Hammed Shittu writes on how Kwara State is setting the pace in the education sector, in its bid to empower the citizens and attain a vital Millennium Development Goal

The importance of education in the socio economic advancement of any nation cannot be over emphasised. Apart from the fact that it will improve the literacy level of the masses, it will also engender socio economic development of such a nation.

No wonder, all levels of government be it local, state and federal have been committing a lot of funds to the education sector in order to meet the aspirations of the people especially in the delivery of qualitative standard of education to the people, especially those at the elementary level, since it is widely believed that foundation is very important in any human endeavour.

Kwara Scenario
The present administration in Kwara state, under Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, has been working around the clock since assumption of office to boost the quality and standard of education in the state so as to meet the global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The giant stride in the education sector of the administration is in line with the immediate past administration of Senator Bukola Saraki, who laid a solid foundation for the sector in the state through the due recognition of teaching profession and other impetus capable of adding values to the growth of education in the state.

The present administration in the state, in line with this gesture, decided to  promote over 12, 000 teachers in both primary and post primary schools; payment of salaries and allowances of teachers as at when due, and the recent granting of car loans to over 2,000 teachers in both primary and post primary schools in the state.

Apart from this, the administration has also constructed new classrooms for primary and post primary schools as a way of creating conducive environment for the pupils, thereby helping the teachers to teach well so as to improve the academic excellence of the pupils.

In the area of training and re-training, the administration also excelled as teachers in both primary and post primary schools were exposed to workshops, seminars among others in order to improve their knowledge for the educational advancement of the pupils. This development has continued to assist the teachers to impart modern day teaching skills to the pupils and this has broadened the quality and standard of education in the state.

NUT Response
However, these recorded achievements of the administration in the teaching profession has led the national leadership of the NUT to write a letter to Governor Ahmed on the award of ‘Governor of the Year’ so as to ginger him and his government to do more for the teaching profession in the state so as to boost the education sector in the state.

Also, the state branch of the NUT was not left out, as the branch conferred ‘Senior Advocate of Teachers’ on Governor Ahmed for his recognition to the cause of teachers in the state since he took over the mantle of leadership of the state.

Official Input
Speaking with THISDAY on the development, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communication, Dr. Muideen Akorede, said Governor Ahmed had approved the payment of teaching allowance to teachers since he assumed office on May 29, 2011.

He said, “Kwara was one of the first to pay N113million and it is being paid to date. Training and retraining of teachers, especially through the Educational Resource Centre, Ilorin which trains teachers in science and laboratory practices is going on. About 4,200 teachers benefitted from the N3 billion car loans for more than 5,000 Civil Servants”.

Akorede also said, “Governor Ahmed also approved the promotion of 12,000 primary and secondary teachers last February in the state. A breakdown of the figure shows that 10,046 primary school teachers and 2,105 secondary school teachers benefited from the promotion exercise.
He added, “Similarly, civil servants due for the next tranche of promotions are writing the qualification examinations prelude to the oral interviews.”

The governor in his speech following the promotion exercise for the teachers in the state, said, “the teachers were promoted to motivate them to higher performance as well as a boost their economic welfare with enhanced pay”, stressing, “the two levels are critical to the attainment of qualitative education and human capital development in the state.”

He also pledged the state government’s commitment to the enhancement of the civil servants’ conditions of service in line with Performance Contracting.

Reciprocal Gesture
Governor Ahmed also urged the newly-promoted teachers to reciprocate the gesture by redoubling their efforts to provide qualitative education to their students, adding that civil servants who excel in their appraisals would be duly promoted.

The governor, who said teachers have a fundamental role to play in his administration’s human capital development and youth empowerment objectives, commended the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) on the occasion, assuring that he would not disappoint them.
“As we are all aware, Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals seeks to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

“There is therefore the need for self-assessment to determine how far we have gone and also chart the way forward for the quick attainment of the goal. So we can continue to synergise to achieve the desired development in our education sector”, he stressed.

Ahmed noted further, “Following the success of the Education Resource Centre, Ilorin in enhancing the teaching of science in the state, my administration intends to establish similar centres in Kwara South and Kwara North Senatorial Districts.”

“Similarly, government will this year start the comprehensive rehabilitation and overhaul of a minimum of 40 secondary schools in each of the three senatorial districts with a view to bringing these schools to global standards for infrastructure, teaching quality and teacher-student ratio.”
He also said that, “Knowing that primary education is the foundation for a child’s future development, this administration is restructuring Colleges of Education to refocus on their primary role of training teachers for the basic level.”

“We remain committed to these reforms and will not be deterred by the negative insinuations of those incapable of comprehending the underlying principles behind these modifications and are bent on giving our well-intentioned policies the worst political connotation.”

Recognising Merit
However, October 5 was the day of the award for Governor Ahmed in Abuja by the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT). Other governors who also benefited from the Governor of the Year award from the NUT include the governors of Yobe and Enugu states.
The award, which coincided with the World Teachers Day, remains another great achievement to the current administration of Governor Ahmed as the highest ruling body of teachers in the country; Nigeria Union of Teachers recognised the administration commitment to the course of teachers and educational development of the state.

Speaking at the ceremony, the National President of NUT, Mr. Michael Olukoya, said the World Teachers Day started from the Congress of Ministers of Education of nations affiliated to UNESCO in 1966 formed principally to consider UNESCO/ILO document on recommendations concerning the status of teachers.

Olukoya said the NUT demanded that primary education should be moved away from the ambit of local government, pointing out that its financial responsibility to primary education should be built into the consolidated account of the federation for the benefits of first line charge to primary education.

The NUT President also appealed to the federal government to create an institutionalised merit award system for teachers that would stand immemorial in honour of teachers as nation builders, with National Honours bestowed on them when such exercises are carried out by the federal government.

Also in his acceptance speech at the event, governor Ahmed said, “This award will strengthen our determination to design and implement programmes to accelerate educational development in our state.”

By and large, the award bestowed on the present administration in the state, led by governor Ahmed, is now a beacon to the government to continue to initiate policies that would boost the teachers’ growth in the state, so as to assist the teachers to contribute more towards the quality and standard of education in the state.