Kaduna, Feb. 13, 2020 A Non-governmental Organisation, Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women (LEADS-Nigeria), on Thursday, called on journalists in Kaduna State to increase reportage on corruption related issues in the education sector.
The Executive Director of the NGO, Mrs Rebecca Sako-John, made the call at the opening of a review meeting with journalists in Kaduna.
Daybreak reports that the meeting was organised to review progress on tracking projects being executed by Universal Basic Education Commission and state’s Universal Basic Education Board.
Sako-John explained that the move was to strengthen accountability and transparency in Nigerian education sector with a view to ensure quality service delivery.
According to her, media involvement is key in exposing corruption in the education sector and placed it in the front burner of national discourse.
“One of the cardinal points of the current administration is the fight against corruption with little progress so far, because the larger per cent of corrupt practices in the country goes unreported.
“Federal and state governments were spending huge resources in the sector, yet our primary schools are dilapidated, pupils sitting on bare floor, while other schools carry out academic activities under the tree.
“We want the media to continue to track procurement, construction, and renovation of schools in the education sector.
“This will help in bringing corruption issues in the education sector to the front burner of national discourse with a view to curb the trend.”
The director said that the Leads-Nigeria have mobilised and trained community members, school-based management committees including the media to track education projects.
She said that currently, community-led monitoring platform in various communities were beginning to take ownership of schools in their communities by insisting on delivery of quality project.
“We want the media to continue to support citizens to engage the government on issues bothering on poor execution of education projects,” she said.
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