Education stakeholders in South-West Nigeria welcome the establishment of NSSEC

International Culture and Event Center (the Dome) in Akure, the Capital city of Ondo, the sun shine state, played host to a National Advocacy and Sensitization Forum on the establishment of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) for education stakeholders from the South-West geopolitical zone of the country, on 10th November, 2021.

Who is who of education from the six states of the zone, comprising Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun Oyo and Lagos, converged at the venue ground of the event to rub minds, ruminate about the past and present conditions of senior secondary education in Nigeria with a view to repositioning the sub-sector to compete with its peers in the world.

Dr. Benjamin Abakpa, the Executive Secretary of NSSEC, set the ball rolling in his welcome address by reiterating the utmost necessity for an agency of the federal government to intervene and regulate senior secondary education in Nigeria. It is curious and inconceivable to have UBEC, NCCE, NUC and TETFund as agencies that oversee, intervene and regulate the affairs of Universal Basic Education, National Commission for Collages of Education, National Board for Technical Education, National Universities Commission, and Tertiary Education respectively, while the destiny of Senior Secondary is left to hang on the balance with no functional body to superintend over its affairs.

To bridge the wide gap in the three levels of education in the country, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, sought and got the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to establish the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC). The appointment of governing board for the commission and of Dr. Benjamin Abakpa, a former classroom teacher, school principal and seasoned academic who has seen it all as the Executive secretary, is like a dream come true.

The excitement, interest and enthusiasm shown at the national advocacy and sensitization forum for the establishment of NSSEC for stakeholders from the South-West geo-political zone confirmed that stakeholders from south western Nigeria are pleased with establishment of the commission. The interactive section provided a convivial ambience for discussions for participants.

Dr. Lami Ahmadu, a retired Director, Basic and secondary education at the Ministry of education, a writer, and policy maker and education administrator was the guest speaker at the event. She presented a paper titled, “resuscitation, repositioning, and implementation of National Senior Secondary Education Commission.’’ The paper stimulated heated debate at the interactive session. After the arguments and counter arguments on the issues raised by the guest speaker, the executive Secretary and DR. Amodu responded to all the questions and observations made by the participants.

The Permanent Secretary of Ondo state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Lola Amuda Who described the event as unique in the annals of education in the region, saluted the resolve and initiative of the Federal government in establishing NSSEC as an intervention and regulatory agency for senior secondary education in the country. The development, the Permanent Secretary further stressed’’, will facilitate a robust synergy between the federal and the states, which will in the long run ‘’improve on the funding mechanism while transforming the subsector in its entirety’’.

Participants observed that education is dynamic and the problems and needs of the sector at all levels are enormous and daunting. All hands must therefore be on deck to contribute to this collective resolve to chart a new course for senior secondary education in Nigeria.

The one-day engagement by education stakeholders in Akure is heartwarming. The excitement by stakeholders from the six states of the South-West region at the forum confirmed the readiness of western Nigeria to take the bull by the horns and rejuvenate and reposition senior secondary education in the region.

By getting the support and cooperation of stakeholders through zonal advocacy and sensitization, the job of keeping Nigerians abreast of the functions and mandate of National Senior Secondary Education Commission will be made easy.

National Senior Secondary Education Commission is poised for the emerging challenges in the sector. The Executive Secretary therefore solicited for support and cooperation of all education stakeholders in the federation to contribute towards the success of the commission for the benefit of this generation and the future generation of Nigerians