The Vice Chancellor, Ibrahim badamasi babangida University, Lapai, Professor Abu Kasim Adamu has stated that new ideas are needed to be injected to reform educational system in the country.

 

The Vice Chancellor made this known while declaring open the 5th Annual National Conference on Education with the Theme, “Educational Reforms, Test Fairness for National Integration”, organised by the Faculty of Education and Arts of the Institution.

 

Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Professor Hassan Ibrahim, the Vice Chancellor said education plays a significant role in developing the country, and even considered to be the bedrock of development.

 

Professor Adamu affirmed that educational reforms may however involve an update in curriculum, techniques of teaching, academic calendar, structures and a host of others, noting that the central idea of educational reform is to improve the educational system and make it more efficient.

 

In their separate remarks, the Chairman of the occasion,  Professor Muhammad Yakubu Auna who is also the Provost, Niger State College of Education, Minna and the Dean, Faculty of Education and Arts, Professor James B. Omonu affirmed that educational reforms are aimed at changing the educational policy for the betterment of education, opining that at  the end of the  national conference, a communique will be issued to policy makers on the new ideas, techniques and policy on education.

 

The keynote speaker, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi,  Registrar,  National Examination Council, said education is the heart of all national development efforts, and no nation can achieve economic prosperity without a sound and functional education system, adding that the security and stability of every country depended on its ability to provide functional education to its citizens.

 

He stressed that for Nigeria to live up to expectations in the twenty-first century, knowledge driven economy must ensure that the curriculum and infrastructure,as well as teaching and learning practices in the education system be reformed and adapted to the situation on ground.

 

In his  presentation, the Lead Paper Presenter, Professor Isaac J. Kukwi from Nasarawa State University, said education in Nigeria began to experience crises when the Federal Government implemented the 6-3-3-4 system without proper planning.

 

He noted that primary education was the first to suffer the effect of inappropriate planning, stressing that the needs assessment was not properly done and the result was inadequate statistical data.

 

Professor Kukwi noted that for the government to complicate the issue, they went ahead to take over voluntary and mission schools and assumed financial responsibility that witnessed the gigantic educational programme in Nigeria.

 

The presenter maintained that for it to be corrected, a serious reform must take place to allow all education stakeholders conduct conferences and come up with a valid data that will give room for necessary corrections.

 

In a closing remarks and a vote of thanks the Registrar, Alhaji Musa Ango Abdullahi and the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Dr.  Adelakun appreciated the University Management  for providing the opportunity to hold the Annual Conference, and also appreciated the Chairman of the occasion, who despite his tight schedule was able to attend the programme, and the Keynote  Speaker and the Lead Paper Presenter speaker for doing justice to the topic of discussion.