The educational sector in Nasarawa state is undergoing a rebirth due to the new lease of life injected into the sector as MOHAMMED YANGIDA reports.
The education sector in Nasarawa state has experienced a major improvement in the quality of governance in terms of improved funding of schools, supply of modern learning facilities and renovation of schools under the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule within one and half year in office.
This is an evidence that education occupies a very important place in Sule’s agenda.
Key intervention areas
The evidence is found in the renovation of many primary and secondary schools, payments of scholarship allowances, release of N29 million for boarding schools feeding programne, promotion of 5,000 teachers and engagement of over 2,400 teachers who were given permanent appointment.
There is also the release of N2.7 billion for NSUBEB to access N5.7 billion intervention funds for the year 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The sum of N1.5 billion was released as counterpart fund to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Abuja, to access N3,039,768,157.72 billion for the 2019 all aimed at meeting the objectives of basic education in the state.
He also sponsored the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) Nasarawa state chapter to Kano which was denied for years.
Physical transformation
In pursuant to his avowed commitment to providing improved learning environment for the state public schools, the governor has flagged off the construction of a block of four classrooms, two offices, one toilets and solar- powered water system each in Mararaba Gongo of Wamba and Mahanga communitied in Awe local government of the state.
Earlier, he inaugurated and handed over a block of classrooms under the 2018 conditional grant scheme at Ungwan Jarmai, Kokona local government area of the state.
These efforts and many more are aimed at improving conducive atmosphere for teachers and students in the state.
The governor was able to restore the hope and confidence in his people, just as more and more corporate bodies and individuals continue to come to his aid because of their belief in his style of leadership.
Results now confirm that the steps he has taken in its educational sector are in the right direction and has moved quite close to its proper role of equipping children adequately for the future.
It is desirable for all to take every step possible to return to the school system that emphasises respect for rules and meeting of standards.
In a nutshell, Governor Sule is doing by putting together his hard earned reputation and connections in the administration of state, despite lean resources to bringing the needed changes in various sectors in the state.
This effort particularly in the area of education, according to the governor, has become necessary despite the fact that the state lacks the resources to renovate and equip all the public schools in need of urgent attention.
An ad-hoc committee assessment
He said that government cannot afford to fold its arms and wait till the economy of the country and state improves before he begins to deliver dividends of democracy to his people.
Therefore, he set up a committee to conduct a baseline survey of all primary and secondary schools across the state.
According to the report of the committee headed by Prof Mohammed Isa Kida, Nasarawa state has 1,391 primary schools and 419 secondary schools made up of 19 junior, 320 senior and 29 boarding schools with 90 percent of these schools in dilapidation.
While presenting the report, Prof Kida said as researchers, they have done their work by stating the facts, some of which he added would make the governor happy while others, he said would make him sad.
Governor Sule who also inaugurated another all important committee on education development plan chaired by state commissioner of education Hajiya Fati Sabo Jimaita, emphasised that the recommendations contained in the report by an earlier technical committee that carried out baseline survey of public primary and secondary schools headed by Prof Kida would serve as guide to the education sector development plan committee.
He noted that the conception, composition and inauguration of the committee was geared towards providing the impetus for the administration to actualise its vision in the state’s education sector.
Seeking help outside gov’t
On his rescue mission towards public schools across the state, Sule believes that most of the structures in public schools are not too convenient to serve as learning centres for children; therefore he declared that urgent attention should be given to all the public schools in the state.
“I visited the Government Science School Lafia when it was raining and I realised that it was worst than when I first visited. A school in the state capital in a state that an engineer is the governor, who believes in science and technology, I was ashamed of myself,” Sule said.
He immediately reached out to corporate organisations, friends and individuals to help renovate public schools. As lamented by the governor over the deteriorating state of the school, it has been refurbished with a promise to execute similar project each across the remaining two senatorial zones.
The governor however, appreciated his friends and cooperate organisations that undertook the renovation of the entire science school.
Equally too, in the Government Girls Secondary School Garaku, Sule’s friends in the banking industry intervened in turning around its fortune. Investigation by Blueprint reveals that close to N100 million was said to have spent on the renovation.
The governor also pledge during the on-the-spot assessment tour of facilities at Government Technical College Assakio that he would ensure all the needed technical equipment, consumables and other accessories are adequately provided to all technical colleges in the state.
Agencies applaud step
Also recently at the opening of bid in Lafia, the executive chairman Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education (NSUBEB) Muhammad Musa Dan’azumi said that the administration of Governor Sule has spent huge sum of money in the provision of infrastructure. He therefore called on the successful contractors to reciprocate the gesture by using standard building materials in their works.
Dan’azumi said government cannot do it all alone, so he called on well-spirited individuals, NGOs, the business community and other education stakeholders to rally round the government so as to uplift the standard of education to a better level in the state.
He charged the contractors especially those that were successful at the bidding to execute projects according to specifications, saying anything short of that would not be accepted by the government.
Also, the founder of Aliyu Bello Educational Charity Foundation and state APC secretary, Malam Aliyu Bello, appreciated the former governor now Senator Umaru Almakura for engaging 2,500 teachers during his tenure. He commended Governor Sule for approving the appointments of the engaged 2,500 teachers into the mainstream civil service of the state despite the lean resources that accrue to the state.
Aliyu Bello charged them to reciprocate the good gesture done to them by turning around the teaching profession to its rightful place in the state.
“I am happy to inform you that the present teachers in my foundation are mostly beneficiaries of this employment scheme.”
Speaking, the deputy majority leader, Nasarawa State House of Assembly and chairman House Committee on Education, Hon Oga Ogazi said education remains the key to societal growth.
He charged people of the state to support the government in its efforts to develop the state to a greater heights. He said Governor Sule is committed towards boosting the education sector in the state and urged him to continue in the spirit.
He equally enjoined the newly-appointed teachers to change the narrative in the education sector in the state, just as he charged them to fill the gap created in the education sector by impacting quality knowledge to the students.
In conclusion, he said, “The quality we give is the quality we get and whatever Governor Sule has done to lift the standard of education in Nasarawa state is a step to mitigate the risk to the future of the state and its citizenry particularly the children.”
