Danladi Matawal, a professor of Civil Engineering with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, has identified corruption, poor funding, and insecurity as the significant factors responsible for the fall in the educational standard in Nigeria.

Mr Matawal stated this in Abuja on Saturday while presenting a paper “Seeking Solution for a Lost Era of Educational Excellence in Nigeria” at a launching for the completion of the Umar Musa Yar’adua e-library and academic Infrastructure at Government College, Keffi.

Mr Matawal also identified cronyism, lack of adequate and qualified teachers/employees, incompetent planning, improper inspection or supervision and weak administration as other factors responsible for the decline in educational standards.

“Inadequate funds leads to all sorts of dilapidation, especially inadequate Infrastructure and poor remunerations and welfare, as well as the lack of innovations, especially for support services and cross-border disciplinary engagements.

“Cronyism is the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority without proper regard to their qualifications. This is both stifling and killing education in Nigeria,” he said.

Mr Matawal said that there is the need for synergy among stakeholders to put in place viable measures to deal with the embarrassing and insidious menace in Nigeria.

“Therefore, policymakers, academics, opinion leaders and educational administrators should seriously consider the desirability of the rescue of the education sector from decay,” he added.

(NAN)