Students seek ban on politicians’ children schooling abroad

Having identified leadership as the major problem confronting our nation, Royal Exchange in partnership with Foundation for Youth Education brought together school prefects from secondary schools in Lagos to the fifth Leadership Conference for Secondary Schools entitled; The Youth as Catalyst in the National Transformation Agenda, in a bid to catch them young.

The school prefects who were, however, excited with the proposed education budget for 2013 said they hope that with the proposed 2013 education budget of N426.53b, problems associated with education will receive maximum attention. In the interactive session, the students traced the problem of education sector to our leaders who send their children to school abroad, while neglecting to fix the problems in the sector back home. Our education sector, they said, will continue to suffer neglect if the children of politicians continue to school overseas.

“We urge the Federal Government to present a bill to the Senate banning the children of political office holders from schooling abroad,” said the students. According to the prefects in public schools, under normal circumstances, students in private schools are not better than students in public schools if our government put in place the equipment and enabling environment for study. “If both the children of the poor and rich are mandated to study in Nigeria, the education sector will be better funded,” they said.

Speaking at the seminar, the Group Managing Director, Royal Exchange Plc, Mr Chike Mokwunye said; “Leadership is a major impediment to the development of the Nigerian society,” noting that our country is blessed with huge natural and human resources enough to eradicate want and hunger from our land.

He added that leadership is yet to harness our full potential to make our country great. This, Mokwunye reiterated, “informs our belief that we need to start building our future leaders from tender age to have the right calibre of people running the nation’s affairs in years to come.”

According to him, the programme among others, will impart the virtues of honesty, diligence, hard work and empathy which he said are tools/skills necessary for effective leadership. He told the prefects to endeavour to protect the weak, respect constituted authority, display exemplary conduct and uphold the high ethical standards that will make them good ambassadors of their schools and the nation at large.

On his part, Otunba Abdulfatai Olukoga, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Education, told the students that as a leader, the positive things they do today will not only affect today, but will prepare them a position for great tasks in adulthood.

Olukoga who was represented by Mrs Oyedele Olutoyin said; “Everything you think, say and do influence what your future becomes. What you become in future impacts greatly on nationhood since you are generally regarded as future leaders. Olukoga said that integrity, self confidence, honesty and sensitivity to happenings around students will help them to be productive and responsible citizens.

He urged students to set goals in their pursuit of success, explaining that “goals unlock your positive mind and release ideas and energy for their attainment. Without goals, you simply drift and flow with the current of life, but with goals, you fly like an arrow, straight to your targets,” he said.

Source:Vanguard