Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara on Tuesday described as unfortunate the decadence been experienced in the education sector in the country.
Ahmed expressed this concern in Ilorin while receiving the Chairman of Daar Communications, Dr Raymond Dokpesi, in his office.
Dokpesi was in Ilorin with the organisation’s management team on a sensitisation visit to the governor on its satellite television direct to home/class educational service.
Ahmed, therefore, canvassed for a reversal of the decline in the education sector, warning that Nigeria could be heading toward catastrophe in the education sector if the ugly situation was not checked.
He said the State Government would partner with Daar Communications to promote quality education through the employment of Satellite Television Educational Service for all tiers of the education system.
“We have found ourselves with a generation of Nigerians where the education of the coming generation is worse than the previous generation. The reverse should be the case.
“It is only in Nigeria that some of us who went to school 30 years ago are now saying that we had an educational opportunity which our children today don’t have,” he said.
Ahmed said that the Nigerian Child, if badly educated might be unable to fit into the competitive world of new challenges.
He commended Daar Communications for taken the initiative of addressing some of the problems confronting the education system through the deployment of its satellite services.
He said his administration had carried out reforms in the education sector to make it more functional and relevant for human capital development.
Such reforms, according to him, included the development of curricula relevant for primary education for state’s Colleges of Education.
He also said his government was in partnership with City and Guilds of London in the running of the states International Vocational Centre to produce high quality middle level manpower.
Earlier, Dokpesi said the satellite direct to home/class educational service would promote quality education and vocational training.
He also said it was well suited for both primary and post primary education through the simulation of classroom situations for students to learn at home on a complimentary basis.
Dokpesi said it was disturbing that candidates in competitive examination like West African School Certificate, National Examination Council and joint Admissions and Matriculations had in recent years posted poor results.
The Chairman, who said his organisation’s initiative had been approved by the Federal Ministry of Education, noted that all stakeholders should come together to revamp the education sector.
He added that his organisation was working with Oxford University and Teachers Media to articulate the examination system and lecture formats within and outside classroom contexts for desired results.
Dokpesi, therefore, solicited the technical assistance of the Kwara Government, particularly in the area of provision of energy to drive the satellite-based programmes in the schools.
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