By Chris Ochayi
ABUJA—Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, yesterday reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment towards revamping the education sector and putting an end to policy inconsistency in the system.

Prof. Rufai, who stated this at the ongoing maiden five-day international conference put together by Diamond Lecture Centre with the theme “Current Issues on Nigeria Education and Vision 20-20-20”, said primary education must end with a certificate after primary six.

The minister said it was unacceptable that people will hide under the guise of implementing the Universal Basic Education, UBE, scheme and argue that dis-articulation of schools should remain, whereby pupils will not sit for exams but proceed from primary one to Junior Secondary School, JSS, three without being subjected to any form of monitoring through examination.

According to her, the present administration under President Goodluck Jonathan has shown commitment towards ensuring the sector becomes enviable once again and that a Presidential Taskforce on Education will soon be inaugurated.

On the standard of education and the way forward for the sector, the Minister noted that nobody can talk about the standard of tertiary institutions without starting from the lower cadre which produces the students that are admitted into the tertiary institutions.

The government she explained has had enough deliberations concerning the education sector and will do everything possible to ensure that the dream of moving Nigeria to a country which will by 2020 generate at least $900billionas GDP and meet $4000 per capital income target.

“We have worked on so many areas and we want to know if it is the number of years spent in school or the quality of the teachers and teaching that the students get that should be changed. We are working towards making some courses in the university a second degree programme.

“Courses like Medicine and Pharmacy are being  likely to be a second degree programmes but some people are already fighting and kicking against it, saying it will lead to less doctors and pharmacists  available for the country, but should it be quantity or quality?

“People talk about Policy Summersault but i argue that the right thing must be done. I have decided that we must articulate our primary and secondary. How can pupils start schooling and he or she did not sit for any exam from primary one to junior secondary school three?

“The classrooms for the junior arm of the schools are left empty and even the teachers in the schools are left idle because the junior arm was disarticulated. But we must articulate them back and primary school leavers must take exam and have certificate. Secondary school leavers must have certificate.

“Unfortunately, the Federal Inspectorate Units is nothing to write home about as at now but we are working hard to ensure that the unit is empowered to carry out its functions not only for the Unity Colleges but for the thousands of schools across the country,” she said.