By Esther Akaa
The Nasarawa State Government has organised an educational summit to address the challenges facing basic education and improve learning outcomes in the state.
Addressing the gathering, the State Governor, Abdullahi Sule said his administration is committed to transforming the education sector and would support every effort by committing the necessary resources to improve the standard of education because of its importance to the development of the state.
The Summit which was held in Lafia on Thursday had as its theme: “Revitalising the future of basic education in the state”.
Governor Sule said, “I am ready to commit resources to the transformation of the education sector, even if that is the only legacy my administration would leave after leaving office in 2027. That is why the sector continues to have the highest budgetary allocation since my assumption of office in 2019.
“We have implemented more than 10 years of outstanding promotions of Secondary and Primary School teachers as well as other civil servants, and have renovated and constructed structures in many schools across the state.
“We have also recruited teachers to fill vacancies created by retirements, deaths and transfer of service as well as creation of more schools and introduction of new subjects to strengthen the system,” he added
The governor commended Dr Kassim Muhammad-Kassim, Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and his team for the initiative to hold the summit and the wonderful work they are doing since their appointments.
In his remarks, Dr Kassim Muhammad-Kassim, Chairman of SUBEB, said that the summit was necessitated due to the challenges and gaps the board discovered with basic education, with a view to addressing them.
Dr Kassim said the board under him had constituted two committees on assumption, and discovered numerous operational and administrative gaps.
He mentioned the gaps to include: poor infrastructure, shortage of chairs, inadequate teachers, truancy, improper teacher placement, theft of the school’s furniture in conjunction with staff, transfer of qualified teachers to offices as administrative staff, among others.
“To address these issues, the governor has approved the procurement of 30,000 chairs to improve classroom comfort and approved the employment of more teachers.
“We have also deployed 1,900 administrative staff back to classrooms, and we are planning to deploy an additional 1,000 to address shortages of teachers.
The board chairman also appealed to parents, especially Fulani and others whose children are out of school, to enrol them in school to avoid sanctions.
He reiterated that the board would soon commence the arrest of any child not in school and arrest and prosecute their parents for not enrolling their children in school in line with the existing laws in the country.
The Lead paper presenter at the summit, Prof Tonnie Iredia, a broadcast Journalist, communication scholar and Lawyer, said Basic Education was essential and must remain a priority.
Prof Iredia said poor economy and years of corruption have continued to encourage lethargy, lack of interest in societal development.
He stressed the need for strict sanctions against officials diverting school facilities and teachers who fail in their duties as measures to strengthen the system for optimal performance.
He also emphasised the need to reward hardworking teachers and sanction those who fail in their duties to ensure improvement in the standard of education in the state.
The Voice reports that the summit brought together stakeholders comprising educationists, government officials, traditional rulers, policy makers, parents, teachers, among others from the International, National and Local scenes.
The stakeholders provided solutions to education-related challenges to help improve quality and shared best practices and innovations to enhance teaching and learning outcomes in the state.