fbpx
Connect with us

Opinion

Changing The Nigerian Education Landscape: The Bola Tinubu Commitment

Published

on

President Bola Ahmad Tinubu

 

By Ahmad Sajoh

The Nigerian Education ecosystem is witnessing a change for the better.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made it very clear right from the onset that his presidency understood that education is the real catalyst for National development. One year after, the progress made in the education sector had been tremendous. Though a lot them are intangible but their impacts are real. Education and knowledge sharing are among the most dynamic aspects of human development. Core knowledge today could become obsolete tomorrow. However, the Tinubu government commitment to quality and access to all are constant. Thus, ending out-of-school children syndrome and providing enablement are key to President Tinubu’s inclusive education template. The Students Loan scheme is a bold step by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that every eligible child gets quality higher education in Nigeria no matter the circumstances of their birth. It’s launch is not only historic but revolutionary. Children who would have been deprived of access of quality tertiary education will surely be availed such opportunities under the Students Loan scheme.

In order to drive the education sector effectively, Mr. President realized that delegating his mandate in that sector requires a driver that will drive it with the precision of a pilot. Thus, in appointing the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Education, the president looked for a committed academic from the University as the Minister of Education. If there is a man presiding over our education system that fits the bill, it is indeed the current Minister Prof Tahir Mamman, SAN CON. His entire professional life is spent on promoting learning and knowledge sharing. And because he is a professional in the true sense of the word, he came to the Ministry with a mindset that believes ” *Education without Skills is incomplete”*

Working on the Matching orders of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Prof Tahir Mamman set out to actualize the ” *Education roadmap of the Renewed Hope Agenda* ” The first thing he did in office was to act like a true academic. He set up a panel to study the situation and come up with a comprehensive blueprint for the repositioning of the Education. And he didn’t just involve fellow academicians alone, he mixed them with industry players including long term directors in the Ministry who have a lot of institutional memories. Prof Tahir Mamman understood that every academic study can be enriched by some validation exercises. He promptly set up a two-step validation process. First he established a small team of experts and asked them to explore the study contents and come up with a working document.

That working document which was designed by the experts was ultimately aligned to the education roadmap of the Bola Tinubu vision. It was further subjected to a stakeholder validation process at a retreat in Uyo the Akwa Ibom state capital. Participants include a broad spectrum of industry players including the sub-national governments, international agencies, academics and professionals. It was profound and deep.

#

As if that was not enough, Prof Tahir held a stakeholder forum in Abuja involving civil society groups. This too was in keeping with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is concerned about public input into all policies. The President believes that all policies are for the benefits of the people hence the need for public inputs into all policy documents.The end result of these processes is a working document that had an input from different sources with insider knowledge and ” *recipient value understanding”*

The essence of these National Stakeholders Conferences and Strategic Engagements are intended to advance education leadership management, ensure quality assurance in education, promote teacher education and determine benchmarks for creating a valuable education database. These engagements include building valuable partnerships with the private sector in order to build a holistic education system for the country.

One thing that stood out very clearly during these engagements is that the Federal Government’s direct role in Primary and Secondary Education is minimal. As a matter of fact, the Federal government role at these levels of Education are simply policy matters and regulations. Another fact that emerged is that there are more private schools at the basic and secondary level than public schools. Working on the directives of the President, the Federal Ministry of Education set out to remodel all policies at the basic and secondary levels to fit into certain key requirements. One of such requirements which is derived from the Renewed Hope Agenda is universal access to basic education by all citizens. In this case a new impetus was given to ensuring that out-of-school children are reduced drastically and eventually eliminated completely. Another core component of the new education policy is the introduction of skill-sets, as part of the curricular at both basic and post basic levels.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier informed the nation that he is committed to very high standards in education. Leveraging on that understanding, Professor Tahir Mamman started working on new policies that will set standards that may create a competitive advantage for public schools. At the public stakeholder forum the Minister said that ” *by the time our current policies mature there will be no difference in standards between public and private schools* ” that is something we eagerly look forward to. One key area this policy is expected to truly make a difference is in the reintroduction of the skills component in the education system at the basic and secondary levels.

