ABUJA – The Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday called for collective efforts in funding the education sector to achieve Education For All (EFA) by 2015.
Wike made the call at the Public Presentation of EFA 2015, Review Report and National Dialogue on EFA in Abuja.
He said funding education, particularly at the basic level, was an enormous task that should not be left to government alone.
“This is because government alone cannot fund education and to mobilise support and partnership at all levels for the achievement of the EFA goals.
“Advocacy and communication are the key elements for the EFA acceleration framework.
“Also, weak advocacy has constituted one of the challenges to the slow progress of EFA.
“This is because advocacy helps to generate sufficient political will, ensure active stakeholder participation, adequate financial allocation from both external and domestic sources for the advancement of the EFA project,” he said.
He said report had shown that Nigeria had established viable educational institutions, such as Universal Basic Education Commission, National Board for Technical Education, among others, for the achievement of EFA goals. [eap_ad_1] Wike said the institutions had provided veritable platform for policy coordination and implementation of programmes not only aimed at achieving the six EFA goals but at ensuring that the impact speedily reach its target group.
The minister said that no effort should be spared in the pursuit of achieving the EFA goals.
He called on the chairmen, Senate and House of Representative Committees on Education to help in sensitizing their constituencies on the EFA process.
He commended UNESCO, civil societies, Ministry of Education, Development Partners, among others, for their contributions towards the publication of the report.
The minister presented the Nigeria EFA Review Report 2000-2014: “Strides and Milestones as a public document”
Dr MacJohn Nwaobiala, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said Nigeria was committed toward delivering the EFA goals.
Nwaobiala, represented by Mr Chike Uwaezuoke, Director, Basic and Secondary Education in the ministry, said EFA units were replicated at the state levels.
“It is, however, regrettable that some state EFA units are not functional. As we march towards 2015.
He urged state government to rekindle the EFA spirit in their respective domains and work in collaboration with the ministry to achieve the EFA goal.
Mr Chris Okoro, the Commissioner for Education, Enugu State, said Nigeria had shown commitment in terms of broad-basic strategy to meet basic learning needs of every child, youth and adult.
He called for the sustainability and collective efforts to achieve the EFA goals. (NAN)
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