Gbajabiamila charges Nigerian govt to invest more in education

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday charged the Federal Government to invest more in education.

He made the call at the flag-off of his constituency outreach programme tagged: “Back to school jump start” in Lagos.

Gbajabiamila, who was represented at the event by one Hon. Ademorin Kuye, said the initiative would cover all the six geopolitical zones in the country.

He added that the project would help teachers digitize their instructional delivery in schools across the nation.

The speaker said: “The reason for tagging the first leg of the Jump-Start project as No School Left Behind in Surulere is to address the widening of the educational disadvantage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While the health implications of the pandemic are all too obvious, its consequences for education are subtle but nonetheless devastating.

READ ALSO:Gbajabiamila calls for review of educational requirements for President, governors, others

“Even where learning seems to have continued uninterrupted, it is hard to evaluate the educational disadvantages resulting from inadequate infrastructure for virtual teaching. For students in Nigerian public schools, the lockdown in 2020 was a huge academic setback.

“Thus, the Jump-Start Project is meant to cushion the disadvantage caused by the lack of digital infrastructure in public schools, as well as ensure that there are no breaks in teaching and learning in the event of future pandemics.

“Education is the best possible investment in people. It is the silver bullet that lifts people out of poverty, encourages a broader perspective that expands their world view and allows them to engage critically with the questions that determine the course of civilisation, innovation, and human progress.”

“In this 21st century, the problems of poverty and war, of healthcare and climate change can only be solved by empowering the greatest number of people to independently seek knowledge and the confidence to challenge settled questions and pursue new approaches to solving old problems”.

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