Key education stakeholders have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently release the 2% consolidated revenue fund allocated to the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), citing the pressing need to revive and strengthen the country’s neglected senior secondary education sector.
Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), and Mr. Yomi Otubela, National President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), made the call while reacting to an interview granted by NSSEC’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, in *The Nation* newspaper.
The NSSEC was established in 2021 to regulate and improve the quality of senior secondary education in Nigeria, which had long been left without a regulatory or intervention agency. Although the National Assembly passed the NSSEC Act in 2023, enabling the commission’s operations and providing for funding from the consolidated revenue, no funds have been disbursed to date.
Ogunbanjo described the funding delay as “very worrisome,” warning that a lack of financial support could undermine the commission’s goals. “Funding is everything in education,” he said. “We plead with the Federal Government, through the Ministries of Education and Finance, to ensure the release of this fund so that the National Secondary Education Commission can function properly and organise various programmes to enhance the quality of learning in secondary schools.”
He expressed dismay over the general state of education, referencing incidents where candidates sit for major exams like UTME, WASSCE, and NECO under extremely poor conditions, even using torchlights in the evening. “Without funding, there isn’t anything anybody can do,” he stressed.
Echoing his concern, Otubela noted that the commission, despite notable efforts, still grapples with significant challenges such as limited resources, weak coordination with state and local education authorities, and poor monitoring and evaluation systems. “This limits its capacity to implement programmes effectively, especially in areas like teacher training, curriculum development, and infrastructural upgrades in schools,” he said.
Otubela proposed several solutions including stronger partnerships with stakeholders, broader professional development programmes for teachers, addressing the spread of substandard schools, implementing the 12-year elementary education system, and boosting budgetary allocations to the commission. He affirmed NAPPS’ readiness to support NSSEC in its mission to raise the standard of senior secondary education nationwide.
Dr. Ajayi, in the referenced interview, explained the rationale behind the establishment of NSSEC, noting that it was created to tackle issues hampering the senior secondary education sub-sector and reposition it for excellence. “The Act provides that at least 2% of the consolidated revenue fund should be given to the commission for the development of senior secondary schools,” he said, adding that part of these funds are meant to be disbursed to states upon payment of a 5% counterpart fund.
“However, up till date, the commission has not received any money from the 2% consolidated revenue fund,” he revealed.
Ajayi, however, expressed optimism, saying the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is actively working to ensure the release of the long-awaited funds.
