The House of Representatives has announced a national summit on tertiary education reform will take place on November 22 and 23.
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this on the floor of the green chamber on Monday while addressing his colleagues who had returned from a six-week recess.
The lawmakers had begun a six-week recess to allow various committees to conduct legislative work on President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2023 budget proposal.
Over the years, academic staff at the nation’s tertiary institutions have gone on strike over a variety of issues, including calls for increased university funding and salary increases.
Gbajabiamila stated that the national summit, titled ‘Reimagining Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges, and Solutions,’ will generate solutions to the nation’s tertiary education sector’s challenges.
Gbajabiamila stated that the house is still committed to completing its legislative agenda in all priority areas.
“As part of that effort, the house will convene a national summit on tertiary education reform.
“The summit is an opportunity to begin the long overdue national conversation about the future of public tertiary education in Nigeria.”
Scholars, tertiary education administrators, and local and international stakeholders, according to Gbajabiamila, have been invited to submit papers on the summit’s theme.
He stated that the presentations and submissions will help shape the summit’s policy recommendations, which will be published in a journal for policy action and academic reference.
“So far, public interest both within and outside Nigeria has been impressive,” Gbajabiamila said.
“The most consequential decisions we make in government are those that will ensure the vast population of young people in our country are educated and adequately equipped to participate productively in the modern global economy.
“To achieve this, we must ask and answer complex questions about the operating structure of our public tertiary institutions, sustainable funding, education quality, and access.”
Gbajabiamila invited lawmakers to participate in the “crucial national conversation” so that experience and expertise can inform the summit’s policy recommendations.
