By Elizabeth Uwandu

Lagos—THE Education Rights Campaign, ERC, has faulted the Federal Government’s 2016 budget that allocated only eight per cent to the education sector against the stipulated 26 per cent approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO for the sector.

ERC’s National Mobilisation Officer, Comrade Wole Olubanji, said this at the end of  the free coaching lesson organised for Ajegunle community.

Olubanji, who spoke on the theme: ‘Mass failure and challenges faced by Nigerian students,’ said the inability of the government to fully fund the education sector has made organisations such as ERC and parents to come up with gestures such as the free summer lessons and vocational training scheme.

He said: “Education is one fundamental Human Rights of every citizen the government ought to provide. But where the reverse is the case, bodies like ERC has shown that this  free coaching lesson is a reflection that there can be free education where parents   and the community can come together to spearhead and be managed.”

Earlier, Emmanuel Adikwu, of Democratic Socialist Movement; Mr Rasaki Rasheed Olakunle, Lagos Coordinator, ActionAid  Activista; and Mr Dagga Tolar, chairman, Ajegunle chapter, National Union of Teachers, NUT and others;  unanimously lamented the 8 per cent allocated for education in the 2016 budget saying it was meagre compared to the 26% of budget approved by  UNESCO on education.

They lamented that Nigerian parents are partly to be blamed for the mass failure of their children.