Osita Okechukwu, a former director-general of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), has urged the government to implement UNESCO’s 20 per cent education budget recommendation.

Mr Okechukwu, also a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made the appeal on Sunday during the Igwa Nshi Annual Festival in Eke, Enugu State.

He decried the poor standard of teachers, referencing recent disappointing results from a nationwide examination conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

According to him, urgent intervention is needed to reverse the decline in teaching quality across the country.

Mr Okechukwu pointed out that poor teacher quality inevitably results in poor student performance, threatening national development.

He cited the failure of 4,169 teachers in the 2025 Batch ‘A’ Professional Qualifying Examination conducted by the TRCN as a worrying sign.

The former VON DG urged all levels of government to adopt UNESCO’s recommendation of allocating 15 to 20 per cent of total public expenditure to education.

“Education deserves a 20 per cent share of our total budget, as Nigeria’s best resource lies in its human capital,” he said.

He emphasised the need to harness Nigeria’s youth advantage, noting that 70 per cent of the population is under 30 in a rapidly ageing world.

“I’m deeply pained by the crisis of inadequate funding and poor quality in our education system,” Mr Okechukwu added.

He called for a complete shift in mindset to increase investment in learning, which could position Nigeria as a global labour hub.

Meanwhile, TRCN’s Director of Certification and Licensing, Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, recently revealed that 4,169 candidates — 32.38 per cent — failed the nationwide teachers’ professional examination.

She said 8,705 candidates, or 67.62 per cent, passed, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen teacher education and training nationwide.

(NAN)