Nigeria Content Online

President Goodluck
Jonathan yesterday inaugurated the presidential task team on education
to refocus and restructure the educational system in the country. This
is following a presidential stakeholders’ summit on education convened
October last year to identify the challenges facing the educational
sector.

Addressing the 30-person team, the president said they had been selected based on high integrity, competence and experience.

“It is on this regard that I have no doubt that you will handle this special assignment with total commitment,” he said.

The president who,
during the summit, had spoken on the fallen standard of education in
the country, noted that the question of meeting the country’s
educational aspirations had brought about the convening of the
stakeholders’ summit on education in October last year to identify the
challenges facing the sector.

Recommendations
from the working groups touched on issues that range from policy,
institutional arrangement and governance, funding arrangement and
resource mobilisation, legal framework, ethics and value system,
physical infrastructure and institutional facilities, teacher quality
and content, effect of sectional sentiments over quality, the role of
the community and NGOs as well as sustainability. It was also agreed
that education should henceforth occupy its central position in
national development agenda. To implement these recommendations, the
summit had agreed that the presidential task team should be constituted.

Terms of reference

Inaugurating the
team, the president said the team has the following terms of reference:
To refocus and restructure existing policies at all levels of
education, especially the concept and implementation of the 6-3-3-4
system of education. Determine the best institutional arrangement for
the management, regulation and coordination of education at all levels.
To propose a sustainable funding arrangements and transparent
management of resources for education. Examine all laws militating
against the delivery of qualitative education and proposed required
changes or amendments. The team will also examine the ethical issues in
education with steps necessary to restore ethics and values in
education at all levels as well as develop programmes and projects that
will attract talented and brilliant persons to the teaching profession
while re-training and motivating teachers. Chairman of the team, Peter
Obayan, said the group will do more than make the sky be their limit.
He added that the team will get to work immediately and make sure they
come to positive results.