Gombe state sets to receive a 6 million US Dollars Basic Education Grant aim at reducing out-of-school children and improve literacy level in the state.
The grant according to a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor (SSA), Media and Publicity, Ismaila Uba Misilli is coming under the ‘Better Education Service Delivery for All’, (BESDA), which is a World Bank/ Federal Government funded programme, targeting at mopping up out-of-school children and getting them back to school.
BESDA National Programme Coordinator, Professor Gidado Tahir announced the grant when he paid a courtesy call on Governor Inuwa Yahaya at the Government House, during his official visit to Gombe to assess the state’s preparedness to key into the BESDA project.
He explained that Gombe state is among 17 states of the country with the highest number of out- of- school Children to kick start the programme.
Professor Gidado Tahir disclosed that Gombe state will receive 3 million dollars as advance payment, which is half of the total project grant of 6 million dollars that will be paid to the state in two trenches beginning from next week.
He also highlighted on key areas of the project to include the number of children to be enrolled, teaching capacity as well as supervisory and management roles, stating that SUBEB will be the implementing organ while the state Ministry of Education is to supervise the programme.
He, therefore, urged the State Governor to ensure adequate monitoring of the programme in order to achieve the desired results, especially being the state with the 3rd highest number of out- of- school-children.
In his remarks, Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya appreciated the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for including Gombe as a participating state, even as he described the World Bank assisted programme as apt and timely, especially in view of his administration’s resolve to prioritise basic education.
Inuwa Yahaya vowed to ensure backward integration of basic education in order to address the anomalies associated with it and improve the rating of Gombe state in the index of performance in NECO and WAEC so as to catch up with other states.
The Governor lamented the neglect of public education system by those who benefited from it, vowing that “We must change the narrative through a backward integration of basic education and no going back in this resolve”.
Governor Yahaya reiterated his commitment towards addressing the problem of out-of-school children, which he described as alarming, expressing confidence that with the composition of scholars of reckoning at the helm of affairs in the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB the project will be successfully implemented in the state.
Earlier speaking, SUBEB Chairman, Mr Babaji Babadidi appreciated Governor Inuwa Yahaya for his foresight in including teacher-training as part of his areas of focus.
He also thanked the Governor for the confidence reposed in them so serve and assured to work assiduously towards the realisation of his campaign promises.
Meanwhile, the has approved the appointment of Dr Ishiyaku M. Mohammed as Special Adviser, Budget, Planning and Donor Agencies Coordination.
A statement signed by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity described the appointee as a development practitioner with over 15 years experience and was until this appointment, a Deputy Director, working in agricultural and environmental sectors for the Federal Government.
He previously worked in the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund, (PTF), served as Senior Technical Advisor to the Minister of Environment, Head, Conditional Grant Scheme in MDGs Office, where he coordinated the disbursement of grants to fund primary services to states and guided the investment of over N40 billion annually for nationwide intervention in primary healthcare, water and sanitation.
Dr Ishiyaku Mohammed holds a DVM and MSc in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and his appointment takes effect from 1st August 2019.
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