The federal government has been urged to invest more on public schools in the country and rework their operations to bring back their old glory of top performance.
The Planter of Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, Prophet Sam Olu Alo who gave the advice said such action will ensure quality teaching and learning in all public primary, secondary and higher institutions in the country.
He also called on Nigerian leaders to make deliberate efforts at changing the country for better and the citizens to eschew all forms of corruption for Nigeria to develop.
The renowned cleric spoke in his Ido-Ekiti country home at the weekend.
Speaking on the recently initiated student loan by the federal government, the cleric said no amount of loan given to a student whose school fees are well over one million will be enough.
According to him, “A parent who enrolled his child or children in an institution where they pay N500 000, N700 000 as fees is believed to be sufficient financially.
“If I were to be in government, what I will do is to reintroduce free education policy all public schools to free education for the poor Nigerians and also recruit competent teachers. It is because public schools are not as good as of the times that people now prefer to enroll their children and wards in private schools this days.
“Parents are struggling to send their children to school these days. It will be good if President Bola Tinubu can help rejig public schools by coming up with a policy of free education and recruit quality and competent teachers.
“The highest amount payable as fees in most public universities in the country depending on the courses is around 400,000 naira while in private universities, we have those paying 1 million and above, so if they should be given loans it may not work.
“I am sure one of the motive of the government on the students loan to only the public universities students is to make public universities attractive to Nigerian parents and their children again.”
For the success of the initiative, he said all the government need to do is to ensure that education from the primary to tertiary in the country is reworked with the reintroduction of free education.
“The teachers welfare and creating conducive learning environment should be prioritized by the government. Public institutions are populated by the children of the poor and the less privileged in the society and government should help invest in their education heavily.
“Can someone be earning N70,000 as salary enrol his children in a school where they pay one million as fee? Even some universities established by church most members cannot afford to send their children there but make do with public institutions for their children.”
On the corruption as clog in the wheel of the nation’s development, he said, “There no is country without corruption and there is no country that cannot change for better.
“The bad thing about our country is our erroneous belief that things cannot get better and people are not ready to give their all to transform the country. This is a major challenge in Nigeria even only prayers can’t solve our problems until all our leaders make deliberate efforts to transform the country.
Cleric urges Nigerian govt to invest on public schools to boost students’ performance