How Gov Yahaya prioritised Education in the last four years in Gombe
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By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe
Gombe.State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has placed highest premium to education in the state for the past four years of his administration.
This, no doubt, is why education, they say, provides stability in life, and it’s something that no one can ever take away from educated people. By being well-educated and holding a college degree, it increases the chances for better career opportunities and opens up new doors to people, this philosophy was the determination , Gombe State Governor, Yahaya had when he declared a state of emergency in the sector in 2019.
With the support and strengthening of the Better Education Service Delivery for All provided classrooms, laboratories, libraries and other necessary infrastructure needed for good and sound education following the decades of neglect, lip service and policy inconsistencies as well as infrastructural deficiency he inherited from the previous administrations.
Apart from the rot witnessed in the education sector in the state, the Governor ensured that his administration increased budgetary allocation to the education sector, pursued comprehensive teacher training and re-training, implemented the compulsory free Universal Basic Education Policy, improved teachers welfare, provided critical learning facilities and equipment as well as massive investment in the construction and renovation of schools’ infrastructures.
Gombe State is beginning to see significant improvements in students performance in National Examinations such as WAEC 0 Level, JAMB UTME and others. The administration has carried out massive rehabilitation and upgrading of schools, construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, students’ hostels in boarding Secondary Schools, provision of WASH facilities, provision of functional computer Laboratories and supply of ICT facilities, etc.
This pragmatic approach taken by Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, led to the construction, renovation and equipping of over 584 classrooms in 156 schools across the state and over 30,000 units of classrooms furniture provided to various schools and informal learning centres.
In March 30th,2022, Yahaya said, “to ensure that our teachers are adequately trained,we established the Teacher Resource Centre Kwami for continuous professional development.The Centre is fully equipped with modern facilities including a 145 bed accommodation for trainees, a conference hall and an ICT Laboratory amongst others. Evidently,these bold initiatives have started yielding results with a resultant increase of 4.4 % in the performance of our students in senior school examinations ( WAEC from 22.4% in 2019 to 26.8% in 2020) for candidates that obtained the minimum of five credits including Mathematics and English.”
Apart from the fact that the administration of Inuwa Yahaya had rehabilitated,renovated, remodeled, constructed new projects and built new schools and upgraded five legacy Secondary Schools to Mega Schools that can accommodate 1,500 students with facilities, mopped up of 400,000 out of School Children and recruited 1,000 teachers with the aim to boost the standard of education while ₦5,939,700,000.00 was allocated for investment in the education sector in 2023 budget.
In the Higher Education, the administration of Governor Yahaya continued to ensure the growth and development of the tertiary institutions such as Gombe State University, College of Education,Billiri, State Polytechnic Bajoga, College of Education and Legal Studies Nafada, College of Nursing and Midwifery, as well as the College of Health Technology Kaltungo.
Also, under the watch of Yahaya, the arrangements and subsequent take – off of the University of Science and Technology, Kumo under a PPP arrangements with Lincoln University Malaysia while the sum of₦5,427,000,000,00 was allocated to the sector in 2023 fiscal year.
The success-stories are; the newly established multi – million naira new Alabura Model Primary and Junior Secondary School, Kumbiya–Kumbiya, that has 36 Classrooms,two offices, two staff rooms, two e- libraries ( Computer centres), a conventional school library and modern sports facilities, established a state – of – the – art teacher training centre, renovated and built new ones across the state.
Over 494 new classrooms constructed,228 classrooms renovated, established computer Laboratories in selected schools, over 13 borehole facilities,21 VIP toilets,17 green houses, teachers staff quarters constructed/ renovated, established 676 non- formal girl-child and almajiri learning centres, secured accreditation for state- owned tertiary institutions,attracted Tetfund interventions to State college of Education,Billiri and College of Education and Legal Studies Nafada respectively.
Meanwhile, reports has it that Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya is the champion in education sector while available records have it that since the creation of the state in 1996, no administration both military era nor civilian administration has done what the Governor did in the last four years in the education sector.
Also, a section of opinion poll conducted within the Gombe metropolis with telephone interviews put to certain individuals in other local government areas of the state as well as some relevant authorities interviewed and stakeholders subscribed to the assertions of these findings that Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya is the champion of education in Gombe State.
