Babatunji Wusu –
- N4.6 trillion allocated for education in 2024 by federal and state governments.
- Significant increases in state education budgets over recent years.
- Focus of the conference includes access, quality, and financing of girl-child education.
- NGF emphasizes collaboration among various stakeholders to enhance education.
- Ongoing challenges include inadequate access, gender-based violence, and rising out-of-school rates.
- Quality education identified as crucial for socio-economic development, necessitating robust financing and qualified teachers.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, expressed enthusiasm on Thursday regarding the increased financial commitment of both federal and state governments towards education, amounting to N4.6 trillion for 2024. He made this announcement during the opening ceremony of the two-day International Conference on Girl-Child Education in Nigeria, organized by the NGF to promote awareness and inclusive education through funding and enrollment initiatives.
Governor AbdulRazaq highlighted the growing investments in education, stating that states allocated N1 trillion (12%) of their total expenditures to education in 2022. This figure rose to N1.6 trillion in 2023 and is projected to reach N2.4 trillion in 2024, alongside a federal allocation of N2.2 trillion. He noted that states such as Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Abia, Ogun, Kano, Oyo, Jigawa, Niger, Akwa Ibom, and Kwara have significantly contributed, with many meeting or exceeding the international benchmark of allocating at least 15% of their budgets to education.
The conference will focus on critical areas including access, quality, data-driven strategies, education financing, and policy implementation at the state level. Governor AbdulRazaq emphasized the goal of developing a robust framework for states to effectively prioritize girl-child education. To facilitate this, the NGF has established various advocacy platforms, such as the NGF-Education Community of Practice (NGF-ECP), aimed at increasing primary school enrollment through collaboration among states, local governments, communities, and stakeholders.
He also mentioned the role of the Committee of States Commissioners of Education (COSCEN) in promoting collaboration to enhance educational quality and socio-economic development at the grassroots level. However, he expressed concern that despite these advancements, the empowerment of the girl child remains obstructed by inadequate access to quality education, with issues such as early marriage, poverty, illiteracy, gender-based violence, and discrimination still prevalent.
Governor AbdulRazaq raised alarms over the increasing number of out-of-school children, pervasive learning poverty, and the inadequate capacity of teachers to empower students through education. He stressed that quality education is essential for national socio-economic development, requiring robust financing, highly qualified teachers, comprehensive instructional materials, advocacy, and necessary infrastructure.
He concluded by calling for decisive action to re-enroll children in schools, improve learning outcomes, and secure adequate funding, affirming that this conference serves as a critical platform for mobilizing efforts towards ensuring every child receives a quality education.
