NUT to FG,States: Fund Public Education or Risk National Decline

 

 

NUT to FG, States: Fund Public Education or Risk National Decline

 

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has decried the continued poor funding of public education across the country, warning that failure by government to act decisively could further entrench poverty and inequality.

 

At the launch of the “Go Public, Fund Education” campaign in Lagos on Friday, the NUT charged both the Federal and state governments to prioritise massive investment in the sector. The union lamented that successive administrations have left public schools to rot while private operators exploit parents already burdened by hardship.

 

NUT President, Audu Titus Amba, who led the call, insisted that providing free, quality, and inclusive education for every Nigerian child must remain a constitutional obligation, not a responsibility outsourced to profit-driven private investors.

 

“The neglect of public schools has turned education into a tradable commodity, deepening inequality and denying the poor and vulnerable access to knowledge. This undermines Nigeria’s future and its ability to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal on quality education,” Amba said.

 

Quoting Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) 2024 statistics, he noted that the country currently has 91,232 private primary schools compared to 79,777 public schools — a sharp reversal of past trends. He described the development as “unacceptable” and urged government to meet international benchmarks of 6 per cent of GDP and 20 per cent of the national budget for education financing.

 

Also speaking, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, described the underfunding of public schools as “economic sabotage.” Represented by Deputy President, Prince Adeyanju Adewale, he accused the political class of hypocrisy, saying government always pleads lack of funds for education but spares no expense on “luxuries and opulent lifestyles.”

 

“Education is not a commodity to be priced in the marketplace but the bedrock of national development. To underfund it is to mortgage the nation’s future,” Ajaero declared.

 

Registrar of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Dr. Ronke Soyombo, stressed the importance of investing in teachers. She said poor working conditions, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of basic learning materials continue to frustrate effective teaching and learning.

 

Dr. Dennis Sinyolo, Regional Director of Education International (EI) Africa, warned that Nigeria’s 18.3 million out-of-school children pose a major threat to achieving both national and continental development targets. He called for urgent reversal of the neglect of public schools, saying education must be treated like security and defence  as a public good and human right.

 

Representatives of the Ministry of Education, students, and officials from teaching service commissions in Lagos, Osun, and Edo states also participated in the event.