Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, on Tuesday instituted an eight-member committee to drive the education roadmap in the country.
The committee, Mamman said has four weeks to come up with plans that would help transform the sector.
The minister while addressing the committee in Abuja, spoke on the urgent need to kickstart the national assignment saddled on them by the president.
He noted that Nigerians eagerly anticipate a quick turnaround in all sectors under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, and education being the cornerstone for positive change was top priority.
“I must confess that your assignment is not going to be an easy one because Nigerians are looking forward to the administration of President Bola Tinubu GCFR to do a quick turn-around in all sectors of the economy.
“Education is the fulcrum to galvanise the needed changes to make Nigeria hold her own in the comity of nations.
” The president has clearly laid out his vision for his administration and it is anchored on improving the lives of Nigerians in a manner that not just reflects our humanity but encourages compassion towards one another and duly rewards our collective efforts to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us,” he said.
Mamman said that President Tinubu’s commitment to retrain 10.5 million Nigerian out-of-school children with valuable skills places education as a top priority. To this end, he said the ministry needed a clear roadmap and framework to guide its efforts in achieving these ambitious goals.
The minister urged the committee to embrace technology and steer towards a digital future, emphasising that education should not merely exist for its sake but contribute significantly to individual and societal development.
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“As Nigeria looks towards having quality education, it is important that the curriculum, from basic to tertiary level, meets the demands of our times and needs of the society.
“I am happy to note that work had commenced at some levels, especially the secondary and tertiary level. What we need to know is to what extent can what we already have met contemporary demands of education globally and if not sufficient, how to address them.
“I do expect that issues of Financial Autonomy in tertiary institutions, access and equity, research and innovation as well as the government-industry-academic nexus, would occupy your thoughts.
“In the same vein, the global competitiveness of our educational system should not escape your scrutiny.
“One thing I must not fail to add is that we must have an education system that embraces technology and move into a digital future where our education responds to the demands of the society,” he said.
The committee comprises Nuhu Yakubu, PhD, as chairman while Prof. Ernest Ojukwu, Prof. Sa’ad Umar, Shulamite Paul, Garba Ibrahim, PhD, Prof. Ismail Junaidu, Hajia Hindatu Abdullahi and Joseph Achede are members.
NAN
