ABUJA – Minister of Education, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau has made a case of exemption for the country’s education sector in federal government ban on overseas training and other measures to mitigate the current harsh economic realities in the land.
In an interface yesterday with Senate Committee on Education, the minister explained that the ban would be counter productive and presents Nigeria in bad light before the international community.
According to him, bilateral scholarship agreements and payments with offshore institutions have been decided and sealed on behalf of our students, a situation he noted has made it a no go area.
He further argued that pegging personnel cost at what it was in 2014 fiscal year does not allow for growth, such as introduction of new courses, building of new classrooms and research pursuits among others.
The minister also dismissed alleged approved Federal Polytechnic, Ughelli, Delta State as a farce or that it was yet in the pipeline.
Responding to the panel’s query for undue delay of take off of the federal polytechnic, the minister noted, “we are not aware of the polytechnic”, explaining, “approval is with Mr. President, once approved, no funds can be withheld; perhaps it is in its anticipatory level, I will look into it”.