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Prof. Musa Maitafsir, the Director, National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, says it will build the capacity of 5,000 teachers across Nigeria.
Maitafsir disclosed this in an Interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.
The Director said that the gesture followed the approval of the exercise by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.
He stated that the exercise was part of the 2022 appropriated funds released to the Institute under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Maitafsir said: “Over the years, NTI ha been very active in carrying out this primary assignment based in the Act no.
7 of 1978.
“The act mandates the Institute to train and retrain Nigerian teachers using distance learning techniques.
”
He also said that the Institute had commenced the 2022 Nigeria
Communication Commission (NCC), Education Support Fund for Digital Literacy training of Nigerian teachers.
According to him, the Institute had also commenced the 2021 UBEC Basic Education Support Fund across the country.
“NTI had also started the Digital Literacy Programme of Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning Empoweent (AGILE) projets in Kebbi and Katsina states,” the NTI CEO added.
Maitafsir also said that various capital and constituency training
workshops across some National Assembly constituencies in the nation were ongoing.
He said,”the Institute has put in place all the necessary mechanisms that will ensure successful and impactful training workshops.
“This is for a truly effective and valuable approach to teaching and learning that teachers of today desire to excel in their jobs.
”
Maitafsir commended the Federal Government for according priority to the teaching profession and teacher education since the beginning of the present administration.
He vowed,”we in the Institute would continue to do our best in discharging our mandate creditably.
”
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Director-General National of the
National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Prof. Musa Maitafsir has called on
the Federal Government to sanction illegal teacher training
institutions in the country.
Maitafsir made the call on Friday in Abuja on the sidelines of the 2022 Nationwide
Capacity Building Teacher Training Workshop organized by the institute.
He decried, ”many unauthorized organizations have hijacked the
training of teachers at the expense of mandated and professional
institutions in the country.
“There is proliferation of private firms with no business in
education and mandate to train teachers, but patronized by state and
federal government agencies in training teachers at the detriment of
the institutions established by laws.
”
Maitafsir urged that the earlier these firms are regulated, the
better teaching profession will be saved from intruders in the
business of teachers production.
The Director- General said, ”over the years , the institute has been
active in the training in line with the mandate and federal government
act of 1978 that established it .
“ We have designed to train over 2000 Nigerian teachers this year ,
they will be introduced to the techniques of learning recoveries
through Basic Education Support Funds from UBEC,
“ Already, 2000 teachers from Kebbi and Sokoto states had received a
similar training by the institute in collaboration with the Commonwealth
in 2021,’’ he said.
Maitafsir further said 100 teachers would receive training on digital
literacy this year apart from 148 teachers already trained by the
institute in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.
He stated that the institute had orgainsed a train -the- trainers
capacity building workshop for distance learning system centre
managers in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
“ The same training will be extended to over 500 teachers in this
type of training this year,’’ the D-G assured.
Maitfasir said that the institute had trained over 69,000 students to
become qualified and certified teachers through NCE, BED, and PGD
programmes by Distance learning system across the country.
On collaborations with Sustainable Development Goals Office, (SDGs),
Maitafsir said that the institute has concluded arrangements to train
1,850 teachers on Information and Communication skills, effective
classroom management, language and communication skills.
He thanked the Federal and state governments as well as development
partners for their contributions towards improving the quality of
teacher education in the country.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Katsina State Government has renovated more than 7,000 primary and secondary schools in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the renovation of the schools is in partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Gov. Aminu Masari made this known on Thursday in Katsina while receiving former members of the state House of Assembly who were on a courtesy visit.
He explained that N30 billion was spent on the rehabilitation of the schools across the 34 Local Government Areas of the state.
The governor added that the state government has employed 5,000 teachers and promoted all the teachers who had not been promoted for nine years.
According to Masari, these are part of his administration’s effort towards enhancing the teaching and learning processes in the state.
He said that the enrolment of primary school pupils had increased from one million to more than 2.2 million between 2015 and this year.
He said this was achieved because of his administration’s strategies in the education sector.
The governor said that his government had also spent N15 billion on the construction of drainages in Katsina Metropolitan Area, to tackle flooding.
He said that the administration was spending N4 billion yearly on the same project, saying that the government, in collaboration with the World Bank, had also spent more than N50 billion in tackling flooding and gully erosion.
The governor said the fund was spent on tackling flooding and gully erosion in Katsina, Jibia, Malumfashi and Funtua Local Government Areas.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The National Association of Seadogs, Sahara Deck Abuja City Centre, has called on government at all levels to enforce the compulsory education policy, to tackle problem of out-of-school children.
