The pandemic presents an opportunity to re-prioritise education
By Hon. Prof. Julius O. Ihonvbere, OON - Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services, Nigeria National Assembly
© Hon. Prof. Julius O. Ihonvbere, OON
No child should be denied their right to a quality education because of who they are or are where they live. Yet globally that is the reality for millions of children who are either not in school or are in school but not learning the basics.
Access to quality education remains a real challenge in Nigeria, where about 10.5 million school-age children are out of school, the majority of whom are girls. Most of these children are in the north of the country where conflict has destroyed classrooms and disrupted learning. Gender, geography and poverty also shape education marginalisation in Nigeria heavily, with the most marginalised children experiencing multiple and intersecting disadvantages.
These inequalities risk being compounded by COVID-19 and Nigeria is now at high risk of falling further behind in our progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4: ‘inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all’. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the disparities that children face in accessing a quality education and the neglect that educating our children too often receives, not only in Nigeria but all over the world.
A chance to build back better
As Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education, I have been scrutinising and holding to account the Ministry for Education’s COVID-19 response strategy.
Despite the extreme difficulties COVID-19 has presented to us, the pandemic has also provided a vital opportunity to rethink the priority our country places on education. I have been making the case that it is not too late to address the challenges we face and get back on track to ensuring universal access to quality education. This, however, requires renewed political commitment and leadership.
Parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in ensuring that investment in education is put at the heart of the global COVID-19 recovery effort. We have a unique responsibility and platform to press our governments to deliver equitably-funded systems of education that are high quality, inclusive and accessible to all children and young people.
© Hon. Prof. Julius O. Ihonvbere, OON
As legislators we have the tools to expand and accelerate progress on education
In our National Assembly there are over 20 bills on education and many parliamentarians continue to press for greater investment and inclusion in education. In partnership with Honourable Taiwo Oluga, Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Women in Parliament, I recently sponsored a bill to amend the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act to increase the scope of free and compulsory basic education to extend to senior secondary education. This would re-define basic education as covering 12 years of schooling, as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Too often though endeavours by parliamentarians do not receive the attention they merit from the executive. Long-term progress is most likely to be achieved when we come together behind a shared vision. I therefore warmly welcome the establishment of the International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd) as a mechanism for facilitating the collaboration of parliamentarians across countries to deliver co-ordinated messaging and calls for action to accelerate quality education for all.
Parliamentarians in partnership to deliver the promise of SDG 4
Prior to COVID-19, globally we were decades behind in ensuring that a quality education really is for all. The unprecedented disruption caused by the pandemic on learning now risks pushing us even further behind. We can’t understate the scale of the challenge we face, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. That’s why it is more important than ever for parliamentarians to now come together to ensure that no child is left behind.
As a long-standing advocate for education I am proud that my commitment to education has been recognised by the Co-Chairs of IPNEd, Senator Dr Gertrude Musuruve Inimah and Harriett Baldwin MP, who have invited me to become a founding member of their global network of parliamentary champions for education.
In signing IPNEd’s Declaration I have made a commitment to reach beyond political and geographical divides to accelerate quality education for all so that no child is denied their right to a quality education. I look forward to working with my honourable colleagues from around the world to deliver on that vision.
Hon. Prof. Julius O. Ihonvbere, OON - is currently an elected member in Nigeria’s National Assembly representing Owan Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives where he is also Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education and Services. Prior to being elected, he served as Secretary to the Government of Edo State and Chairman of the State’s Strategic Planning Team. He was previously Special Advisor to the Nigerian President on Program and Policy Monitoring.
He has worked for a number of international organizations, including the International League of Human Rights and the Ford Foundation. An activist scholar, he was active in Nigeria’s human rights and pro-democracy movements as well in the leadership of the Nigerian opposition to military rule whilst in exile returning to the country with the end of military rule. Dr. Ihonvbere has an extensive publication history including numerous books, chapters, and over 70 refereed academic papers published to date.
