President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has reiterated the importance of education in ensuring peace, security and rule of law in any society.
Saraki,
stated this while contributing to the General Debate on the theme:
“Parliaments as Platforms to Enhance Education for Peace, Security
and the Rule of Law” at the ongoing 140th General Assembly of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Doha, Qatar.
He
noted that “education is a fundamental human right - central to the
development of citizens as well as what contributions they make to
society,” according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,
Sanni Onogu.
He
added that the National Assembly holds strongly that with the right
education, Nigerian youths would be less susceptible to the
radicalising influence of terrorist groups and other societal ills,
thereby “helping to birth a more peaceful, secure and just
society.”
He
however regretted that the security challenges confronting the
country today are traceable to – or exacerbated by - challenges in
the nation’s education sector.
He
however stated that even though Nigeria has about 13.2 million
Out-of-School-Children – the highest in the world – according to
the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the 8th National
Assembly has and would continue to work with the Federal
Government to address the shortfall with combined strategies to
enhance peace, security and the rule of law in the country.
Saraki
said: “De-radicalisation programmes for former militants or
insurgents have a strong education component, and these have proven
very effective for peace-building and security.
“The
Presidential Amnesty Programme for ex-Niger Delta militants involved
free local and international tertiary education for former
combatants. This is in recognition of the fact that education reduces
youth restiveness, which in turn promotes peace.
“As
part of parliament’s effort to ensure that education is built on
solid foundation, we passed The Universal Basic Education Commission
(UBEC) Amendment Act which guarantees free and compulsory education
for all Nigerians up to secondary school level; while also increasing
from 2% to 3% the budgetary allocation to universal basic education.
“The
law also makes it easier for states to access UBEC intervention
funds, as the benchmark for counterpart funding has been reduced from
50% to 10%. This and other legislative interventions will make all
the difference, we believe, in basic education in Nigeria.
“The
8th Senate is looking to amend the Tertiary Education Trust Fund
(TETFUND) Act 2011 to include Colleges of Agriculture as
beneficiaries of the fund, to improve the quality of education in
those institutions. We amended the Federal Polytechnics Act to
enhance the quality of learning as well as prospects of graduates in
the job market.
“The
Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institution Bill, which
we have also passed, aims to protect female students from
gender-based violations.
“We
have acted decisively in the terrorism situation in the north with
the passage of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) Act,
which is all about bringing people back from internally displaced
camps back to normal life in the region. Children will go back into
the school system and peace will return to those areas.
“We
do affirm that the rule of law is crucial to viable democracy, and
for a successful and peaceful society. Education is necessary in
order for people to appreciate where a society is, and where it
should be headed.
“No
society develops without sustained democracy and the rule of law,
which leads to economic development. Even those who are going to
invest in a country will only do so when we have sustainable
democracy that guarantees stability; that also requires the rule of
law.
“Parliament’s
actions must therefore be guided by these considerations when we
tackle the education needs of our societies. It is only then that we
can truly say that we have been able to use education for the
enhancement of peace, security and the rule of law,” he stated.
He
insisted that it is important for the General Assembly of the IPU to
work for sustainable democracy through Parliaments and for better
oversight by parliamentarians to ensure that set targets are met.
“Education
is not a choice but a compulsory act that must be taken seriously by
all citizens, as I am sure you all agree,” he stated.
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