Mr Olamide Oni, the association’s head, made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference to commemorate the 2022 International Literacy Day, with the theme: “Transforming Literacy learning Spaces.
’’
He said that the association planned to take children off the street by sponsoring their education up to senior secondary school.
Oni said that the gesture was to help reduce the statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), that over 52,000 children were currently out of school in Abuja.
He added that the statistics further showed that out of 40.8 million school aged children in Nigeria, 10.2 million children were estimated to be out of school.
“Right now in Nigeria, the only compulsory education is primary school, but the law is not really being enforced, government must enforce and ensure that every child is in school.
“There is need to put some measures in place to make sure that we do not have street hawkers , kids who are meant to be in school are out selling wares for their parents.
“If there are sanctions for defaulters, I think we can take a lot of kids from the streets.
“The government also needs to invest in education, what goes to our education every year is a paltry sum compared to what we project for the entire running of the country in a year.
’’
Oni said the association has been running the ‘Adopt-a-child’ project to address the issue of out of school children within the FCT.
He said the project had adopted Karu orphanage home and donated books, computers and air conditioners to create a conducive learning environment for the kids.
Oni said to mark the 2022 Literacy Day, NAS Sahara Deck opted to donate some reading and writing materials including writing boards for 10 classrooms in Kuje.
He said that the donation was in view of the fact that public schools in the Abuja suburbs lacked adequate learning materials.
“Sahara Deck under my leadership would also engage FCDA and UBEC to increase school enrolment to take more children away from the streets and sponsor them up to senior secondary school of learning.
‘’
Mr Chike Onyia, an official of the association, said citizens must augment government’s effort in providing education because government was not doing enough.
“We are advocating that the government takes up its responsibility as we are also intervening to make sure that these kids are given a better future and the good education they require,’’ he said.
Onyia said that the group was working on establishing a platform where Nigerians could visit and contribute to helping children go to school.
Mr Stanley Nwankwo, Public Relations Officer of the association, said the adopt a child project was a bold move to take a good number of street kids back to school.
Nwankwo said members of the confraternity contributed to the children’s tuition fees and learning materials.
“As an advocacy organization, we are nudging and urging relevant stakeholders and authorities to actually key in and then do what they ought to do,’’ he added.
Mr Obiekwe Amaechi, an elder member of Sahara Deck, said in spite of high number of births, there was no sustainable plan for their education either by parents or government.
Amaechi said that there was need to put in place a long term solution to the problem.
“We are trying to put up a system that will outlive all of us here, that is the long term solution that we are bringing on board.
“This is because basic education makes a lot of difference in the life of a child and once you miss it at the primary level you probably will have lost that person’s life and the person becomes useless.
“Part of the issues we are suffering today is as a result of negligence, because we have not done what we were supposed to do in terms of giving basic education to our people.
“Once children drop out, anything negative can happen; so we are trying to put in place a long term sustainable system that will encourage other citizens play complementary roles.
’’
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Prof. Suleiman Khalid, Chairman, Kebbi State Universal Basic Education Board (KBSUBEB), said that the board had stepped-up efforts to return 750,000 out-of-school children to classroom across the state.
Khalid announced the plan of the board when a delegation on Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) Implementation Support Team from Abuja paid a courtesy visit on Gov. Atiku Bagudu in Government House, Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.
The chairman said 86,000 out-of-school children were returned to school in 2021 across the state, adding that in 2022, it was planned that 750,000 of such children would be returned to school.
“These, among others, are some of the incredible achievements we have recorded sequel to the sustained support of Gov. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu,” he said.
Receiving the delegation, Gov. Bagudu restated his commitment to adequately fund education at all levels in the state, while appreciating the successes recorded in returning out-of-school children to classes in the state under the project.
While assuring of the readiness of his administration to logically and judiciously deploy resources to achieve better results, Bagudu observed that the myriad of interventions by the federal and Kebbi state governments had positively opened the fortunes of education in the state.
“These interventions had really helped to arrest the hitherto high level of decay in the educational institutions in the state.
Let me acknowledge that BESDA had also enabled the state to do what it should have done earlier, this is a wake up call.
“I am delighted that SUBEB in the state has been doing very well, I want to assure that more will be done.
“Kebbi is successfully implementing many intervention projects with the Federal Government, World Bank and other agencies.
