US, Bauchi sign pact to boost basic education
The United States government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID) and Bauchi state government have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to support primary education in the state. The USAID Country Director Michael Harvey signed on behalf of US government while Governor Mohammed Abubakar signed for Bauchi state at a ceremony held in […]
The United States government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID) and Bauchi state government have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to support primary education in the state.
The USAID Country Director Michael Harvey signed on behalf of US government while Governor Mohammed Abubakar signed for Bauchi state at a ceremony held in Abuja on Wednesday.
The five-year deal sets out the shared and individual commitments for collaboration in the education sector made by both USAID and the Government of Bauchi and provides a framework for mutual accountability for education activities in the state.
The efforts, according to Harvey, was aimed at building Bauchi state’s capacity and systems that will teach approximately 2 million pupils how to read and allow nearly 551,000 children the opportunity to attend classes in community-based learning centres by the year 2020.
“The issue of reading is a particular problem in the north,” USAID Country Director said. “If they (kids) leave third grade reading Hausa with confidence, then English is easy, and you can open up anything for them.”
He said Nigeria has not had reading as a major focus in the first 3 grades, and experience in the United States is that if a kid is going to succeed, he/she needs to leave third grade knowing how to read in any language.
He noted that literacy rate in the northern Nigeria is quite low while number of out-of-school children is high, for reasons, some of which are culture, lack of good school.
He said parents in the north want their children to get education, but the region’s institutions and schools are not ready to respond to that demand.
He however, said USAID has been working closely with the northern governors who are committed to improving the quality of education.
Speaking, the Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar expressed appreciation to US government for its various intervention programmes in the state.
While reiterating commitment to improving the quality of basic education, the governor said 20% of the state’s 2016 and 2017 budget was allocated to education sector.