Nigerian Senate To Stop Kids Of Public Officials From Studying Abroad

If a bill proposed by Senator Basheer Garba
Mohammed succeeds, children of public
office holders would be restricted from
schooling abroad, except for specialized
programmes or courses not offered in the
nation’s educational institutions.
The bill among other objectives is aimed at
restoring the nation’s public educational
system by discouraging public officials from
sending their children and wards to foreign
schools.
Besides, senators have accused some
committee heads of using their positions to
influence the implementation of only
constituency projects in their senatorial
districts.
Mohammed noted that aside from neglect
suffered by public schools, the desire of
many public officials to educate their
children overseas had been a major source of
capital flight and brain drain. He stressed
that in this regard, there was the need for
the Senate to adopt drastic measures to
rescue the ailing educational system.
“Today, in this digital age, the pupils sit on
bare floor. You then ask, what manner of
leaders of tomorrow are we producing? You
may also ask, where are the children of
senators, honourable members, ministers
and governors? If our children attend such
schools, can we afford to leave them in such
a sorry state?”
The senator representing Kano Central
stated that the country’s educational system
had continued to suffer serious setbacks
because political office holders and policy
makers had given an impression that they
had no confidence in the quality of
education.
He described the bill as a patriotic call for
sacrifice to restore confidence to the
country’s educational sector.
“We should be proud of what we have and
Nigeria cannot develop without a sound
educational system. You cannot be a
minister or commissioner of education or of
health and refuse to patronize your own
system and expect the system to improve”,
Mohammed said.
The bill, however, proposed an option of a
special tax for defaulters, which would be
channelled toward revamping the ailing
educational system in the public sector from
primary through secondary to tertiary levels.
According to the sponsor of the bill, the tax
would be determined in due course.