“Education planning depends on statistics, I want to direct those in charge to be mindful of the sanctity of data,” Bagudu directed.
The Team Leader, Dr Bala Zakari who is also the Deputy Executive Secretary, Technical, UBEC Abuja, said BESDA was a result-oriented project under the Federal Ministry of Education expected to end next month.
He explained that it was a four-year programme that had received tremendous support from Kebbi State Government.
Zakari also lauded the state for the support and cooperation it gave during the just concluded National Personnel Audit, adding that BESDA was targeting out-of-school children, to get them back to school.
The National Implementation Adviser, BESDA, Dr Dabo Adamu, stated that Kebbi remained one of the best BESDA states in the country, assuring that it was why the state government earned $5 miliion after the first NBS verification.
“The state will earn more during the forthcoming second leg of the exercise.
I, therefore, want to request His Excellency to improve financial support to Kebbi SUBEB to achieve optimum result,” he advised.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Some stakeholders in the education sector in the North-East have identified poor school infrastructure as the major bane militating against delivery of quality education at basic level in the region.
They also enumerated lack of good remuneration of teachers as factor behind poor academic performances.
They stakeholders including educationalists, parents and civil society activists spoke while responding to a survey by the News Agency of Nigeria in Bauchi, Damaturu, Maiduguri and Gombe.
Mr Mohammed Yunusa, an educationists in Damaturu dismmsed the state of public primary schools in the state as ‘pathetic’.
He said most of the schools, especially those in the rural areas lack good infrastructure, teaching and instructional materials.
He said the classrooms has been crowded, a situation which forced pupils to take lesson under tree shades.
“In one of the school with over 2,000 registered pupils, its condition is terrible.
“The school needs urgent intervention to upgrade existing structures and construct new ones to accommodate the population,” he said.
Mega School YobeMalam Abdullahi Ali, a resident of Yadin-Buni in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe, said many primary schools vandalised by Boko Haram insurgents had been rehabilitated.
He, however, said the schools had not been put to use, a trend which overstretched the few functional schools in the area.
He also decried shortage of teachers in the schools due to their locations and vulnerability to security threats, adding that, “teachers decline posting to such vulnerable schools for fear of the insurgents”.
Malam Abdul-Rahman Aminu, who corroborated earlier opinion, said the problem was further compounded by lack of qualified teachers to teach in the schools.
He said teachers in such schools could not put in their best in view of the poor remuneration and working conditions.
A teacher, who pleaded anonymity decried the poor renumeration, noting that it resulted poor performances in the schools.
She said the salary of N27,000 for teachers was below the N30,000 national minimum wage, adding the take-home pay is demoralising to the teachers.
“The salary is meager and unattractive that cannot sustain the life of a teacher,” she said.
Newly constructed classroom, MaiduguriFurthermore; Mr Abdullahi Yelwa, a lecturer with the Department of Crime Management and Control (CMC), Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi, said the remuneration of teachers at the basic level was not attractive.
According to him, poor remuneration of teachers and deplorable condition of primary schools is affecting the foundation of education in the country.
He attributed the deplorable condition of the schools to poor funding of Local Education Authorities (LEAs) by respective state governments.
“Before, primary education has been fully supported by local governments through LEAs, because the people know who to hold accountable for successes or failure of education at the grassroots.
“Presently; the local government councils are not receiving their statutory allocation in the name of Joint Account, thereby making it impossible for them to fund education at basic level.
“The establisment of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) caused more damage than the expected positive outcome in the education sector,” he said.
The lecturer advocated for the review of UBEC programme as part of measures to reinvigorate the basic education sector.
To address the problem, the state governments in the region had initiated viable infrastructure and teacher development programmes towards raising standard in the sector.
Mega school, Gombe
In Borno; the state government had executed 194 school infrastructure projects in the past three years.
According to official document, the projects include rehabilitation, completion and construction of new 21 mega primary, secondary and technical colleges across the 27 local government areas of the state.
It showed that 33 of the projects had been executed in Askira Uba; eight in Bama, six in Bayo, six in Biu, nine in Chibok, two in Damboa, two in Guzamala and eight in Gwoza.
Others were 12 school projects in Hawul; 25 in Jere, five in Kaga, 19 in Konduga, four in Kwaya Kusar, six in Mafa, one in Mobbar, 48 in Maiduguri, four in Monguno, four in Ngala and two in Gubio.
The government also distributed 221,000 assorted text books to the schools.
Also, Mohammed Jibrin, Chairman of the Nigeri Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, commended Gov. Babagana Zulum for approving new minimum wage for teachers.
