Global donors have agreed to make available a whopping sum of $250 million USD to boost Nigeria’s basic education system, the United Nations Special Envoy on Global Education, Gordon Brown announced on Monday.
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown disclosed this while was speaking at a meeting of Coalition Interventions to Support Access and Quality of Education in Nigeria hosted by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
The fund, he said will be coming from USAID and the Global Partnership for Education, donating $100 million each. He however said Nigerian Government- federal and states would make available another $250 million to meet the $500 million target.
“The federal government of Nigeria has made available $250million for investment in education by the states. What we have managed to do by talking to the individual agencies over the last few days is to match that $250million by the additional $250million making possible new investment of $500million in education in Nigeria,” he announced.
The UN Envoy also talked about cash transfers meant for training, introduction of new technologies, which can now match the initiatives, expressing delight “that have been taken by Mr. Dangote from the business community and other initiatives among five agencies”.
Mr. Brown said after discussions with the head of the Development Commission of the European Union, Nigerian government has been asked to submit an application “from time to time for the next seven years term will be devoted to education development in Nigeria. So, it’s up to the government to make the application”.
Vice President Namadi Sambo, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, said two strategic goals which included access and quality have been identified for the Nigerian education stressing that the government’s 4-Year Strategic Plan for the Education Sector: 2011-2015, “further enumerates the approaches to addressing the challenges in the sector.
“Within these frameworks, we have implemented a number of specific initiatives to improve access and reduce the number of out-of-school children, since the inception of this Administration. The Almajiri Education Programme was launched to increase access for the Almajiris or the less-privilege children and integrate the scheme into our Basic Education system. Today, 80 modern boarding and day schools have been completed and 45 others are in various stages of completion,” he said.
Other programmes targeting girls, nomads, street children, as well as youths and adult illiterates, the Vice President added “are also being vigorously implemented” while the Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) is also being promoted,” to provide skilled manpower for the nation’s industries.
“I would like to emphasize that these efforts are yielding positive results, and attracting the right awareness and attention, and that Access and Quality, especially at the Basic Education level, is improving”, the Vice President said..
He further directed the Federal Ministry of Education to initiate an effective partnership with the States in conducting concurrent School Census across the States by November 2013.”This will complement the Nigeria Digest of Education Statistics: 2006-2010, which was produced by the Ministry and launched in 2011″ he noted.
The summit was attended by Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, Kogi’s Captain Idris Wada, Edo’s Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Peter Obi of Anambra, Gombe, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Niger, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Cross River, Liyel Imoke and the Deputy Governors of Kano, Dr Abdullahi Ukmar Ganduje and Ekiti, Prof. Modupe Adelabi.
