pictures also showed visibly distressed structures and dilapidated classrooms laced with fallen ceilings, windows and doors. Going by the pictures and accompanying commentaries, it cannot be characterized as an overstatement to describe such a ‘scene’ as deplorable, dehumanizing, troubling, in a bad light, bracingly in contravention of international best standards and, most importantly, a reality that all well-meaning Deltans, including our dear governor, should worry about.
More touchingly, that such a ‘learning environment’ still exists in the state could be considered a sure sign that the state did not learn any lesson from the ghastly experience recorded a few years ago at Okotie Eboh Primary school, Sapele area of the state or may have allowed such experience go with political winds.
Surely, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that our schools work and our children are properly educated at the right time. But in this particular case, if the state fails to do the needful, it will again dispatch another sign of a government unmindful of the fact that our children should enjoy the right to education as recognized by a number of international conventions. Most importantly, not taking action to address the situation will simply mean our youths/nation by extension is faced with a bleak future.
To change the narrative,the state government must openly admit that there are large number of youths in the state that are knowledge/education hungry and daily project vividly and openly their potential, character, behavior, performance skills and talents that need to be nurtured in a conducive environment and fairest fees. And achieving this objective of giving them proper education will among other demands require the state government’s sincere recognition of the right to education as a human right, and practically uphold Nigeria’s membership of a number of international conventions, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights where the right is respected.
In a similar vein, the state should make an effort to increase state budgetary allocation for education as education is the bedrock of development. That ‘with sound educational institutions, society is as good as made –as the institutions will turn out all rounded manpower to continue with the development of the society driven by well thought out ideas, policies, programmes, and projects.
The State Governor urgently needs to find a new approach to demonstrate that he truly loves education, especially as any developmental plan in the state without youth education delivered in a well-structured learning environment and fair fees will amount to a mere waste of time and effort. Taking such action will in the opinion of this piece offer him an edge over others in the leadership corridor. This is the way to go.
Jerome-Mario is the programme coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA).Lagos. He could be reached via jeromeitomi@yahoo.com or 08032725374.