He said the gesture would motivate the teachers, adding that good remuneration was necessary in getting qualified teachers.
“The teachers are impressed as it would improve teaching and learning process in the state.
“In Borno, the government has done well in area of infrastructure, what we need now is more qualified teachers to manage our schools,” Jibrin said.
Mega school, GombeIn Gombe, the state government says it has renovated 715 basic and post schools, constructed 612 classrooms and 10 administrative blocks in 10 schools.
Mr Babaji Babadidi, Executive Chairman, Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), reiterated government commitment towards improvement of teachers’ welfare
He said the board was working towards the implementation of the teacher promotion, adding that the state recorded 539,831 pupils enrollment in 12,637 schools across the state.
According to him, the government has recruited qualified teachers to address shortage of manpower in the schools.
This, he would encouraged school enrollment and reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.
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In the same vein; Yobe government has constructed seven mega primary and secondary schools across the major towns in the state to decongest classrooms, create enabling teaching and learning environment.
The state government also constituted a technical committee on basic and secondary education to rejuvenate the sector.
For his part; Bello urged government at all levels to increase funding to the education sector to encourage infrastructure and teacher development programmes.
“The state governments should invest heavily and demonstrate interest in education because you cannot say education is compulsory at the basic level and it is not available”.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Federal Government says it is taking practical steps to address the problem of drug and substance abuse, among vulnerable young people using the instrumentality of its At-Risk-Children Programme(ARC-P).
Mrs Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Mrs Maryam Uwais, who is also the National Lead of ARC-P, disclosed this is a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
ARC-P is an initiative of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration facilitated by the Office of the Vice President.
Uwais, who spoke at the opening of a two-day Stakeholders’ Workshop to inaugurate the implementation of ARC-P in Niger, regretted the spate of substance abuse among young people across the country.
She said that the Federal Government, working with the NDLEA, UNODC and other relevant stakeholders, was making the necessary Interventions to discourage the illicit and distressing habit and practice.
Uwais said that with the support of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), ARC-P had since created a national desk that was working with the state offices of the programme to sensitise young people on the many dangers of substance abuse.
According to her, the programme is also putting in place support structures to assist and rehabilitate those who are already addicted.
“I should mention that substance abuse is like the elephant in the room in efforts to tackle the vulnerabilities associated with youth.
“ We find too many young people, including women indulging in this unacceptable behavior even in our rural communities.
“Those who cannot afford the expensive heroine and cocaine quickly go for cheaper alternatives that are readily available.
“Interestingly, in ARC-P, we have a very senior, experienced and vibrant official from NDLEA who has been accompanying us to engage youths already using illicit drugs.
”(This is) with a view to dissuading them from the unwholesome practice by providing them with viable alternatives in the form of skills acquisition to enable them become productive.
’’
The presidential aide, who made a presentation on the roadmap and objectives of ARC-P to the stakeholders in Niger, said the programme was anchored on seven pillars.
She said that the pillars were strategically designed to empower the beneficiaries with basic education and life skills that would help them productively engage and take ownership of their lives.
“We are not looking at replacing what is happening in primary schools rather we are working with UBEC, using their Master Trainers on an intense curriculum that introduces basic literacy and numeracy to these children.
“It is important for those who have never been to school to connect with classroom activities so this ‘pre-induction’ interim course facilitates a basic appreciation of the critical elements for such children.
“Again, let me emphasise that we are not trying to take away the Islamic education already being taught the children currently in Tsangaya schools because Islamic knowledge is critical to our faith, imbibing the foundational values for life.
“We are only trying to ensure that they are empowered with the knowledge that would enable them to become more productive in a rapidly developed and highly competitive world.
“It is important that the children have skills to help them brace up to the challenges of this high-tech era,” she said.
In her remarks, Wife of the Governor of Niger, Dr Amina Bello, appreciated Buhari for the ARC-P initiative which birthed the partnership in addressing the plight of out-of-school children and vulnerable youth in the state.
Bello expressed optimism that ARC-P would have a great impact in Niger as she projected that over 105 vulnerable children would benefit from the programme in the first two stages of implementation
She decried the high-level of substance abuse by young people in Niger, expressing confidence that much of the problem would be addressed with the ARC-P strategic Intervention.
Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the Government of Niger State, was among top government officials who attended the opening of the two-day workshop.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has partnered the Edo Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to train Quality Assurance Officers (QAO).
