Jigawa: Badaru remains focused on education
Provision of qualitative and functional education is one of the cardinal objectives of the Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar administration, considering the role of education in societys economic prosperity, technology advancement, social cohesion and political stability.
Education
The Jigawa State Universal Education Board has recorded numerous achievements, including construction of new classroom blocks, renovation of existing ones, provision of desks and chairs, training and re-training in addition to monitoring and supervision at basic education.
The board, under the credible leadership of Alhaji Salisu Zakar, has excelled in the discharge of its legitimate responsibility with support of his competent and hard-working staff.
By far, the greatest achievements are prompt release of outstanding UBEC counterpart funding by the state government, unmatched commitment to salvage the basic education sector, payment and receipt of N3.11 billion for capital projects and essential projects 3rd and 4th quarter of 2013 N1.20 billion, construction of 599 classrooms and provision of 6,942 sets of furniture in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2014 to the tune of N476 million, 345 classrooms, 2,350 set of classroom furniture and 6 toilets blocks; 2nd, 3rd and fourth quarters of 2014 N1.42 billion 849 classsrooms, 7,307 classroom furniture, 56 toilet blocks and one admin block.
The sector equally received $3.5m grant for global partnership for (GPE) World Bank grant for basic education sector support. Moreover, the sector in collaboration and support from ESSPIN, has undertaken 2015/2016 annual school census which the sum of N6, 999,3000 was expended for the successful conduct of the exercise.
Data collection has been strengthened for better planning and decision-making through the use of GIS and EMIS in order to establish accurate data base with the ESSPIN and TDP.
Guri, Kila, Gumel, JSS Aujara and Gantsa Tsangaya were renovated to the tune of N12m, arrangement is in pipeline in the 2018 budget to recruit additional teachers across board, and specialized subjects like Science and English, while discussions on the states needs are on-going with the Federal Ministry of Education under the 500,000 teachers’ scheme.
Interestingly, the N-power programme introduced by the present administration has received over two thousand teachers to teach at basic education level, the number would significantly enhance teachers per pupil ratio.
The sum of N12, 730, 594,245. 05 was expended as salary for teachers, N160 million for over heads, procurement and distribution of school uniforms which gulped over N24,675, 640, refund of N21, 270,939 school fees in line with the administration free girls education policy.
The sector, in collaboration with ESSPIN and TDP, has trained a number of teachers on the GPE programme aimed to enhance enrolment of girl pupils into schools, with several programmes introduced to achieve the desired objectives. They include payment of allowances to mothers, so as to avoid sending their children, especially girls, to hawk, allowances to pupils annually to encourage them to go to school and allowances to teachers with lower qualification to enable them acquire additional qualifications.
The basic education sector, where education is free for the period of nine years, strives to enhance teaching and learning as the foundation of education. Supervision, monitoring and evaluation are equally are of prime concern in educational planning, administration and management.
Government is working with both local and international NGOs like SBMC, PTA, ESSPIN, TDP and other international donor agencies to enhance the development of education in the state, with special emphasis on primary education in view of its immense contribution to educational development across the globe.
To provide qualified teachers in line with global best practice, emphasis is given to training and retraining as 1,248 teachers were trained by Teachers Development Programme (TDP) and jolly phonics training for 640 teachers, in addition to the training of 2,212 teachers, head teachers and school support officers by ESSPIN, a UK-funded programme, with emphasis on enhancing teaching and learning as international development partners.
Government has taken measures to ensure that pupil who finish primary school were enrolled to junior secondary school. Also, 75,000 pupils having completed their six-year of study in primary schools were enrolled to junior secondary schools.
To accommodate the teeming number of students, 105 new junior secondary schools were built to ensure adequate and equitable distribution of schools in the three senatorial zones of the state.
Teaching materials worth millions of naira were purchased and distributed to all basic education schools across the state. Also, stationery was purchased, 47 staff from local government service commission were redeployed to SUBEB and 82 teaching staff and non-teaching staff promoted after acquiring relevant additional qualifications. Tsangaya Model School was supported with teaching materials to enhance teaching and learning.
Adequate budgeting was made budgetary provision has been made for the 2016-2017 UBEC intervention fund amounting to N3.290 billion after approval of work plan with inputted development of 1098 classrooms and 9200 classroom furniture.
Monitoring and supervision is another area of prime concern in the education sector. Thus, effort has been intensified for regular monitoring and supervision of primary and junior secondary schools in collaboration with local education authority across the 27 local governments of the state.
Jigawa state, with 2,080 primary and 532 junior secondary schools, is committed towards creating enabling environment that would enhance teaching and learning at basic education level, with construction of additional blocks, renovation of existence ones, provision of classroom furniture, in addition to the setting of various committees to enhance the sector.
The state government received $ 3.5 m grand Global Partnership for Education (GPE) World Bank Grand For basic education sector support; Successful completion of 2015/2016 Annual School Census with Esspin support amounting to about 6,999,500; Strengthening data collection for better planning and decision-making through the use of GIS and EMIS in order to establish accurate with the aid of ESSPIN /TDP; Urgent repairs at Guri, Kila,Gumel, JSS Aujara and Gantsa Tsangaya from overhead and release of N12m from state government; Receipt of N1200 set of plastic furniture from UBEC and distribution to schools; Purchased distributed 4,000 sets of lower basic furniture of schools; Procurement of sporting facilities for State Universal Education Board; N12,730,594,245.05 was expended as salaries for teachers, N160 million for overheads; Procurement and distribution of school uniforms, bags and sandals for nomadic school pupils in the state worth N24,675,04; Procurement of 27,630 sets of school uniform for distribution to female students of senior secondary schools across the state to the tune of N69,080,129.88 etc.
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