Senate President declares open public hearing on enabling Bill for Educational Planning Institute

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan on Thursday declared open a public hearing on a bill to back up the establishment of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration(NIEPA), Ondo, Ondo State.

The Institute was established in 1992 by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNESCO/International Institute for Educational Planning(IIEP) as a Staff College for Planners and Managers in the Nigeria education sector and West Africa sub-region.

Declaring the public hearing open, the Senate President said: “This is an opportunity for us to ensure that we make the institute as effective and as efficient and as professional as possible.

“So here is an opportunity for us to have a no holds barred discussions and interactions because the essence of this bill is to make the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration worthy of it’s mandate.

“It is our hope and prayer that the outcome of today’s public hearing will produce the Senate with an opportunity to make the right decision in terms of how this institute should be as professional as possible.

“I want to assure you that in addition to the amendment that this bill seeks, we will try to see that you are better supported to enable you discharge your mandate more effectively and efficiently.”

In his welcome address, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education(Basic and Secondary), Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, said the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration(Establishment) Bill 2022 sought to give legal backing to already functioning institution.

Gaidam said the institute was established in 1992 with three-fold mandate which was intended to move forward the professionalization of educational planning and administration.

“The essence of this public hearing is for the critical stakeholders and indeed the general public to objectively make their submissions to the committee for an informed recommendations to the Senate to pass or reject the Bill as proposed,” Senator Gaidam said.

Speaking at the commencement of the public hearing, the sponsor of the Bill, Senator Ayo Akinyelure said “sadly despite the institute’s enormous potentials and it’s long years of existence and operations, it does not have an enabling law to regulate it’s activities to strengthen and entrench its core mandates.

“The crux of this public hearing therefore, is to aggregate stakeholders’ opinion as input with a view to producing enabling laws which will serve as impetus to drive the Nigeria Institute for Educational Planning and Administration activities.”