SENSE: USAID, AUN donate 80,910 readers to Gombe schools
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
No fewer than 80,910 readers in hausa have been donated to primary one to three for the Strengthening Education in North East (SENSE), project by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with American University of Nigeria (AUN).
Speaking during the presentation of the book also known as ‘Inasunkaratu’ on Thursday, Chief of party SENSE, Audu Leman said the project specifically target beginners with the use of mother tongue.
Leman who was represented by Ibrahim Damare, also expressed gratitude to the state for showing zeal in making the project a success.
Leman said, “This initiative is committed to delivering access to quality education that will meet the needs of all children. It targets early grade children from primary one- three with Hausa language which is the mother tongue with teaching and learning materials for better understanding.
“We are here today, to witness the flag off and distribution of second phase of supplementary teaching and learning materials ‘Inasunkaratu’ over 80,000 books to be distributed.
“We are confident that this project will be sustainable in Gombe state, even after SENSE project because of the level of support the project has enjoyed from the government and people of Gombe since inception.”
Also, SENSE team lead in Gombe, Ishaku Bapayo, assured of the project’s commitment to improving the reading culture of pupils.
Bapayo said, “SENSE project is committed to raising quality of reading skills for every child regardless of race, creed to achieve their full potentials. Our task is to make it possible and our mission is to provide practical step by step assistance to the education managers, head teachers as well as in schools
On his part, SUBEB chairman, Babaji Babadidi said the donated readers would improve quality of reading and learning across the state.
Babadidi said, “For this reason, I want to use this opportunity to extend our gratitude to USAID, in partnership with AUN for implementating this initiative in the Northeast. The beneficiary states are Adamawa and Gombe for now but very soon the programme will be extended to other Northeast states like Yobe, Taraba and Bauchi.”
While appraising the successes of the project in the state, Babadidi revealed that there is over 100 percent performance.
“For instance when the programme started SENSE set a target of reaching 200,000 pupils as at now record shows SENSE has reached more than 400,000 only in Gombe not to talk of Adamawa other set target includes to reach 5,000 teachers record shows the project has reached so far 10,000 teachers in Gombe. At the initial stage the project was meant to reach 200 primary schools as it is now all our primary schools whatever their number in Gombe have benefitted from SENSE project.
“They were to reach 100 school managers like Education Secretaries, Zonal Education Officers and Head Teachers but record available shows they have reached 300 school managers. Other achievements include; establishment of education resource centres in all the 11 LGA’S in Gombe, massive distribution of materials, improvement in learner’s capacities especially in the immediate mother tonguearsenal news of Hausa, training and retraining of teachers,” he said.
Also, Ishaku Mohammed, Special Adviser to Gombe State Governor on Budget Planning and Development Partner Coordination Office, who lauded the initiative and especially the monumental achievements of the project said, “They are targeting 200 schools they are over all the schools in the state, they targeting over 200,000 they have exceeded by over a 100 percent, they are targeting 5,000 they have reached 10,000.
“Why they are able to reach this target at SENSE is because we had a situation that we discussed with them to try to synergize, so it is spending one dollar for getting the value of two dollars and for some reason the political will exhibited by the Governor, His Excellency Alh. Inuwa Yahaya particularly with regards to development partners has awaken the floodgates of partners.”
Commissioner for Education, Dauda Batari Zambuk, also disclosed the frantic efforts by the governor Muhammadu Yahaya to reposition education in the state.
Batari who was represented by Ahmed Abubakar Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, noted that the governor had approved payment for 14,173 (fourteen thousand one hundred and seventy three thousand) candidates in the state who are sitting for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams, 958 nine hundred and fifty eight candidates) writing the national board for technical examination (NABTEB) and 146 (one hundred and forty six) candidates for national board for Arabic and Islamic Studies examinations (NBAIS).
The commissioner said, “Gombe State government is committed N222, 614, 750 (two hundred and twenty two million, six hundred and fourteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty naira) in the educational policy project, including other logistical charges. over 15,000 candidates, from 145 secondary schools are benefitting from the supportive educational project.”
