Bauchi State Education Summit inaugurated amidst encomium

From Paul Orude Bauchi

There was an outpour of encomium at the maiden Education Summit organised by Bauchi State which was declared open on Monday in Bauchi.

The Summit, with the theme “Nurturing a Flourishing Future: Improving Access and Quality Education in Bauchi State,” was organized by the state ministry of Education.

The Hall of the Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar Hajj csmp, Bauchi, venue of the summit,was full to capacity as stakeholders from all walks of life, including the Minister of State, Education, Dr Yusur Sununu, graced the occasion.

Chairman of the Summit and  former Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Professor Suleiman Bogoro, praised the governor for  the Education Summit.

Bogoro said the governor’s reelection was justified considering his  high achievements in four and a half years as governor of the state.

“We are not surprised by the deluge of commendations coming  to Bauchi State government for hosting the summit,” he said.

“We have never had education  summit before so this is a pacesetter that will define similar summits in future. It is states that take education important that organize education summits”

He said the decision of the governor to appoint two women – Dr Lydia Tsamani (Higher Education) and Dr Jamila Dahiru (Education) is highly commendable and sends a  message that the administration was fully in support of education of the girl child.

“The governor has passed a message because the two commissioners in charge of education are women,” he said.

The Chairman also commended the governor for putting emphasis on  basic education, which he argued , was the foundation of educational  development.

He called on northern governors to emulate Bauchi State’s efforts to revamp  the sector  as the northern region remains backward when it comes to education.

“There is a compelling responsibility of the elite in the north, most of whom have had the privilege of leading,” he said.

“We are pushing the blame to others but leadership must accept responsibility for success and failure and we cannot afford to fail in this part of the north.

“The point is we must not be blaming others but let’s ask ourselves what we as elite have done to improve education. 

“The reality is that we are still lacking behind and we have no excuse. 

“The northern elite has have been in charge of the education sector in the country more than other regions and yet we still have the highest number of out of school children and our female children are still lacking behind. 

“It is on this basis that we must commend the Governor of Bauchi State for the Education Summit”

In her remark, the Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr Lydia Tsamani, said education has been the fuel of the Bala Mohammed’s administration and that explained the vast turnout people to attend the summit.

Tsamani hoped the summit would bring the state out of its current education inadequacy.

“The imitative for the Summit was from the governor who is a pillar of education,” she stated.

“Your collective contribution to the issues involve will advance education in the state”

She said the governor has the commitment to ensure that every child has access to quality education in line with goals 4 and 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through increase in assess and quality.

“The important person that can translate these goals are the teachers and the government had provided institutions to facilitate the realization of this,” she said.

“Today teaching is regarded as a stepping stone and beggarly job and we need to find solution to this problem to improve the quality of education.

“As we engage in the discussion let’s be focus on strategy and innovations that will take us to a future where our education sector will be a beacon of excellence.

“I commend stakeholders for their efforts in developing education and I am optimistic in the future of development of education under Governor Bala Mohammed.

“I look forward to the pool of ideas and collaborative efforts that will match with the Governor’s vision”

On his own part, Minister of State Education, expressed gladness to be part of the summit saying it showed Governor Mohammed’s dedication and serious commitment to revamping the standard and quality of education.

Sununu said the governor’s efforts were worthy of emulation by other Governors in the country, adding that the importance of education to individuals, state and the nation cannot be overemphasized.

“The Federal Ministry of Education recognizes your efforts, especially on your plan to revolutionalize the sector by designing an implementable roadmap that will ensure access to quality and functional education,” the minister stated.

“Your concern for and pro-activeness in bridging the gaps in the education sector in your state is worthy of commended. 

“History records that you inaugurated the  first Education Committee under the leadership of His Royal Highness the Emir of  Bauch, Dr. Rilwan Sulaiman Adamu, to address the out-of-school children syndrome and poor learning;  the  Teacher capacity building among others; your approval for the recruitment of additional teaching and learning equipment, renovation and construction of schools  payments of examination fees for students, to mention a few to your passion to ensure a literate, vibrant and edu ate people “

While  declaring the Summit open, Governor Mohammed said the Summi’s deliberations would dwell into multi-faceted issues including assessment and analysis of the state of the education in Bauchi state.

The governor explained that the summit would aim to convince stakeholders and development partners to collaborate with the government to address the challenges in the education sector of the state with a view to formulating formulate evidence-based policies to address them.

He said the summit would also dwell on resource mobilization, including exploring avenues to generate funding and creation of innovative education infrastructure through devising ways to have conducive learning environment.  

The governor said the summit would also provide opportunity for excellent community engagement – both local and external by increasing awareness and mobilizing their support for targeted and specific interventions tailored to address Bauchi state unique education challenges.