Clergy Calls for Govt, Private Sector Collaboration to Improve Education

The Executive Director of the Uromi Justice Development and Peace Caritas Initiative (JDPCI), Rev. Fr. (Dr) Fidelis Arhedo has called for the collaborative efforts of government, the private sector, parents and other stakeholders to pay more attention to the educational sector noting that if education is not properly managed and well funded, the foundation of the nation will be destroyed. The clergyman urged the government to sit up in meeting its responsibility of providing quality education to the citizenry, pointing out that this has become imperative against the backdrop of what was observed during the monitoring of the just conducted First School Leaving Certificate Examination in the state.

Rev. Fr. Arhedo who stated this in his opening remarks during the commemoration of the 2023 "Child Protection Day" with the theme, "Improved Quality Education Through Adequate Funding", held on Friday, 26 May at the Catholic Chancery of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi, pointed out that many of the children of today are on the fast lane adding that if not given the right channel to achieve it, they would go through other unorthodox channels.

According to Rev. Fr. Fidelis Arhedo who was represented on the occasion by the Deputy Director, Uromi JDPCI, Rev. Fr. Ukkpebor said, "If education is not properly managed and well funded, the foundation of the nation is destroyed. Based on this, we urged the government to sit up in meeting its responsibility of providing quality education to the citizen, Suffice to say that the standard of learning has not improved in many schools.

"This was observed during the recently concluded elementary examination monitored by some staff of Uromi JDPCI, the sad discovery is that children from many public primary schools could not really read the questions, some could not even know where to shade and these are children who have just finished from primary six and they cannot read. It is sad that the same students are going to meet their counterparts from private schools who can read fluently in the same secondary school. How will they cope? First and foremost, this will bring about an inferiority complex in the life of those children from public school who cannot read and may find themselves in the same class in secondary school as those children who can read and write. 

It is not the fault of these children from public schools that they cannot read. 

"So based on this, I sincerely appeal that the State government and all the relevant stakeholders do their best to reposition education for the betterment of our children. We do not want to have children who feel disappointed in themselves, and inadequate. It is not their fault; it is a circumstance beyond their control. 

"Many of our children today are on the fast lane, if we do not give them the right channel to achieve it, they would go through other channels. Now, what will happen when these children happen to be children of a “Yahoo” family background? The mother is a yahoo guy and the father is a yahoo guy? What will happen to these children? No moral upbringing. Morality has already collapsed in the family setting", he lamented.

While appealing to individuals, corporate bodies, community leaders and influencers not to leave the funding of education to government alone, Fr. Arhedo enumerated what the Uromi JDPCI has been doing to advance education and what education can do to improve the living standards of individuals, the community and society at large.

"Education is a basic human right, an investment for the future peace and prosperity of our world. A good education can protect entire generations from the cycle of poverty; for the opportunity to go to school not only opens new opportunities, it increases earning potentials, improves healthy outcomes and promotes girls’ rights, but for the most vulnerable children, education can be the difference between freedom and lifelong exploitation. Traffickers and employers of bonded labourers target the uneducated for exploitation. They take advantage of their illiteracy, innumeracy and ignorance of the law.

"Uromi JDPCI prioritizes the education of children in her interventions. Uromi JDPCI has contributed to the protection of children by educating adolescents in 25 schools across the 5 LGAs on their rights as children, as well as increased their knowledge of laws that protect the rights of children; such as the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended particularly on Chapter IV of the Constitution, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, Edo State Child's Protection Policy 2015 and host of others". 

Speaking on the topic "Improved Quality Education Through Adequate Funding", the guest speaker, Rev. Sister Christie Adegoroye listed the factors that affect quality of education to include "The teacher and teaching methods, Educational content, Learning environment, School management, Preconditions for students, Funding and organization".

While enumerating the educational inadequacies inherent in poor funding of education, Rev. Sr. Christie Adegoroye noted that "Inadequate funding does not just affect students’ optimal academic performance, it also has a negative impact on them psychologically, mentally and physically. Can this be one of the reasons for recklessness among our youth these days? Can this be the reason the number of school drop-outs in Nigeria is on the increase? How do we expect a child schooled in dilapidated buildings with limited or no human and material resources be of good character? How do we expect them to value education that does not meet their developmental needs? 

"Our schools are far from being what they are meant to be due to negligence by stakeholders. We cannot have the basic human, financial and material resources necessary for the realization of education objectives without adequate funding. 

"We cannot stay stuck in a failing system. Until we evolve a better learning process in our schools, most of the problems we intend to tackle as a nation will always be there. This is because people are the primary resource to change a nation. Since the government has not satisfactorily invested in education, it is high time we explored alternative sources of generating funds. These sources include but not limited to the PTA, Old Students Association, community involvement, payment of school fees by parents and guardians, proceeds from students’ activities and sale of produce (farm, bakery, etc.)". 

The celebration of this year's "Child Protection Day" by Uromi JDPCI was celebrated with support from Miereor also featured quiz competition. At the end of the quiz competition, Ewu Grammar School, Ewu emerged the winner with Irrua Girls Secondary School and Annunciation Catholic College, both of Irrua came out in the second and third position respectively.

Cash prizes were presented to the winning students and their schools and the overall winner in the quiz competition.

Present at the event were students from various public schools in the five Local Government Areas in Edo Central Senatorial District, parents and care givers, representatives of traditional rulers, Local Government Area Council officials in Edo Central and teachers.