Alumni members of the Federal Government College, Idoani, Ondo State, have called on the Federal Government to increase funding for unity colleges across the country.
This is as they also admonished the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to fund the education sector adequately.
The PUNCH reports that Nigeria currently has 110 unity schools spread across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
While addressing the press during an award ceremony organised by the Federal Government College Idoani Alumni Association in Abuja on Monday, A professor of biochemistry at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Folashade Olajuyigbe, said, “We, ASUU members, are on strike because of issues bordering revitalisation and others. This is the same thing with unity colleges. Some years ago, teachers in unity colleges were on strike, the demands were not met but still, the teachers resumed work. These days, people withdraw their children from unity schools and take them to private schools. However, these schools can still be revitalised depending on how well we value education.
“We need to devote a part of our budget towards the revitalisation of our schools. We need to pump more funds into the education sector. If not, the sector will continue to get worse and their children will be travelling abroad even for secondary education.
“Education is the bedrock of any other sector. The health sector, for instance, is important but the education sector is much more important.
Also speaking at the event, the president of the Abuja chapter of the alumni association, Brigadier-General Dele Arogundade, also spoke on some of the interventions of the alumni body.
He said, “Unity schools were founded on the right principles. The original purposes are still there. We need people to understand that unity schools can be great again. We are also doing everything possible by pulling our resources together. For instance, we supplied the school with computers. One of my mates in the school, who passed on some time ago, had an endowment fund through which the best female student in the Junior School (class one) was awarded a N100,000 scholarship.
“We are trying to do more in welfare aspect and sponsorship for indigent students that can not pay their fees.”