Nigeria like most parts of the world is transiting to a more functional form of education that includes hands-on knowledge in a particular skill for every student. This is in addition to literacy and numeracy. The reason of course is that both white collar and blue collar jobs are limited. Students must begin to look beyond being job seekers to job creators. Hence, the new policy of education tilting towards a more comprehensive and functional learning environment than just relying on a theoretical framework.

In the area of research and development, the Federal Ministry of Education under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration has sponsored 185 researchers, supported 44 teams of 176 researchers and upgraded 24 centers of excellence. The net effect is that about 80 books have been written and published. All of them are tailor made for the Nigerian learning ecosystem. 868 Academic Research journals were procured in addition to 3,118,701 assorted books and 376,262 E-Resources.

The Review of both Senior Secondary Education Curriculum and Tertiary Education curriculum have been undertaken within the last one year. The review emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge, competitive employable skills, skills for digital disruption, development of skills in Positive Based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, entrepreneurial attitude and skills, value orientation, and a wide range of critical soft skills for global competitiveness.

Teacher training and advancement are at the core of an effective education system Training of Teachers is considered a core component of the overall education advancement in the country because of the realization that the teacher is the learning process. To this end various programmes have been put in place for the training of teachers. 35,000 teachers across the country have been trained in the use of ICT in the classroom. In addition, 70,674 teachers and non-teaching staff at all levels in various relevant academic and non-academic have benefited from training initiatives, covering Leadership Skills Development, Effective National Innovation Ecosystem, Education Management Information System, Quality Assurance, Effective curriculum development and implementation and many others including early childhood care development.

The Ministry has Registered and certified 40,999 teachers on their TRCN database and a total of 19, 193 licenses have been issued to teachers. 3,535 successful graduating education students across 11 institutions in the country were inducted while the Dual Mandate in Federal Colleges of Education has commenced. This means that there will be Concurrent running of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) & Degree programmes in those institutions.

The bulk of the Federal Government direct contributions in education are at the Tertiary level. At this level, the Federal Government participates in a number of ways through ownership of Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, regulation and interventions. This way the government is saddled with setting standards and ensuring that Nigerian graduates compete with graduates all over the world. Already it is evident that Nigerian graduates have been proving their capacities all over the world.

What the Ministry of Education under President Tinubu’s government hopes to achieve is to align all Tertiary education activities within a common standard that ensures value addition through skill-sets as the core component of learning. In addition the Ministry is working towards a unified system that encourages synergy and mobility. The new mantra is co-operation rather than competition.

It is in line with this new focus that for the first time in the history of the country, the government released the list of governing Councils for Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education at the same time. The purpose is to enable them to commence work at the same time. Thus, monitoring and evaluating their contributions as policy hubs can be done at the same level using the same key performance indicators (KPIs).

In order to make sure they operate using the same benchmarks developed from the Renewed Hope Agenda and stakeholder inputs, they will be invited to attend a retreat together as a group. The essence is to enable all the council members to know that Tertiary education under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will operate in synergy. There is no superiority or territorial protection. They must all function as units of National development under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education.

One year after, all the frameworks for a robust education roadmap have been put in place. Some of the policies have started taking shape. Academic calendars for all Tertiary Institutions will be standardized with all hiccups such as strikes by staff avoided at all levels. The roles and functions of the different tiers such as Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges Education will be clearly spelt out and pursued vigorously. In the end the Education roadmap will eventually leap-frog Nigeria into the 4th Industrial revolution. The ultimate goal is to change the education landscape of Nigeria for the better. According to Professor Tahir Mamman SAN CON ” _The goal of Education under the Tinubu Administration is to provide for a reformed education sector that provides access to quality education for all and is capable of producing a highly skilled and educated workforce equipped with entrepreneurial skills to break the cycle of poverty and guarantee sustainable economic growth and global competitiveness”_

_Ahmad Sajoh is a member of the Independent Media and Policy Initiative IMPI and writes from Wuse, Abuja

Opinion

Kano APC Youth Coalition, Nasir Ja’o’ji and Party Survival

Published

on

 

By Abba Anwar

At cursory look of the title of this piece, what readily comes to mind, is the existing relationship between Kano APC Youth Coalition and Nasir Bala Ja’o’ji, in APC realignment process or procedure. This really captures the picture clearly from the surface. But there is more to it.

