The All Nigeria Confederation of Principals, of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), has condemned the current level of political interference in education sector, noting that it has only blown ill wind in the country’s education sector.
ANCOPSS, a professional association of principals of secondary schools in Nigeria, stated this last Friday at the 60th Annual National Congress, held at the Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
Reacting to the recent degradation of the quality of education in the country in her speech, the National President of ANCOPSS, Principal Izuagie Anslem, said the body has agreed to stand against any form of political interference in the educational system, especially at the secondary school level.
“We will never keep quiet when our system is unduly interfered with. If we want success in the system, then let us maintain all due processes of appointment of a principal, promotion, posting and all the due processes involved in the management of a school, so that our principals can be at their best, and can discharge their duties without fear, while also ensuring that there is quality service delivery in their schools”, she said.
While noting that the current recession in the country has worsened things, Anslem said Nigeria has not progressed in education the way it should, hence the need to revisit the sector with a view to developing it to an enviable standard.
“In Nigeria, we are far from Uhuru and the situation is disturbing. From problems of over funding to policy somersault and paying lip service to educational growth, vision 2010 is now moribund, comatose and closed.
“Yet we hope to be one of the technologically advanced countries in the world. There is need to revisit our education summit to design the vision of Nigeria irrespective of individual effort of states to maintain the standard.
“As ANCOPSS, it is our cardinal responsibility to see to the development of secondary education in Nigeria as the balance of the tripod stand and I huge all stakeholders to be on the alert.
“The economic recession is injurious to the extent that budgetary allocation to education will further nose-dive and impoverish the sector. There is need for urgent steps to revamp our sector”, she emphasised.
Towards resolving these and other issues affecting the education sector in the country, ANCOPSS made recommendations at the end of the conference.
As part of its communiqué, ANCOPSS recommended that in as much as the principals in government schools have huge responsibilities to see that education is revived back to standard, government at all levels and stakeholders should ensure that the principals have the freedom to function effectively without any breach that might stand as distraction.
“Government at all levels should de-politize the appointment, posting and promotion of heads of schools, Government and stakeholders should put in place necessary in-built feedback mechanism that will guarantee continuity in educational policies, the communiqué stated.
In the same vein, it continued that “the UNESCO’s 26% funding policy on education should be adopted while prudent management of available resources is advised.
“Stakeholders in education should be more realistic in setting priorities in education related issues, while adequate enlightenment and sensitization should be put in place by stakeholders on the role of education”.

Sogbeba Dokubo