Don scores president high on education, urges more efforts

An educationist, Prof Lai Olurode, has given a pass mark to the three years administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the education sector.

Olurode, a former Dean, Faculty of Social Science, University of Lagos gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

He said that the Federal Government particularly recorded landmark achievements in turning around the administration of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

“I think we must give kudos to the President for appointing Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. He has brought about tremendous improvement in the administration of JAMB, from about one million to about two million candidates.

“Not only that, JAMB has become revenue generating body for the government, which before, we never had.

“What we hear is that government is not funding JAMB before.

“So, if other similar bodies can be turned around…..though, I think students should be made to pay less for sitting for JAMB.

“There is a policy that the JAMB Registrar agree to implement, that is to say, JAMB results can last three to four years, it should be enforced.

“Once you sit for JAMB this year, the result that you have can still apply till the next three years until after which means when a candidate sits for JAMB this year, the result that you have can still be presented for admission for the next three years. I think it requires enforcement.

“If you look at primary education, the school feeding programme, I think is a welcome idea, it’s good though the coverage is small.

“And think kudos must first go to Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, who first initiated the programme in Osun state and is being emulated by the federal government and other states.

“I think it should go round, but we have not gone far to where former western region government stopped.’’

According to him, the government should extend the programme beyond feeding.

“We should be able to distribute books to pupils; we should be able to give them tablets (computers) like Aregbesola did to schools in Osun.

“Education should be free; we have the resources in this country.’’

Olurode urged the government to boost the welfare of students posting doctors and other health workers to schools where they can be resident in schools.

“These are programmes we can afford so that we can begin to have a serious reduction in child mortality, especially under-five child and under-10 children,’’ Olurode said.