Saraki urges incoming govt to allocate 22.5% of budget to education

Wife of former President of the Senate, Toyin Saraki, has urged the incoming administration to allocate 22.5 per cent of the national budget to education by 2025.

Mrs Saraki, who is the Founder-President, Wellbeing Foundation Africa, also called for legislation to make basic education free up to secondary school level.

She said this would guarantee 12 years of uninterrupted education for Nigerian children and reduce the number of out-of-school children.

Speaking at the National Moment on Basic and Secondary Education programme organised by the Malala Fund on Thursday in Abuja, Saraki stated that political will through legislation amendment and financial planning would significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children which currently stands at over 18 million.

In two years, insecurity has resulted in the abduction of 1,470 students, attacks on 25 schools, 200 children missing, and forced over one million children to stay away from school.

The former Kwara first lady said: “Education is the most powerful investment in our future, and this moment is an opportunity for us to encourage our new government to re-imagine education for the country and find better ways to provide 12 years of safe, free, quality education for all…

“I urge the new incoming government to key in on gender transformative education issues, to promote the education of the girl child, addressing education gaps and fundamental issues that contribute to out-of-school and poor literacy levels across Nigeria.”

Programme Director, Malala Fund, Fatima Askira, called for the implementation of a multi-sectoral support to keep children, especially the girl-child safe, and aid in the development of federal and state-level roadmaps and plans for funding, safety, standards, and training.

Askira pledged the organisation’s commitment to influence government policies on girl-child education significantly.