The Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Professor Nasiru Idris Medugu, has said more effort is needed in terms of technological change and innovation to improve quality education and learning in Adamawa State.
Prof. Medugu who noted this at a public lecture in Abuja, said despite the fact that education was key to improving skills, technology, knowledge acquisition, improved nutrition, reproductive health and economic empowerment, previous governments in the state did not invest much in it.
He said, “Today in Adamawa State, the education sector is in bad shape and requires serious concern and immediate attention. The state is facing numerous challenges in education at all levels as a result of neglect by previous administrations.
“Currently, the level of out-of-school children is at an alarming rate, and there is high illiteracy level, infrastructural deficit and decay, unqualified teachers and inadequate instructional materials, to mention some of the challenges.”
He further said the successive administrations could turnaround the education sector for better by addressing the challenges of basic and secondary education, teacher-training, professional development, technical, vocational education, among others, by constituting a special committee for tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools “with clear terms of reference for comprehensive repositioning of the education sector.”
He, therefore, called on the government to develop a strategic plan to overcome numerous challenges in the education sector and acquire the most qualitative education with the requisite skills and training and with practical knowhow that were leading the test in society today.
He said government could achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on Education For All by 2030 by appropriating reasonable percentage of the state’s budget to the sector and also working closely with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
According to him, for higher institutions in the state to perform at optimal level and compete with their pairs in the country, there was the need for the government to study the comprehensive budget of each school which should include Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), salaries, running costs, ongoing projects, among others.
He further said the “administration should also review the approved collaborations the Adamawa State Polytechnic Yola and College of Education Hong are having with universities outside the state in degree programmes. Each school should stick to its primary mandate of establishment.”
He said secondary school teachers should be computer-literate to help in increasing students’ achievements and that broad-based development of pupils in primary school should be assured to expand their cognitive, social, emotional, cultural and physical skills to the best of their abilities, thus preparing them for the future.
He suggested that government should employ competent teachers and contribute to the teachers’ attrition rate, which he said resulted in shortage of teachers, overloading of existing teachers and poor performance of students in examinations.
He advised that authorities should provide strategies for provision of attractive conditions of service, provision of facilities for teaching and learning, good incentives and learning materials to schools, as well as security.
