Education stakeholders in the FCT have urged the three tiers of government to improve learning facilities in schools to boost academic performance in the country.
The stakeholders made the call on Sunday while reacting to the release of the November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The result announced by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Lagos on Friday, showed 38 per cent credit pass in English and Mathematics by candidates who sat for the examination.
In a telephone interview with the News agency of Nigeria (NAN), Prof Ndubuisi Ibenyi, Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) Chairman, Ezza Mgbo Federal Government Girls’ College, Ebonyi State, said that under-investment in education had affected the standard of education in the country, leading to low pass rates.
“ I have been always saying that the standard of education in Nigeria is falling; so it may not be surprising to hear that such poor result.
“ It is a reflection of the total decay in the education sector.”
He said that as PTA Chairman, he was aware that the facilities for learning were inadequate.
Citing the non-availability of staff quarters in his school as an example, he noted that teachers covered long distances to get to school.
According to him, such a situation impacts negatively on the performance of students.
He, therefore, suggested increased funding to the education sector as a way of arresting the poor performance currently being experienced there.
Corroborating Ibenyi’s view, Mr Olatunji Jekayinfa, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Desk Officer, National Mathematical Centre (NMC), said that the poor performance recorded in the Mathematics and English, subjects indicated poor infrastructure provision in schools.
Jekayinfa said that the poor performance was not only about the students but also on the part of those who teach them.
According to him, once students are given the right instruction in the right learning environment, they will perform better.
He expressed concern over the observed lack of seriousness on the part of the students, adding that the impact would have been less if the right learning environment and infrastructure were in place.
Meanwhile, Mr Shittu Obassa, a parent, observed a slight improvement in this year’s WASSE results compared to last year.
Obassa appealed to state governments to improve teachers’ welfare by paying their salaries promptly and training and re-training them, thereby boosting education quality.
He stressed that the education sector required a lot of investment to ensure that the future leaders of the country were adequately trained and skilled to deal with the challenges of nation-building,
“I am appealing to the government to make education top priority by ensuring that the budgetary allocation to education is in line with the UNESCO recommendation which is 26 per cent of the national budget.
“It will go a long way toward improving the quality of education in the country,’’Obassa said. (NAN)