The two-day workshop, which ended in Benin on Friday, centred on how to conduct quality assurance activities, using digital tools, in line with global best practices.
Dr Idris Jega, the Head of Division, Security Geospatial Intelligence, Department of Strategic Space Application, NASRDA, said it was imperative for quality assurance processes to be digitalised for efficient service delivery in education in Nigeria.
According to him, a country with diverse socio-cultural and environmental resources such as Nigeria, needs current, accurate, and cost-efficient data and resource management.
“The training component for this collaboration is focused on capacity building, for quality assurance officers, Edo SUBEB.
“This is to ensure development of skills and capacity in the application of space technology and GIS (Geographic Information Service) for quality assurance, as well as geospatial intelligence on the activities taking place at schools,” Jega said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that switching to e-quality assurance, Edo SUBEB joined its counterparts in other states in carrying out quality assurance processes, as a means of improving quality education in the country.
Welcoming the participants earlier, Mrs Ozavize Salami, the Executive Chairman, Edo SUBEB, stressed the importance of the training toward upskilling QAOs to deliver on the EdoBEST 2.0, an education reform mandate in the state.
“The Quality Assurance process provides us the framework to independently and objectively assess the impact of our investments in teaching and learning, teacher professional development and school environment.
“With e-quality assurance, this very vital feedback will be available, just by the click of a button,” the SUBEB boss noted.
Mrs Beatrice Oke, Edo State UBEC coordinator, commended the state, on its migration to e-quality assurance.
Oke noted that quality assurance was the core of input processes and output.
“Incorporating ICT in our processes ensures that officers are doing the right thing at the right time.
“This will help us carry out quality assurance in a better way, keeping us at par with other states, while actively increasing the involvement of officers in the basic education ecosystem”, the UBEC coordinator noted.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has expressed satisfaction with the judicious utilisation of funds by the Kwara Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
The Deputy Executive Secretary (Services) of UBEC, Mr Isiaka Kolawole, stated this on Thursday in Ilorin while speaking with newsmen shortly after inspecting some schools recently constructed by SUBEB.
Kolawole said Kwara was doing well in applying the UBEC funds on schools’ infrastructure.
”The state had missed a lot with blacklist before the present administration paid the backlog of its counterpart funds.
”So, I want to urge other states to emulate Kwara’s investments in the education sector,” the UBEC boss said.
The Chairman, Kwara SUBEB, Prof. Raheem Adaramaja, said the board was elated with the positive commendation from UBEC and that it would spur it to do more for the state.
He hinted that the board would from September, begin free distribution of textbooks to pupils on English language, Mathematics, Basic Sciences and Social Studies, starting with primary four, five and six.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the UBEC team inspected Burhanudeen LGEA School Ojagboro, Government Day Secondary School Amule and UBEC Model Smart School Adeta in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education says it will sanction schools, especially private ones, resisting the National Personnel Audit conducted by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The Chairman of the committee, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said this in Abuja on Thursday, while monitoring the 2022 National Personnel Audit.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that UBEC is currently carrying out a national personnel audit of all basic education institutions in the country.
Ihonvbere said that he would propose a law along with other colleagues to make it compulsory for every private school to make available 100 per cent of the personnel data.
“What has been lacking in this country is policy consistency, ability to align policy formulation with policy performance, funding the education sector adequately and ensuring that resources go to the right places.
“The numbers of schools have increased over time but we don’t have enough teachers.
“We are closing schools because of security.
It is not the teachers that will provide the security; it is the government.
So they need to do something about that,” he said.
The chairman said that most schools outside the capital city were lacking perimeter fencing and it was not the government’s responsibility to do that for schools.
“There are schools without water, toilets, playground for primary school pupils.
So we need to take education very seriously.
”That is if we really want to change this country, because education makes the difference in any country.
“So, when I said since 1960 the fundamentally structural challenges and contractions in Nigeria have remained constant, I know what I’m talking about.
“The private schools are taking a major risk.
Even the school where UBEC staff was arrested, I’m surprised that the board has not closed down that school,” he said.
Earlier, Alhaji Alhassan Sule the Executive Chairman, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Universal Basic Education Board, said the availability of data would help to address some challenges facing the education sector.
“What is going on now is a better opportunity for us to have at our fingertips data that concern the enrollment, teachers and infrastructure.
“I think it is better to plan when you have your data at your fingertips.
”I think the best thing that the Federal Government is doing for Nigerian citizens is ensuring free and compulsory basic education for our children,’ he said.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
