Government can’t fund public schools adequately –Commissioner

The Commissioner for Education in Ogun State, Dr. Segun Odubela, says the quality of education is higher in private schools than in public schools because of inadequate funding of the latter by the government.

Odubela said this at an international schools and colleges exhibition organised by Edumark Consult in Lagos on Thursday.

 “Government may not be able to finance education and bring it up to the same standard with the private schools because there are so many sectors that are also struggling for attention from the very limited resources available,” he said.

The organiser of the programme, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, said the programme was to assist parents, schools and children to access information that will help them.

“We invited schools that are actively and consistently developing their human resources and we made sure we invited the schools that were doing the right thing,” she said.

No public school was invited to the exhibition, our correspondent observed.

The programme, had in attendance a former Commissioner for Education in Oyo State, Mrs. Tokunbo Fayokun; the Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Prof. Mopelola Omoegun; the Registrar, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Mrs. Christie Oluborode; representatives of First  Bank plc, private school administrators and pupils of various schools.

Oluborode said government should make education a priority because “the standard of learning in public schools has degenerated.”

While commending the organisers of the programme, Odubela said, “A forum like this could bring practical solutions to the regression we are experiencing in the education sector and salvage the sector from total collapse.”