To strengthen his resolve for improved funding of education in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, at the Global Education Summit last week in London, United Kingdom, pledged to increase the budget for the education sector by as much as 50 percent over the next two years.
President Buhari made the promise in a document titled ‘Heads of State Call to Action on Education Financing Ahead of The Global Education Summit’ signed as a form of commitment at the Summit.
“We commit to progressively increase our annual domestic education expenditure by 50% over the next two years and up to 100% by 2025 beyond the 20% global benchmark,” the President said.
The summit is being co-hosted by the Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta to give opportunity for leaders to make five-year pledges to support GPE’s work to help transform education systems in up to 90 countries and territories.
Buhari, in a release by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, joined President Kenyatta to affirm commitment to improve learning outcomes in their respective countries by ensuring equitable access to quality and inclusive education for all citizens, with particular emphasis on the girl- child.
He also said that Nigeria fully endorsed the call for more efficient use of resources and significant increase in investment in education as well as strengthening of institutions, promoting greater adoption of technology, building the capacities of its teachers and mobilizing additional financial resources through legal frameworks and deliberate intervention on a sustainable basis.