Kano APC Youth Coalition came into being more as a one-man-show, probably self-styled and crafty moved. But subsequent engagements of the Coalition, proves otherwise. Some people thought, the Coalition came handy canvassing for primary support for some quasi – politicians, unproductive as they appear, who always hide behind the scene and make a cover under good image of the party leadership at all levels.

Many people, including me, thought this Coalition under Adamu Unguwar Gini, would operate in desperation, under the guise of recuperating party youth into one basket for misleading purpose. As some elders, would-be-elders and self – acclaimed elders operate from clandestine position.

For sure the Coalition, prepared before its debut. Party elders, leaders and other stakeholders were contacted for direction and guide. This, I was not told, but I observed. I understand this by looking at its growing process. I equally understood that, the leadership of the Coalition was one time tilted towards particular side of the prism. But experience and good intention, in my view, necessitated for spreading the leadership into all sections of the state.

It is this strategy, among others, that gave individuals like Hon Nasir Bala Ja’o’ji, to see reason in aiding the movement. Though he is the Zonal Leader of the movement, from Kano Central. But his contribution towards having effective and efficient implementation of the core central objectives of the group, that is making the party stronger and domineering at all levels, gives him the courage to be one of the principal stakeholders.

The recently announced donation of Eighty Eight Million Naira (N88m) to the Coalition for the 44 local governments tour and empowerment of 100 people from each local government, says a lot in his enduring commitment to the expansion and making the party strong enough to compete comfortably come 2027, at both state and national elections.

#

The proposed local governments tour and empowerment programme scheduled for time to come, is an important pointer to the fact that, this Coalition has very strong and fearless individuals that are ready to sacrifice their time, energy and resources towards political alignment and realignment within the party structure.

People like Musaddique Wada Waziri, Malam Abdussalam Ishaq (Kumbotso), Umar Maiwayo Rimingado, my younger brother Inyass Habibu, Ibrahim Danyaro, Jijitar, Abubakar Indabawa, former Vice Chairman, Warawa, Dini Manchester Kankarofi, Abubakar Aminu, Hon Barwa, Sani Gilashi, Danfillo, Idris Zango, among many others, are playing very critical role in strengthening the grip of the party across the state and the nation at large.

One interesting thing about this combination is, here are important actors, who, for strategic reason, come from all “sides” of the party stalwarts. Party stalwarts because they are the shining stars of the party in the state.

Stars like Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, former Deputy Governor and Gubernatorial Candidate for 2023 election, HE Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, former Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs and Deputy Gubernatorial Candidate for 2023 election, HE Murtala Sule Garo, Hon Abubakar Kabir Bichi, among others.

But all the Stars above lineup behind our Flagship, the National Chairman of the Party, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, CON.

After critical review of the intention of the Coalition, Nasir Ja’o’ji comes to believe that, this Coalition means well for the party. And should therefore be facelifted, encouraged, guided and supported. After believing that, the Unguwar Gini led group, “… belongs to everybody and does not belong to anybody…”, Ja’o’ji made it compulsory to always give a helping hand to the group. More importantly, since the Coalition means genuine support for the party at all levels.

Let me still insist that, if Ja’o’ji a political appointee under President Tinubu, as a member Governing Council, of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Potiskum, Yobe State, can do this, contributing N88m, I’m sure other political appointees under the same administration can also replicate.

Because supporting Coalition in the same pace and manner, equals to supporting the party, the National Chairman, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the same time. In my view therefore, Ja’o’ji apart from being a pacesetter among all political appointees from Kano, he is genuinely a firm believer of APC programmes and policies.

My appeal is for the National Chairman of the party, Baba Ganduje, and the Tinubu led administration, to kindly see reason for continued support for the Coalition and similar ones across all the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

As Unguwar Gini model shows in Kano, Coalition of this nature is not taking away any responsibility of party leadership. We can see how harmonious is the relationship between APC Youth Coalition and state leadership of the party, under Prince Abdullahi Abbas. Another pillar of great substance.

Neutrality of this Coalition, in my own understanding, is clearly manifested in how our shining stars give helping hands to the movement. They are eager to give resources and moral support. It is indeed the neutral posture that gives Ja’o’ji the strength to be of that magnitude.

