A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie has criticized the federal and state governments over lack of effective and faithful implementation of free education in Nigeria in line with the provisions of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.
He insisted that both primary and secondary levels of education in the country must make education free and compulsory in letters and in action, adding that it is disheartening to hear that some pupils still learn under trees in some parts of the country.
He made the statement in Abuja at the launch of the Thomas Agnes Christianah Okojie (TACO) Charity Foundation, named after his parents and wife, noting that parents are still paying outrageous fees in private schools, while public schools continue to increase charges on a daily basis.
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The event also featured the inaugural edition of the Julius Okojie lecture series titled The Future of the Nation’s University System.
He said that Nigerian leaders owe every Nigerian child free primary and secondary education to enable them to occupy their spaces in daily life.
He said students learning under the tree would eventually be half-baked, which according to him is not good for the country’s growth and development.
He said basic and secondary education systems have not been made free because of lack of appropriate structure.
He added that proffering solutions to some of these needs are what propelled him to do more for children in this regard.
The guest speaker, Desireé Guobadia, in her presentation called for reconsideration of Higher School Certificate (HSC) programmes in the country, saying the maturity that HSC gave was missing in the integration of students into higher institutions today.
She said that the certificate would provide the much-needed training platforms for students to mature.
She also said that the numbers of higher institutions in the country today is insufficient to cater for the admission needs of Nigerians.
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