New education standard for secondary schools coming – Dr. Iyela Ajayi

Dennis Udoma

The National Senior Secondary School Education Commission has said that the proposed national minimum standards would set benchmarks for the establishment and operation of senior secondary education in the country if implemented.

It said it would also significantly reposition the sector which had suffered neglect, deterioration in terms of infrastructures and equipment, leading to production of poor quality students.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr Iyela Ajayi, stated this during the opening ceremony of the critique workshop for southern zone on the draft document on the minimum standards for Senior Secondary Education in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State last Friday.

The federal government had in it bid to reposition the sector saddled the commission with the responsibility of prescribing minimum Standards documents that would enable the operators of the subsector to function in line with the goals and aspirations of Nigerians.

Ayayi said that the views of the zonal workshop would be harmonised with that of the workshop held in Bauchi State for the Northern zone, before the validation of the document.

“We are gathered here today to critique the draft National Minimum Standards of senior secondary education in Nigeria and this exercise is for critical stakeholders in the southern zone. We had earlier held the first workshop on the same issue at Bauchi to cover the Northern zone of the country.

“When approved and implemented, the minimum standards would set bench-marks for all aspects of senior secondary education in Nigeria. Also, the national minimum standards would play an important and critical role in the repositioning of senior secondary education in Nigeria.

“There will be harmonization of the views on the minimum standards from the northern and southern zones. Next would be the validation of the document and then to the JCCE and finally to the National Council on Education for final approval.

“We are confident that when released and implemented, the Minimum Standards would revolutionise senior secondary education in Nigeria,” he said.

The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pst Umo Eno, while declaring the workshop open said there was urgent need to revisit the school system with a view to establishing certain minimum standards if the country is to be fixed again.

Represented by the deputy governor, Senator Akon Ayakenyi, the governor noted that Nigeria cannot grow beyond the quality of her school system, adding that the giant strides recorded by developed nations of the World are always traceable to their school system.

“Education is the heart of our socio economic development. We can’t grow beyond the quality of our school system. The giant strides recorded by developed nations of the World are always traceable to their school system.

“If we sincerely want to fix Nigeria, we must re-visit our school system with a view to establishing certain irreducible minimum standards in the quality of personnel, infrastructures and curriculum,” the governor said.

He, however, commended the Executive Secretary, Dr. Ajayi and the leadership of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission for taking steps to regulate the sector.