• Bamidele seeks state, FCT education boards, interventions for unity colleges, military schools
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Senate has begun moves to address funding gaps, inadequate infrastructure and disparities in educational standards across public senior secondary schools, proposing amendments to the law establishing the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).
The proposed amendment seeks to establish education boards at state and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) levels and extend targeted interventions to federal unity colleges and senior secondary schools operated by the Armed Forces.
The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Ekiti Central, scaled second reading during plenary yesterday, following a debate that highlighted concerns over education funding, accountability and the utilisation of available intervention funds.
Leading the debate, Bamidele said persistent deficiencies in school infrastructure, instructional materials and laboratory facilities, as well as disparities in educational standards across states, had made a review of the existing legal framework imperative.
He explained that senior secondary education played a critical role in preparing young Nigerians for higher education, technical and vocational training, skills acquisition and productive participation in the economy.
“The importance of senior secondary education in our national development cannot be overstated,” Bamidele said.
He added that the sector was central to developing the human capital required to drive economic growth, innovation and technological advancement.
According to him, the proposed amendments would strengthen the administration, coordination, funding and delivery of public senior secondary education while ensuring that government interventions reached schools more effectively.
Bamidele said the establishment of state and FCT education boards would bring the implementation of intervention programmes closer to the institutions and communities they were designed to serve.
He also explained that extending the framework to federal unity colleges and Armed Forces senior secondary schools would help address their infrastructure and learning-resource needs.
The Senate Leader, however, warned that changing the law would not automatically improve educational outcomes without transparent funding arrangements, clear implementation guidelines and effective monitoring mechanisms.
“The successful implementation of the proposed amendments will depend on clear operational guidelines, transparent allocation criteria, effective monitoring, proper financial accountability and coordination between the Commission and the relevant authorities,” he said.
Bamidele stressed the commission must ensure fairness in the distribution of resources, establish measurable performance targets and guarantee the prudent utilisation of public funds.
Supporting the bill, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno said improved funding and coordination would help expand access to quality senior secondary education across the country.
Senators Diket Plang and Ahmad Lawan also supported the proposal, expressing optimism that a stronger institutional framework would improve curriculum delivery, educational standards and students’ learning outcomes.
Lawan, a former governor of Yobe State, raised concerns over the utilisation of funds available through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), particularly the failure of some state governments to access intervention funding.
He lamented that some governors had failed to pay the counterpart contributions required to access UBEC funds, thereby limiting the resources available for improving schools and strengthening educational delivery.
The former Senate President urged state governments to take greater responsibility for improving educational standards by ensuring that available funding opportunities translated into tangible benefits for schools and pupils.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, however, questioned the legislative procedure adopted in considering the bill, asking why lawmakers were expected to debate proposed amendments to an existing law without having copies of the legislation available for scrutiny.
His intervention raised concerns about the need for senators to have access to proposed legislation before deliberations to enable them to examine its provisions and make informed contributions.
Despite the objection, the Senate passed the bill for second reading through a voice vote and referred it for further legislative consideration.
The proposed amendment comes amid continuing concerns over inadequate classrooms, poorly equipped laboratories, insufficient instructional materials and unequal access to quality learning resources in public schools.
The bill seeks to strengthen the institutional arrangements for addressing these challenges through better coordination among the commission and relevant authorities at federal and state levels.
Meanwhile, the Senate called on the federal government and relevant agencies, particularly the Ecological Project Office, to urgently intervene in the erosion threatening Bogoro community in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District.
The lawmakers urged the agencies to take immediate steps to protect residents and their property, while calling for relief support for communities affected by flooding and erosion.
They also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to affected residents.
In a separate development, the Senate received the report of its Committee on Foreign Affairs on the nomination of Sani Ndanusa as an ambassador.
The committee endorsed the nominee, paving the way for further consideration by the upper chamber.