The Yobe governor, MaiMala Buni, on Monday pledged his administration’s commitment to restoring the past glory of the teaching profession in the state.
Buni made the pledge in Damaturu while declaring open, two-day Yobe State Education Summit, titled ‘Expanding Enrollment, Enhancing Retention, Quality and Performance’.
“I want to assure you that my administration is committed to reinventing teaching as a profession in Yobe, and in the coming weeks and months, we intend to roll out different incentives to equip our teachers to do better.
“This will entail, but not limited to, providing more opportunities for those who need re-training to re-train, as well as organising workshops and seminars on global best practices in teaching, “ he said.
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Buni noted that overall school enrollment for children between the ages of six and 10 in the state, was significantly lower than it should be, saying his administration would partner with traditional rulers and community leaders to change the situation.
The governor expressed concern over the dismal performance of students in the state, regretting that the situation had resulted in the inability of the state to fill its quota in various higher institutions of learning and important areas of specialisation.
“We are still a long way from getting an adequate number of indigenous professionals that our state needs to provide much-needed social services.
“Given these challenges and the urgent need to address them, I declared an emergency in our primary and secondary education during my inauguration speech on May 29, which is an admission that things are not where they are supposed to be”, he added.
He urged the invited resource persons and stakeholders, to brainstorm with a view to proffering lasting solutions to the challenges of the education sector in the state.
Meanwhile, some Damaturu residents have lauded the idea of the summit, saying it indicated the seriousness of the government to address the problems of education.
Alhaji Umar Kukuri, state chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Council and its members from various political parties had put politics aside to support and this noble programme of the state government.
“We are in politics to improve the lives of our people; we will support the government without recourse to our political differences to move Yobe forward,” Kukuri said.
Alhaji Musa Usman, a retired educationist, said the commitment to reposition primary and secondary education, was the right step to putting the state on a sound footing.
Yakaka Bukar, a primary school teacher, said the summit provided an opportunity for practical discussions with a view to finding practical solutions to the peculiar challenges of the state.
On his part, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, a parent, said there was no better strategy for improving the education sector than developing the primary and secondary education.
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