Gombe NGOs Want Better Funding Of Education

Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) and Advocacy for Children’s Rights Initiative (ACRI) have called for action against “the low budgetary allocation” by the Gombe State government to the education sector in the 2024 budget.

The NGOs made the call separately when they spoke with LEADERSHIP yesterday in Gombe, the state capital.

In his submission, the state coordinator of CSACEFA, Abubakar Abdullahi Hussain, decried that the government of Gombe State has allocated only 3.9 per cent to education and 2.8 per cent to higher education respectively in its N207 billion budget estimate opining that the allocations were grossly inadequate.

“Based on what I read on a national daily (not LEADERSHIP) the state budgetary allocation to basic education is 3.9 percent while higher education is 2.8 percent, the allocation is grossly inadequate if you compare it with UNESCO’s declaration of allocating at least 15 percent of the budget.

“Tertiary institutions, especially federal universities, have increased their registration fees, we have been calling on the government to increase the scholarship of students and the allocation is low, how can the scholarship be increased?” he queried.

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Also, the founder of Advocacy for Children’s Rights Initiative, Barrister Martha Daniel, in her reaction to the passed budget complained that in recent times, the education sector in Gombe State has suffered a setback as a result of under-funding.

“Students’ performance in WAEC and other external examinations have not been so impressive. In the era of artificial intelligence, innovation and technological drive, one would expect a huge investment in education reflected by the budget.

“While we expected that the government would swing into action to salvage the situation, the allocation made by Governor Inuwa Yahaya has dampened our hope. The allocation of 3.9 per cent of the budget to education is meager in such a time as this,” she said.