Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd.), has deflated claim by President Goodluck Jonathan of his administration recording outstanding achievements in the education sector, describing the claim as empty and inconsequential.
The APC Presidential Campaign Organization that disclaimed this rather held the administration responsible for serious shortcomings in the sector, and blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for presiding over the greatest decline ever known in the education sector in the nation’s history.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the party blamed the administration of President Jonathan for the present confusion in the sector ridden with long strikes occasioned by the poor management of the sector by his appointees.
It continued that “A second characteristics of the sector are the ill-equipped and poorly-staffed universities set up by President Jonathan in 2011 for the purpose of winning votes. The Jonathan’s universities are more like glorified secondary schools. Thirdly, is the continuous mass failure of young Nigerians in international examinations like the West African School Certificate (WASC).”
The APC presidential campaign spokesperson maintained that his party “have taken note of President Jonathan’s song in his recent campaigns around the country about the number of new universities and tertiary institutions he has set up in the past six years and how he hopes that these would train our youths to take the country to the moon.
“We dare say that none of the new universities set up by President Jonathan, meets the standard of good institutions in terms of infrastructure, adequate and well-trained academic staff and proper planning about the future growth and development of these universities.
“Therefore, it amounts to self-deceit to say and believe that his ‘’political universities’’ can take Nigeria to the moon. As a result of the lack of foresight and policy somersault of the Jonathan’s government in the area of education at all levels, the nation has continued to grapple with the problem of low standard of many young graduates and high rate of failure of the nation’s youths in international and national examinations like WASC and NECO.
“Therefore the claim of President Jonathan of having performed wonderfully in the education sector is a bogus claim which cannot stand rigorous examination and analysis,” he noted.
The APCPCO categorically alleged that the future of our education has bcome precarious because the administration of President “Jonathan has only carried out cosmetic improvements for the purpose of winning votes and retaining power rather than well thought out and fundamental changes that genuinely transform the sector.”
