By Correspondent in Minna
Away from security matters, Niger state government said it spent over N7 billion as counterpart funding for Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) projects between 2013 and 2019.
The Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, disclosed this at the flag-off of the 2017/2019 National Quality Assurance Training programme entitled, “Effective School Evaluation: Panacea for Improving Learning Outcomes and Strengthening of the School System.”
According to him, the projects include facilities for teaching and learning and as well to ensure timely delivery of educational materials across the state for the periods under review.
He noted that many interventions by the state government had been instrumental toward the resuscitation of the near collapsed educational system across the three senatorial zones of the state, adding that the administration had also not neglected most importantly, training of teachers to improve their teaching capacity.
Ketso expressed optimism that the training programme would enhance the capacity of the educational managers, especially the teachers, in order to meet the contemporary challenges of educational needs and the quality of instructional materials.
The Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Habib Boboye,who represented by his deputy, Malam Mansir Idris commended state government for living up to expectations but reminded it on the need to ensure that quality assurance staff under go ‘competence test’.
Boboye said that a team had been put in place to monitor teaching and learning in the schools as part of reforms in the sector, adding that repositioning of educational sector for greater performance in the country was basically the reason for the provision of such programme.
In his address of welcome, state Chairman of SUBEB, Dr.Isah Adamu, said, the state government had “set
the ball rolling by setting a Standard that whosoever becomes a Quality Assurance Officer must under go a competency test.”
He called on the beneficiaries of the training programme to make good use of what they learnt to improve on their teaching skills.
“To ease the challenges faced by the field Quality Assurance Officers at the zonal level, the Board procured and distributed 17 Bajaj Motorcycles for continuous quality assurance monitoring, 5 Laptops, Desktops, Photocopiers and UPS for report writing.
” Also, a Hilux Van was purchased for continuous monitoring at the Board’s headquarter”.
The Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Suleiman, said that the importance of Quality Assurance to the Education sector could not be overemphasized.
According to her, quality assurance boosts teacher’s performance, learner’s achievement and stakeholder’s participation with a view to making the sector more robust and functional.
She said her Ministry had set up mechanism that would enhance teacher’s performance for optimal productivity, through continuous monitoring and professional development driven by the Quality Assurance And Standards Agency.
