Posted by By Onyedi Ojiabor on
The Federal Government on Wednesday inaugurated a 16-member committee to work out ways and means to introduce public/ private partnership in the management of the 102 unity schools in the country.
The Federal Government on Wednesday inaugurated a 16-member committee to work out ways and means to introduce public/ private partnership in the management of the 102 unity schools in the country.
This is coming against the backdrop of the controversy trailing the alleged proposal by the government to privatise the schools.
The committee, headed by the Minister of Education, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, was tagged "Cabinet committee on public/private partnership arrangement for the 102 unity schools."
However, the National President, Old Students Association of Federal Government Colleges, Mr. Albert Okumagba, a member of the committee, told journalists that they had been assured that no unity school would be privatised.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette, who inaugurated the committee, said that the introduction of public/private partnership became necessary because effective management of the schools had become an issue.
He said the assignment of the committee was to work out the details of the implementation of the public/private partnership agenda for the 102 unity colleges.
Ekaette said that it would seem that the management of the schools had become the major function of the Federal Ministry of Education as opposed to the policy formulation and sector regulation of the ministry.
He said that the focus on unity schools by the ministry had manifested in the gross relegation of the federal inspectorate service, "resulting in the current low academic performance of secondary schools nationwide."
"Since the idea of unity schools is conceptually sound, the question is: How can we enhance their quality assurance, and make them centres of excellence and models for secondary school education.
"The committee being inaugurated today is intended to provide answers to this very important question," he said.
In her acceptance speech, Ezekwesili said that the work of the committee was clearly to get the schools back to their past glory.
She said that the committee would strive to achieve convergence between public/private partnership management in the schools.
Reacting to the inauguration of the committee, Okumagba said that no unity school would be privatised.
What would happen, he said, was that the "management of the schools will change while the Federal Government will continue to retain ownership of the schools."
He said that the committee would work out details of the management change.
Other members of the committee included the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Women Affairs, Science and Technology and the Chairperson, Senate Committee on Education.