Bauchi assures of proper utilization of funds for BESDA

Bauchi State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has pledged to ensure judicious utilisation of resources for the implementation of the ‘Better Education Service Delivery for All’, a World Bank Assisted Project.

The pledge was made by the Commissioner in charge of the Ministry, Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa as part of the commitment of the Ministry during the meeting of the Bauchi State Institutional Arrangement Steering Committee for the Project chaired by Dr Aliyu Tilde, Honorable Commissioner of Education.

Aminu Gamawa said that in order to to achieve this, the ministry will put in place an effective monitoring and evaluation framework which will be jealously followed by every sector.

He also said that State Commissioners of Education, Budget and Planning, as well as Finance,  assured the committee of their support and insisted on the transparent and accountable implementation of the project.

The Commissioner recalled that the Better Education Service Delivery for All Program is to increase equitable access for out-of-school children and improve literacy in focus states,  and strengthen accountability for results, in basic education in Nigeria.

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He noted that the disbursement is need and performance-based as the money will go to infrastructure,  learning materials and teacher training.

Aminu Gamawa said the program it is a 5-year project where 30% of the money will be distributed to private providers with the objective of addressing equity and promoting inclusiveness while 2% of the Universal Basic Education intervention Fund goes towards monitoring specialised programs, some of which will address demand-side constraints.

To be more specific, he said that the amount will be dedicated to the provision of infrastructure, classrooms, toilets, furniture,  equipment, provision of mobile classrooms, reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed school infrastructure.

Other activities under the project are the integration of core basic education subjects into non-formal education (CCTs, School feeding), provision of language textbooks, provision of teachers’ guides, regular assessment of student progress, regular coaching for teachers and implementation of Annual School Census and school-level data validation by communities.

The Budget Commissioner said that Bauchi State has so far received $3M under the project and is expected to receive another $3M this year, adding that no amount from the project money has been spent so far, and maintained the state has, however,  spent N53 million of its money on the project to show its commitment.