Nigerian Govt To Privatise Public Schools Not Excelling— Minister

The federal government would concession the public-owned schools “not doing well” to enable better management, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has said.

Speaking at the maiden edition of Re-Ignite Public Affairs National Dialogue Series Webinar on Saturday, Mr Nwajiuba said a public and private sector collaboration is a way to move the education sector forward in the nation.

The event, which was organised in collaboration with Businessday newspapers, was moderated by Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, an education policy expert specialising in public-private partnerships.

The theme of the event was “Nigeria at 60, Education: Navigating a new Normal”.

The minister said that the ministry was already working out a framework to bring in private sector players to come in and adopt public schools that were not doing well.

“We are going to be changing to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), curriculum and enhance it.

“Also, we are stepping up with private sector players because we have realised that we cannot do it alone. It is essential we bring everyone on board through public-private partnerships.

“For instance, we have a lot of public schools that are not doing well; so, instead of building new schools, let us concession some of these schools to those who have the capacity to adopt and close-manage them very well.

“These are the kinds of projects we want to do and I proposed this when I was the Chairman of TETFUND,” he said.

Mr Nwajiuba said that government does not have all of the finances but has regulators.

Speaking on schools resumption in the face of COVID-19, he said the government’s priority was to safeguard itself, learners and teachers in view of the new normal.

“Most of the things we are working on are toward carrying learners forward in the new system during this pandemic,” Nwajiuba said.

Also, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services, Julius Ihonvbere, said: “COVID-19 has provided Nigeria with a good opportunity to develop its infrastructure.

“The pandemic has exposed the underbelly of the weaknesses of the society and the political class not just in Nigeria but all over the world, hence a good opportunity for us to rethink and reset.

He added that it was not too late for the country to do the needful, noting that commitment, leadership and resources were key in addressing both the content and context of education.

In his remarks, Yomi Okusanya, Group Managing Director of CMC Connect (Perception Managers), said the aim of the webinar was to discuss key findings to support policy development and direction of government

(NAN)