FCTA Seeks Viable Options To Funding Public Schools

Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it is seeking alternative sustainable functional and inclusive options for funding public schools and vocational centres in the territory.

The permanent secretary, FCT, Olusade Adesola who made this known while declaring a two-day retreat open, assured the desire for the FCTA’s commitment to providing sustainable education, but said that government alone can no longer fund education, hence the urgent need to include non-state actors and the organized public sector to strengthen the funding of public schools and vocational centres.

Adesola while commending the education secretariat for its consistency in the production of the annual school survey, which is a veritable document for effective planning and administration of schools, also praised them for partnering with international development agencies.

He, therefore, tasked the participants to deliberate on improving the productivity of teachers in FCT schools, evolve credible partnerships that will complement funding of the sector and develop an action plan for sustaining training and capacity development of teachers to upscale them in consonance with evolving advancement in technology.

“Our efforts in the development of the plan will come to nothing if the document is not applied to our developmental initiatives. I, therefore, implore this gathering to prioritize the application of the education sector plan in your budget preparation to enhance an effective plan implementation,” he said.

The permanent secretary urged the participants to engage in meaningful and productive discussions that would strengthen their capacities and that of the secretariat as an institution to improve education performance and service delivery.

Also, the secretary of education secretariat, Sani El-katuzu said the retreat would help to proffer lasting solutions to the challenges of funding in the secretariat.

El-Katuzu commended the FCT minister, Muhammad Bello for resuscitating the G7 security operation and the provision of operational vehicles, saying it would provide them relief to concentrate on handling school management and operation.