The Executive Secretary of National Senior Secondary Education Commission, (NSSEC), Dr Iyela Ajayi, has appealed for the inclusion of the 2 per cent consolidated revenue fund into the 2024 Budget.
He said doing so would enable access to the funds required for the repositioning of Senior Secondary Education in the country.
Dr. Iyela made the appeal recently, during his working visit to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Senator Lawal Adamu Usman, and the Chairman Committee on Education (Basic and Services) Hon. Mark Useini, in their respective offices at the National Assembly Complex Abuja.
The Executive Secretary said the commission is working towards producing the final draft of the National Policy on Senior Secondary Education to help invigorate the senior secondary education sub sector.
According to him, for the commission to achieve its mandate of revitalizing the Senior Secondary Education to meet global standard, there is need for proper funding of NSSEC in line with budgetary allocation, in order to enable the commission to embark on some crucial assignment such as; carrying out a detailed needs assessment in schools in the various states, updating the database of the Senior Secondary schools and capacity development of teachers, which he said has been grossly hindered as a result of inadequate funding.
Analyzing further, he stated that out of the N856 million total budgetary allocation of the commission only N426 million is domiciled with NSSEC while the remaining N426 million stands as intervention fund and domiciled in the commission as intervention funds for the Legislators to use in their various constituencies.
Dr. Iyela described this funding as grossly inadequate and further pleaded for the prompt intervention of the Legislators to enable the Commission to achieve its mandate.
Responding, Hon. Mark Useini said the commission started on a good footing, and assured the NSSEC Boss their commitment to make necessary positive legislative decisions that will enhance the commissions’ mandate.
He further urged the management and staff to get to work and put the necessary measures in place to ensure that the gap created in the sub-sector as regards not having a supervisory agency along other sub-sectors, are smartly bridged.
He also challenged the Commission to consider and develop a model in addressing the menace of out-of-school children syndrome in the senior secondary education level.
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