By Golok Nanmwa,Jos

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has said that the recent declaration of a state of emergency on the nation’s education sector by the Federal Government was long overdue, stressing that it would go a long way in addressing the multifarious challenges facing the sector.

A statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mark Longyen, said Governor Lalong stated this when he appeared on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, live programme, “Good Morning Nigeria,” at the NTA headquarters in Abuja.

According to the statement, Lalong said that any nation that does not prioritize education was bound to fail, and explained that it was against this backdrop that his administration had, right from the onset, taken the challenge of addressing the decay in the Plateau State education sector headlong by doing everything possible to achieve results.

Lalong also suggested that the Federal Ministry of Education should begin a quarterly assessment of all states of the federation for a proper evaluation of the performance of the states in the sector.

The Governor said the education ministry should also publicize the results of the quarterly assessment as part of the strategies to push for the prioritization of education in Nigeria.

He said beyond physical infrastructural development, governors should also focus on the development of infrastructure by coming up with fresh ideas which would boost the welfare of students and teachers.

The Governor disclosed that the Federal Government had directed all states to declare a state of emergency on education to ensure adequate planning in the next fiscal year.

Governor Lalong also urged state legislators to be directly involved in the planning of budgets for speedy passage.

Lalong disclosed that his administration had approved funds for granting aids to missionary private schools in Plateau State.

According to the Governor, such grants have not been paid to some of the schools for thirty years, notwithstanding the fact that the schools have over the years contributed immensely in educational development.

It would be recalled that the National Executive Council, NEC, this week approved the declaration of a state of emergency on the nation’s education sector.

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Lalong: Declaration of state of emergency on education timely