Some lawyers on Wednesday called for an overhaul of public schools to ensure they meet international standard.
They said the dwindling educational standard should be redressed for the sake of the future generation.
A constitutional lawyer, Mr. Godwin Adelemoni, of Beacon Solicitors, said education, like some other sectors, had suffered neglect for years.
He said a larger percentage of Nigerians attend public schools. So, there is need for a thorough check and appraisal of their activities.
“To understand the impact of public schools, we must understand that overwhelming majority of Nigerians cannot afford private education for their children.
“So, for their children to get any hope of education, they must attend public schools.
“It, therefore, means that a poor standard of education in our public schools means poor education for many Nigerians,” Adelemoni said.
Mr. Spurgeon Ataene, said most successful people today were products of public schools, including professors.
“The proliferation of private schools is partly responsible for this and more agonising is that public schools no longer have well-trained teachers.
“While some of the teachers can teach children how to speak English; some lack depth and knowledge of other subjects,” he said.
On the way forward, Ataene said: “To be very frank, I think educational policy in public schools should be overhauled, to keep it in line with international standard.
“The government should equip, empower and retrain teachers in public schools, to bridge the gap between the rich and poor, so that education can be accessed at little or nothing for quality.”
He suggested adequate remuneration for teachers and the scrapping of substandard private schools.
Another constitutional lawyer Mr. Ayotunde Ologe, called for increased funding of public education and employment of more qualified teachers.
A rights campaigner, Mr. Malcolm Omirhibo, said: “There were so many beautiful public schools known for excellence in our days; and in those days, you must be well-qualified as a teacher to be employed in such public schools.
“We can get back our public schools to those good old times and government can ensure this, by putting the right structures and personnel in place,” he said.