National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the Federal Government to ensure adequate funding of education sector.
Coordinator of NANS, Zone D, Mr John Alao, made the call at a news conference held at Federal College of Forestry, Jericho Ibadan on Tuesday.
The zone comprises Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun and Lagos states.
The call by the students’ body was against the backdrop of the recent signing into law of the Students’ Loan Bill by President Bola Tinubu.
Alao said it was NANS’ belief that the loan scheme would help in alleviating the sufferings of an average Nigerian student.
He, however, urged the Tinubu-led administration to fund education sector adequately to ensure the effectiveness of the scheme.
Alao also the Federal Government to implement the UNESCO recommendation of 26 per cent budgetary allocation to education.
Similarly, he urged the federal government to consider extension of the validity of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.
“It is our belief that there is the need for Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination (JAMB) to conform with global best practices by making UTME candidates’ scores valid for a period of three or four academic sessions.
“This will ease the burden on parents, the government, the society and JAMB itself,” he said.
Alao called on relevant stakeholders in education sector to look into ways of making education attractive to students with special needs, the internally-displaced ones, those with disabilities as well as the less-privileged in the society.
“The facilities on campuses should be designed to accommodate these special breeds among us, as we owe it a duty to care for them,” he said.
He implored governments at all levels and managements of tertiary institutions to reduce the fees being paid by students in order to make education more accessible to the youth.
The NANS coordinator appealed to tertiary institutions’ managements in the zone to restore students’ union in their respective institutions.
He called on security agencies to step up efforts in providing adequate security in all the tertiary institutions across the country so as to make learning environment peaceful and conducive.
The news conference featured students’ representatives from tertiary institutions in all the states in the South-West.