Anwar, was Chief Press Secretary to the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and can be reached at fatimanbaba1@gmail.com

Continue Reading

Opinion

Open Letter to the Former Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development

Published

on

 

Abba Dukawa

As Muslims, we believe in Al-Qadar, the concept of Divine Decree or predestination. This pillar of faith reminds us that everything, good or bad, comes from Allah. We trust in Allah’s wisdom, love, and plan, acknowledging that our lifespan, deeds, and circumstances are recorded in the Lauhul-Mahfuz.

In light of your recent dismissal, I’m concerned that your public statements blaming certain individuals for your removal contradict this fundamental Islamic principle.

You admitted President Bola Tinubu explained your removal was due to the need to balance Kano State’s political representation. Quoting you: “I was surprised, as I wasn’t found guilty of wrongdoing or poor performance… Kano North was overloaded with political officers, hence the need to strike a balance.”

#

I urge you to reflect on Quran 2:286, “Allah does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear,” and Surah Ali ‘Imran, verse 26, “Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, gives the kingdom to whom He will, and takes the kingdom from whom He will.”

Your rise from local government chairman to deputy governor and minister was Allah’s will. Similarly, your dismissal is part of Allah’s plan.

I caution against desperation and blaming others. Instead, trust Allah’s wisdom and providence.

As a Muslim, it’s inconsistent to think anyone can alter Allah’s plan for you. I believe those close to you are misleading you by allowing you to publicly blame others for your dismissal as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development. It’s unwise to grant interviews after being relieved of duty, as it comes across as desperate—and your media handlers are equally at fault for permitting it.

Why have the rest of the ministers who were equally sacked remained silent? Why are you the only one expressing dismay for being relieved?

Dukawa writes from Abuja and can be reached at abbahydukawa@gmail.com

 

Continue Reading

Opinion

Sokoto:Sen. Wamakko’s 9 Years Of “Poor” Representation In The Senate

Published

on

 

Sokoto is known for leadership and where religious knowledge is deep-rooted. So, leaders from the Caliphate are well respected and honour by people from other parts of the country. The reason is clear, Sokoto is the seat of Caliphate that produced great leaders and Islamic scholars of high repute.

So, nobody expects less when it comes to leadership in the state, but if you are a keen observer and follower of activities in Nigeria, you would wonder if the Sokoto they are talking about today, have any link with the activities of the great leaders and scholars that were in charge of Sokoto of years back. Certainly, not, because the kind of leadership is not the same, today its political leadership and followers of Nigerian politics know that, the present day politics can’t provide the kind of leadership the Sokoto of the past provided.

Analysts questioned the negative trend ascribed to Sokoto state. They asked several questions including but not limited to how can the great Sokoto state be rated among the educationally backward states in Nigeria? Why should Sokoto be rated among the poorest state in Nigeria? They are worried that it is not acceptable to count Sokoto state among states with negative statistics on child and maternal health; malnutrition should not be an issue in Sokoto. In fact Sokoto should not be among the state that should be faced with insecurity challenges.

But all these and more are prevalent challenges in Sokoto state and this call to question the kind of leadership the political class in the state are providing. For those who are concern about the happenings in the state, are begining to doubt all the positive publicities some top politicians in the state are enjoying for years.

One politician in the state that fortune has smiled on since the inception of this political dispensation in 1999 is Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, he has been around for so many years, from the grassroots to the mainstream politics of the state Wamakko has been at the forefront of leadership in the state. He was deputy governor for 7 years, governor for eight years and now Senator for nine years.

#

Wamakko enjoyed positive publications as a governor and had some landmark achievements ascribed to his name. He was seen as one of the performing governor in the state. Even though critics and analysts have contrary opinions. They said in terms of impact and cost analysis of some of his projects and or their lifespan/durability, Wamakko’s tenure is more of a disservice to the people of Sokoto than a blessing.

To buttress their argument, the critics and analysts, drew the attention of people of Sokoto to compare what his predecessor Sen. Ibrahim Lamido has done in terms of quality, durability and relevance to the general wellbeing of Sokoto people and the plethora of substandard projects Wamakko littered Sokoto with.

