The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has sought partnerships with Wema and First Banks to boost Senior Secondary education through improved infrastructure, digital learning tools and teacher capacity development.

The Executive Secretary, NSSEC, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, made the appeal during courtesy visits to the management of the two banks in Abuja on Tuesday, as part of efforts to mobilise private sector support for human capital development.

Iyela said senior secondary education remained a critical but previously neglected segment of the education system, stressing that government alone could not adequately fund quality education.

He said the proposed collaboration would be mutually beneficial and contribute to national development.

According to him, senior secondary education is critical to character formation, skills development, and smooth transition to tertiary education.

The executive secretary explained that NSSEC was established in 2021 as a regulatory and intervention agency to address long-standing gaps in senior secondary education, which had previously lacked focused regulation and intervention.

“Before the establishment of NSSEC, primary and junior secondary education were regulated by UBEC, while tertiary education was overseen by bodies such as NUC, NBTE and NCCE.

“Senior secondary education was largely left on its own,” Iyela said.

He said that this situation led to infrastructural decay, shortage of qualified teachers, and declining standards at that level.

He added that government alone could not adequately fund quality education due to competing national demands, hence the need for private sector’s collaboration.

The executive secretary therefore appealed to the banks to support NSSEC in areas such as provision of digital devices, science equipment, ICT laboratories, classroom construction and teacher training.

He commended the banks for their track record in corporate social responsibility (CSR), youth empowerment, scholarships, teacher development and support to underserved communities.

Responding on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, the Regional Executive of the bank, Mr Sunday Olaitan, promised the support of wema bank to collaborate with NSSEC in the areas of provision of learning equipment.

Oseni described senior secondary education as crucial to human capital development and national prosperity.

He said the bank was committed to contributing to societal development through strategic partnerships, especially in education and youth empowerment.

“We are happy with the mandate of NSSEC and proud to be associated with it. The youth at this level hold the key to the future development of the country,” he said.

On his part, the Group Executive, Retail Banking North Division, First Bank, Mr Idris Ibrahim, expressed the bank’s readiness to partner with an education-focused institution to advance senior secondary education and national development.

Ibrahim said that education remained central to societal growth, stressing that neglecting senior secondary education undermined preparation of future leaders.

According to him, First Bank’s CSR policy places strong emphasis on education, alongside health and gender-related interventions.

Ibrahim explained that the bank’s CSR commitments were reported annually in its financial statements to ensure transparency and accountability to the public.

He assured the delegation that the proposed partnership would be mutually beneficial and aligned with the bank’s long-standing commitment to educational development.