Politics
By Anthony Isibor
PETER Obi, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections has called for increased investment in education and other critical sectors of the economy.
Reacting to the report by the West African Examination Council, WAEC, of the 7.69% decline in students’ performance in 2024 in Nigeria through a post on his X account on Monday, Obi reaffirms the worrying lack of investment in the critical areas of development, education, health and pulling people out of poverty.
He noted that although Nigeria has a literacy rate of over 50%, it is still ranked 187 on the global scale of literacy.
According to him, this is a reflection of a visible lack of commitment to education in the country.
“Our investment in education, as with other critical areas, remains poor,” he said.
Obi decried the situation where a total capital expenditure for the entire education sector, including the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, was allocated N330.3 billion.
He said that such an amount was visibly poor for a country with about 81,520 schools at the primary level and 23,550 schools at the secondary level.
“The aggressive investment in education we made in Anambra State under my administration greatly transformed education in the State, and still bears fruits to this day.
“I sincerely congratulate all the students who sat for the 2024 WASSCE, especially those who made impressive results. I applaud their efforts, hard work, and dedication to their studies, which paid off. And to their respective schools, management, staff, and teachers, especially celebrate you all. Your contributions to the educational growth and overall development of our society remain laudable.
“In the famous words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Our commitment to a New Nigeria where education will be prioritized remains firm,” he added.
Realnews reports that in the WAEC performance report, the percentage of candidates who obtained credits and above in minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics this year, is 72.12% compared to last year’s 79.81%.
Amos Dangut, Head of Nigerian National Office, HNO, of the council, stated that although 1,814,736 candidates registered for the examination from 25,126 recognised secondary schools in the country, only 1,805,216 candidates sat for the examination.
A.I
Aug. 19, 2024
Tags: Amos Dangut Anthony Isibor Labour Party Peter Obi WAEC