They further argued that to assess the quality and sincerity of Wamakko as a leader, his nine years as a senator should be critically scrutinized and the result of the findings be made public for all to judge. According to the analysts, Wamakko has not represented his people well. As a Senator, they said, he has held privileged committees that should be beneficial to the entire Sokoto, but no soul aside members of his inner circle that has benefitted from his senatorship seat.

They explained that the years of neglect of local governments like Gudu, Tangaza, Binji, Silame is the obvious reason why the Lakurawa terrorists group existed in the area for over 8 years unnoticed by the Nigeria government.

Sokoto North senatorial district comprises of Sokoto North and Sokoto South, Wamakko, Kware, Binji, Silame, Gudu and Tangaza, you go round these local government areas and point to one particular thing the senator has done for members of the senatorial district.

Yes the eastern senatorial district of Sokoto is facing serious security threat in the last seven years, and this has affected socioeconomic activities, which has increased the level of poverty in the region. However, for the last 17 months, things have began to change for better. Purposeful leadership and deliberate actions to change the fact of things can be witnessed.

The purposeful leadership of senator Ibrahim Lamido and deliberate attempt to find a lasting solution to the many challenges affecting the region are so glaring for all to see. For instance, the deliberate investment in education of youth from the region is one sure way of liberating the region from the grip of unscrupulous elements taking advantage of poor level of education in the area to recruit terrorists.

In an unprecedented move and boldness to confront the deep rooted challenges of poor quality of education, Sen. Lamido has sponsored about 50 youth from the zone to study in various fields of human endeavours in India. This is in addition to many interventions in the education sub-sector from the senator, who out concern to the education of youth, declared war against poor education in the region.

This is not happening in any of the senator districts of Sokoto including Sokoto central where Sen. Wamakko spent 9 years representing his constituents in the Red Chamber. It has never happened, it is not happening and I am not sure if there is any plan to do anything like this by the two other senators for the teeming youth in their respective zones. All the eight local government areas of the senatorial district need education intervention including the two metropolitan, but nothing close to this has ever happened. Why won’t Sokoto be rated as educationally backward state when leaders don’t see the need to invest in education of the teeming youth?

Due to the security challenges, Sokoto state is faced with a lot of humanitarian challenges as a result of banditry attacks. And Sen. Lamido has responded well to these challenges. He did not stopped at distribution of relief materials and visitation of victims of banditry attacks, rather engaged in a very robust package of intervention where over a hundred of widows were empowered with N250,000 each to engage in micro and small businesses so as to become self-reliant.

This is done, to facilitate the resuscitation of the economic activities of eastern senatorial district that has suffered from bandits attacks and Sen. Lamido is doing all these from the point of knowledge, that no nation can survive insurrection if it’s people are economically incapacitated.

In the entire nine years of Sen. Wamakko, nobody can provide the record that he has done this kind of gesture. Nobody is talking about giving rice and clothing materials to widows and orphans. Nobody is talking of photoshoot with people who genuinely need humanitarian assistance, but leaders are taking pictures to further exploit people in need of assistance.

Sen. Lamido’s contributions in fighting insecurity in the eastern part of Sokoto if replicated by other senators in the state, nobody would be talking about the Lakurawa terrorists group in Sokoto. Sen. Lamido had from time to time assist communities’ efforts towards ending insecurity. In fact, with permission by the federal security agencies, Sen. Lamido funded the civilian JTF to support the mainstream security personnel in fighting the terrorists operating in the zone. This is in addition to many efforts that can’t be express in black and white due to their sensitive nature all in a bid to restore peace and normalcy in his region.

Such exemplary leadership is lacking in other parts of the state including in Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Gudu Tangaza Binji, Wamakko, Silame and Kware where Senator Wamakko is representing.

Needless to engage in lengthy write up, if Sen. Wamakko in his 9 years did 10% of what Sen. Lamido has done in 17 months in fight insecurity, the Lakurawa terrorists group wouldn’t have penetrated into Nigeria.

The security challenges in the eastern part of Sokoto is receiving the adequate attention of Sen. Lamido. Beside his contributions in fighting banditry, the senator he has equally provided many communities with good drinking water, relief materials and other supports to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with a view to making their better.

Signed:
Concern Sokoto State Progressive Mind.
Convener

Continue Reading

Trending