Okorocha urges nationwide free education

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National University Commission (NUC) to take a cue from his state and work towards making education free for all Nigerians. Okorocha also advocated specialised university system where each institution will focus on a particular field of study as obtained in developed countries.

The governor, who spoke yesterday at the public presentation of a book: Assessment of Nigerian Universities Environment held at the national press centre, Radio House Abuja, urged government to focus on making education free for all. He said: “Let Nigeria close up every other thing and make education free, let education be free in Nigeria, we must urgently act to ensure that education is free for all so that the poor can go to school.”

According to him, Nigeria ought to change its education system and tailor it in line with her natural resources. Okorocha said that the standard of education has not fallen, but standard of its management. Stressing that over 6,000 students have benefited from the Okoracha Foundation, the governor urged Nigerians, irrespective of their social class to send at least five children to school.

Okorocha said he sacrificed his security vote in order to implement free education in Imo State, saying: “All Imo indigenes are now enjoying free education from primary through secondary to the university level.”

Also speaking on the occasion, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku identified the scrapping of the Teachers Grade 2 Certificate and its consequent replacement with National Certificate in Education (NCE) as the problem that has negatively impacted on the primary and secondary school system in the country.

Maku said the real problem with the nation’s educational sector is the primary and the secondary schools, adding that those were the bedrock of education.

He said: “Until primary and secondary schools are properly managed, the country can never get it right; you can never be a good student in the university if you had no good foundation from primary and secondary schools.” The minister urged corporate organisations and agencies to pay back to the society by supporting the growth of education in the country.

Source: National Mirror