th ISSN 0795-3089 5 September, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 35 Adamu Adamu Presents Draft 3-Year Education Strategic Plan ...Laments 10m Out of School Children he honourable Minister of Education, Malam Adamu TAdamu, has reiterated the critical role education plays in the realisation of sustainable development in any society. He stated this on Monday, 29 August, 2016, in his Keynote address at the presentation of a draft document titled, ‘Education For Change: A Ministerial Strategic P l a n ( 2 0 1 6 - 2 0 1 9 ) f o r stakeholders’ input. The Minister said that it was in recognition of the role of education that the present administration placed it among its key priorities to drive economic development. According to him “no nation can achieve economic Honourable Minister of Education, Mal. Adamu Adamu, presenting the Education For Change: A Ministerial Strategic Plan (2016-2019) prosperity without a sound and functional education system and provide functional education to its undertook the development of this knowing fully well that the citizens and bearing in mind that Ministerial Strategic Plan for the security and stability of our the key to fighting unemployment Federal Ministry of Education in economy depends on its ability to and truancy lies in education and order to reposition Nigeria's the acquisition of skills, we Education Sector to play a central FME, Heads of Federal Educational Institutions Page Ekiti State Varsity Page Ex-student Leaders of BUK Pay Page interact on Procurement No. 5 Congratulates New ES No. 7 Courtesy Call on Prof. Rasheed No. 9 Procedure 5th September, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 35 efficient education planning, as well as for management and policy making. With inadequate funding as a major challenge, we have a collective responsibility to address these grave challenges, salvage the system and return education to the part of excellence.” The Minister said that the Strategic plan was developed, based on 10 pillars of core and measurable goals including, addressing the challenge of Out- o f - S c h o o l C h i l d r e n , Prof. Anthony Anwuka delivering his speech Strengthening Basic and Secondary Education, Teacher Education, Capacity Building and the relevant human capital for the Professional Development, Adult role in the philosophy of positive overall benefit of the country. Literacy and Special Needs change.” According to him “At the tertiary Education, Education Data and level, we must expand access as Planning, Curriculum and The Minister observed that while well as improve quality and align Benchmark Minimum Academic developed countries were education performance to Standards, Technical and building professionals who drive society’s needs and to national Vocational Education and a knowledge-based economy, development goals. We must build Training (TVET), Quality Nigeria was grappling with the human capacities for national Assurance and Access in Higher challenges of out-of-school development. The Nigerian Education, Information and children and insurgency, E d u c a t i o n M a n a g e m e n t Communication Technology in particularly in the North East. He, Information System (NEMIS) Education and Library Services in therefore, advocated for a needs to be strengthened to ensure Education. He said that the task of marshal plan that would urgently availability of accurate, reliable repositioning the sector was the address education in emergency and timely data for effective and responsibility of all stakeholders situations. He highlighted some of the challenges confronting the sector to include: shortage of infrastructure and facilities, lack of motivation and unqualified teachers. Malam Adamu noted that these challenges had resulted in massive youth unemployment, adding that the there was the need for government to prioritize TVET to impact the requisite skills on the youth to enable them contribute meaningfully to national development. He said that there was an urgent need to also expand access to tertiary Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed and Chairman, House Committee on education, improve quality, build Tertiary Education and TETFund, Hon. Aminu Fagge MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Page 2 Executive Secretary 5th September, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 35 Professor Anwuka expressed optimism that, with the outcome of the meeting, the education sector would be repositioned to produce high, middle and low level man power with requisite skills to guarantee economic development. He maintained that ‘Education for Change’ must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of their own time. Director-General, National Teachers Institute, Prof. Garba Azare; Executive Secretary, TETFund; Dr. Abdullahi Baffa and Hon. Sulaiman Fagge at the meeting In a goodwill message, the Minister of Niger Delta, Pastor infrastructure to become learner- Usani Uguru charged the hence the need to see the friendly for all learners, including document as the beginning of a stakeholders to be broad minded girls; vulnerable children and and look beyond the present in process and not an end. He those with special needs, we must promised that at the end of the examining the draft by making recruit new and retrain existing quality input that would outlive meeting, the final document teachers, for quality education would be presented to the them. He said that any nation that delivery; every child, girl or boy National Council on Education despises the rudiments of must not only enroll in school, but for approval. education would not grow, adding must complete the full circle of that change was a phenomenon of basic education; our tertiary Earlier in an opening address. the motion. He charged them to institutions must be citadels of Honourable Minister of State for accept whatever changes that may learning that foster innovation to Education, Professor Anthony be effected in the document in the meet the needs of the workforce, Anwukah said that the aim of the future as long as they are in the strengthen the research capacity m e e t i n g w a s t o r e c e i v e best interest of the system. and advance knowledge by stakeholders’ perspective on the increasing higher education draft document with a view to Chairman, House Committee on opportunities for young people.” enriching the content and to achieve Goal Four of the Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The Minister of State said that the Strategic Plan became necessary, following the expiration of the last Education Road Map, which ended in 2015. He observed that in order to achieve the SDG, the education sector needed to be strengthened as a viable tool to achieving maximum result. His words: “Our dilapidated schools Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan must be provided with befitting Permanent Secretary, FME MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Page 3 Executive Secretary 5th September, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 35 In a vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folashade Yemi Esan appreciated the Ministers and other stakeholders for contributing their quota to the development of education in the country. Similarly the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Professor Claudius Daramola observed that the biggest challenge of the education sector was the infiltration of unqualified teachers into the L-R: NUC Directors of Quality Assurance, Dr. Noel Saliu; Academic Standards, Dr. Gidado sector. He therefore, called for Kumo and Information and Public Relations, Ibrahim Usman Yakasai stakeholders to ensure that only qualified teachers are allowed to Tertiary Education and TETFund, education sector. teach at all levels of education. Honourable Aminu Suleiman According to him, “If we have a Fagge congratulated the Ministry balance in these two areas, it At the event were Executive for the efforts at repositioning the would not only bring about parity, Secretary, NUC, Professor sector and called on stakeholders but would end the incessant strikes Abubakar Adamu Rasheed who to thoroughly examine the draft in the sector.” chaired the panel on Higher document and make necessary Education; other heads of recommendations that would The Chief Education Officer education parastatals, Vice- stand the test of time. He advised UNICEF, Mr. Terry Duinnian Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, the stakeholders’ to consider the called for an all inclusive S t a t e C o m m i s s i o n e r s o f two components of human capital education for both boys and girls Education as well as International and infrastructure as critical to as well as children in the North partners. ensuring a more productive East. Some Stakeholders at the event MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Page 4 Executive Secretary 5th September, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 35 FME, Heads of Federal Educational Institutions interact on Procurement Procedure Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed; Permanent Secretary, FME, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan and representative of the Acting Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr. Hussaini Adamu he Permanent Secretary, economy, efficiency, competition, Departments and Agencies Federal Ministry of value for money and transparency. (MDAs). TEducation (FME), Dr. She explained that this implied the Folasade Yemi-Esan, last week provision of equal playing field for Dr. Yemi-Esan expressed dismay held interactive meetings with all strata of bidders, which, she that despite the system put in Chairmen and Secretaries of stressed, was not the case, based place by Government for Tenders Boards of Federal on reports at the Ministry's effective procurement processes, Educational Institutions on disposal. a number of petitions were Wednesday and Thursday, to received from the public in acquaint them with the right The Permanent Secretary respect of various agencies and procurement procedure in the explained that the fundamental Departments, under the FME.