Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, yesterday said University of Abuja is a typical system failure which requires urgent attention and serious overhauling.
Rufa’i who disclosed this at the on-going Ministerial Platform on Key Achievements in Commemoration of the first anniversary of President Goodluck Jonathan administration said “Why we acted on the University of Abuja was to save it from total collapse. The university is a big issue. I am sorry to say that it is a total system failure”.
Continuing, the minister said “There is problem in the University, but look at other universities. It is a total difference from what we have in university of Abuja. The institution receives funds just like other functional universities, yet there are a whole lot of challenges facing it. But I am assuring you that soon the problems we have in the university will be fixed”.
She said that the federal government has budgeted over N2 billion for the construction of Girls Education Projects (GEP) schools in 16 states of the federation with a view to ensuring that the country meets the targeted Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2015.
The issue of access and equity, she said, is very critical to the development of education sector in any country adding that it cannot be relegated to the background.
She said the ministry is working very hard to Strengthen the Institutional Management of Education, Teacher Education and Development; Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) amongst others.
Rufa’i noted that, the federal government has made effort in ensuring that Almajeri Education Programme is achieved in all states of the federation.
In her words “You will recall that Mr President flagged off the programme in Sokoto. The ultimate goal is to have 400 Almajiri schools by the year 2015, 102 schools iare to be completed by June 2012.
“Addressing the Almajiri’s problem is addressing over 60-70% of the problems we have in the development of education in the country”, she added.