Africa Press-Nigeria:
Despite the challenges faced by Nigeria’s education sector and calls for the government to increase funding to the sector, President Muhammadu Buhari is proposing to give the sector its lowest allocation in 10 years, when measured as a percentage of the total spending plan.
Mr Buhari presented the 2021 budget proposal to the National Assembly over two weeks ago. Out of N13.08 trillion budgeted for next year, N742.5 billion was allotted to education.
That is just 5.6 per cent, the lowest percentage allocation since 2011.
In the breakdown, N579. 7 billion is for personnel cost, N35.4 billion for overhead cost, while N127. 3 billion is dedicated to capital expenditure.
The headquarters of the federal ministry of education was allotted N65. 3 billion and the Universal Basic Education, which supervises education at the primary and secondary levels got N77.6 billion. The remaining was shared across other institutions under the ministry.
The proposed budget has passed through the second reading in the Senate.
Poorly funded
The Nigerian education sector has been poorly funded in the past years, falling below the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation recommendation.
According to documents provided to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokespersons of UNESCO, Shola Macaulay and Alice Ateh-Abang, in 2018, the international benchmark is 15-20 per cent.
The document was titled ‘Education for All, EFA, 2000-2015: achievement and challenges’ and ‘World Education Forum 2015 final report’.
