Being Text of a Speech by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji (Dr.) Aliyu Akwe Doma, OON (Madauchin Doma), on the Occasion of the Distribution of Bulk School Furniture and Instructional Materials to Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in the State, Thursday, 3rd December, 2009

PROTOCOL:

It is with gratitude to God the Almighty and a sense of fulfilment that I address you today on this occasion of the distribution of bulk school furniture and instructional materials to primary and junior secondary schools in Nasarawa State.

I am happy to note the large turnout of people from all walks of life to witness this occasion. I welcome your presence as an eloquent testimony of the confidence and support that you have continued to give to this Administration in the efforts towards refocusing our educational sector.

Ladies and gentlemen, you would recall that on assumption of office, this Administration evolved a 13-Point Agenda as its vision and mission for the overall transformation of Nasarawa State.

Education occupies an important component of this Agenda. Our aim in this direction is to continue to provide qualitative and affordable educational opportunities, particularly for our youth at all levels, through progressive and result-oriented policies and programmes.

From the beginning of this Administration, I did express my concern over the prevailing decay of facilities and infrastructure in our public schools. I stressed the need for this unwelcome development to be quickly addressed so that our children shall receive the desired quality education to equip them to compete favourably with their peers anywhere in the world.

To salvage the situation, we immediately released the sum of N1.8billion as redemption of the backlog of the State Government’s counterpart contribution to the Universal Basic Education Commission for the period of 2005 to 2007.

We had to do so in order to restore confidence and partnership support for this sector. The sum of N100million was also released immediately to settle all outstanding scholarship allowances due to our students in institutions of higher learning within and outside the country. Inherited contractual liabilities in this sector to the tune of N2.5billion was also settled.

These measures were taken side by side with the constitution of a High-Powered Committee on educational reform. The findings and recommendations of this Committee have assisted us in no small measure towards the on-going holistic transformation of the education sector.

Consequent upon this, the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Teachers Service Commission and the Ministry of Education were restructured and strengthened for better performance.

In the same vein, the problem of acute shortage of teachers was immediately addressed through the recruitment of 2,070 teachers. 20,400 primary and secondary school teachers have also been trained and/or re-trained for improvement of skills and proficiency in teaching.

We have also embarked on massive rehabilitation, renovation and upgrade of facilities in primary and junior secondary schools throughout the State. So far, 231 blocks of classrooms/offices have been constructed at a total cost of N1.2billion, while 1,072 classrooms have been renovated at a total cost of N505million.