Get Guardian on GoogleThe Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI) has commended Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State for his administration’s investments in the education sector, saying it will aid the state’s long-term prosperity and the competitiveness of its youth among their peers.
In a statement yesterday, CCDI President, Olufemi Aduwo, disclosed that the commendation followed the September visit of the body’s assessment team monitoring the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Aduwo, who is also the CCDI’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), said the team took particular note of the effective implementation of free and compulsory primary and secondary education in the state, citing the payment of WAEC, NECO and NABTEB examination fees among the essential interventions.
Others, which it noted should serve as a wake-up call for other states across the country, included the reduction in tuition fees at Taraba State University and nursing schools, and the establishment of model schools where pupils are provided with uniforms, textbooks and footwear.
The monitoring team also noted the sponsorship of indigenes for postgraduate studies abroad, increased support for medical students, and bursaries for law students as expanding educational opportunities.
Urging sustainability and matching the improvement with higher teaching standards and measurable learning outcomes,
Aduwo, who was recently elected the Vice-President of the World Bank Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF), said these initiatives constitute a significant milestone in Taraba’s development since its creation in 1991.
He observed that Kefas’ educational priorities aligned with the late Obafemi Awolowo’s free universal primary education in the Western Region in 1955 as the premier, which “widened educational access, promoted social mobility and produced generations of educated Nigerians who subsequently made legendary contributions to national development.”
Consequently, Aduwo called on the World Bank and United Nations agencies, particularly UNICEF and UNESCO, to deepen their engagement with Taraba State under SDG 4, which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education.
Among others, he cited the World Bank’s $500 million Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) programme in India, which supports education reforms across six states, as demonstrating the value of such partnerships.
CCDI said Taraba has the potential to emerge among Northern Nigeria’s leading centres of educational excellence, agricultural innovation and technological advancement, adding that sustaining this ambition would require policy continuity, accountability, adequate investment and strategic international partnerships.
