From Khabab Abdulfatah, Abeokuta
Two University dons, Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade and Prof. Kolawole Kazeem have advised the Federal Government to re-introduce ‘Free Education’ as implemented by the erstwhile Premier of the defunct Western Region, Pa Obafemi Awolowo.
TheNewsZenith quoted the duo as saying this was a way of revamping Nigeria’s Education Sector.
The two erudite scholars formed this consensus during a discussion on a monthly interview discourse, Boiling Point Arena on Sunday.
Prof. Obilade is a former Vice-Chancellor at the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode while Prof. Kazeem is erstwhile Provost, Osun State College of Education, Ilesa.
They agreed in thoughts that free education is possible if only the government cut down wastage and halted profligate spending.
According to them, free education is a policy that the government can use to solve a myriad of problems.
Boiling Point Arena is the 19th instalment in a monthly series, which started in November 2022. It is the brainchild of a media professional and an accomplished public relations strategist, Dr Ayo Arowojolu.
One of Nigeria’s notable monarchs, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Prof. Saka Matemilola was the Keynote Speaker at the online current affairs programme. It was held via Zoom and transmitted live on Sweet 107.1FM radio station.
Reviewing the decadence in Nigeria’s educational system, Prof. Obilade, tasked the government to prioritise education with adequate budgetary provision.
“I strongly believe that free education is still possible in Nigeria. If you take a critical view of the allocation of resources, free education is possible.
“There are wastages that we are not looking at. When we start cutting costs and needless wastages in governance, you will have more to offer to people,” she said.
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According to her, if the government curbs the wastage of non-essentials and mundane things, free education will be possible.
“This is the surest indication that our leaders can structurally revamp education and drastically reduce the rate of out-of-school children.”
Obilade lamented that education had been greatly devalued, noting that the reason for the rot in education was the exhibition of wrong priorities by the government.
Giving his viewpoint, Prof Kazeem lamented the level of decadence in the education sector.
He argued that those who said education is a scam aren’t wrong at all, because education was supposed to be the saviour of the society.
Kazeem, who now lectures at the University of Ibadan, said “Nigerians are not lacking ideas but we have not been doing things well.
“I think it is time we speak to ourselves the truth that we are a nation digging our graves by ourselves.
“We are looking at education as the saviour of this society.
“The rain started beating us when we devalued everything called the educational system. We have been lying to ourselves and the consequences are now staring us in the face.
“This is because the uneducated mind is the one that is responsible for destroying the system. It is so bad that we now have hordes of educated illiterates,” he said.
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