By CHARLES ONYEKWERE
A former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, VON, Mr Osita Okechukwu, has urged government to implement the 20% UNESCO’s budget recommendation for education to improve teachers’ standard.
Okechukwu, who is also a Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, made the call yesterday during the Igwa Nshi Annual Festival in Eke Community, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He decried the poor standard of teachers nationwide as demonstrated by their poor result in a recent nationwide examination conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria ,TRCN, adding that “urgent rescue action needed to be taken”.
Okechukwu noted that poor teachers standard translates to poor students standard, more so when 4,169 teachers across Nigeria failed the 2025 Batch ‘A’ Professional Qualifying Examination ,PQE, conducted by the TRCN.
According to him, Federal, state and local Governments should as a matter of importance adhere strictly to between 15 and 20% UNESCO recommendation for total public budgetary expenditure to education to halt teachers poor standard.
“Education should take premium of 20% in our total budget allocation because Nigeria’s greatest resource is human capital development; especially when we enjoy uncommon 70% youth demographic advantage in an aging competitive world.
“I am pained over heartbreaking crisis of inadequate funding and poor quality in our education system.
“To be frank we need urgent paradigm shift to increase investments in education and learning; for with our uncommon 70% youth demographic advantage we can comfortably outsource skilled labour to the global community”, he said.
It could be recalled that the Director of Certification and Licensing at the TRCN, Dr Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, disclosed recently that in the nationwide Teachers’ Professional Examination, 4,169 candidates, representing 32.38% failed; while 8,705 candidates representing 67.62% passed.
