Funmi Ogundare 

As Nigeria celebrates its 65th Independence anniversary Wednesday, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has called on the government to place education at the heart of national planning, warning that the country’s future depends on the quality of its human capital.

The National President of NAPPS, Chief Yomi Otubela, in a statement, described education as the soul of national development. 

He stressed the need for urgent reforms to address persistent challenges of underfunding, poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, teachers’ welfare, and the alarming rise in out-of-school children.

While acknowledging the progress made since independence, including the expansion from a handful of universities and schools to hundreds of tertiary institutions and millions of children now enrolled nationwide, Otubela said the gains risk being undermined by gaps in quality, inconsistency in policy, and frequent disruptions such as strikes.

He welcomed initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), but stressed that it must also cover students in private tertiary institutions, noting that most are not enrolled there due to wealth but because of limited spaces in public schools. 

The NAPPS president emphasised the growing role of private schools in absorbing the demand that government institutions cannot meet and outlined six priorities for reform including; increased and accountable funding, improved teacher training and welfare, deeper collaboration between public and private schools.

Others are extension of government palliative programmes to private institutions, strengthened technical and vocational education, and the deployment of technology in learning while bridging the digital divide.

“At 65, Nigeria must reimagine education not as a privilege but as the single most important investment in its future,” Otubela said. “The task before us is clear: move beyond access to deliver quality education that equips every Nigerian child to thrive in the 21st century.”

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