NEDC Launches Scholarship Scheme, Unveils Porttal
In order to boost education sector North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has launched its Scholarship Scheme as well as unveiled the scholarship portal under the Education Endowment Fund.
The launching and unveiling ceremony was held Wednesday 22nd at the Banquet Hall Government House Gombe State.
The acting chairperson board of trustees of the Commission, Hajiya Asmau Mohammed stated that the scheme is aimed at re-invigorating the quality of the education sub-sector in the North-East.
Furthering, she expressed regret that the region has suffered serious setbacks as a result of ten years of Boko Haram insurgency.
“We are all aware that many schools within the North-East region have indeed been destroyed; where a large number of teachers lost their lives and thousands of our youths remained out of school due to internal displacement,” she added.
It is in the light of the foregoing, that the management and board of the North-East Development Commission considered it necessary to put in place a special purpose vehicle to address the educational needs of the six states of the northeast.”
Continuing, the acting chairperson expressed delight in the establishment of the Education Endowment Fund and the inauguration of its board of trustees.
According to her, “This is to chart a robust support trajectory for the recovery of our decaying education infrastructure on the human resource base.
Since then, the EEF has embarked upon this daunting task through skilful planning and program development in some critical areas such as Teachers Training, Resource Mobilization Scholarship, and Grants.
Others include Technical, Vocational, and Educational Training, welfare support for women and girls, training for nurses, midwives and community health workers, among several others.”
Hajiya Mohammed said, “I am pleased to inform you that the EEF has early this year commenced the implementation of its planned programs. Already 1,800 teachers of the basic education segment from the six states of the northeast have been trained to improve their skills to impact knowledge in their respective areas of competence
Another batch of 1,800 including school administrators will soon be selected across the States to benefit from the same training.
Similarly, a total of 115 schools have been selected and contracts have been awarded for the construction of one block of three classrooms each with the supply of school desks and learning materials.
A symbolic foundation laying ceremony for the new classrooms block will be done shortly after the opening ceremony.
It is gratifying to further disclose that another process of intervention that is being worked out is the rehabilitation of dilapidated classrooms.”
The acting chairperson further stated that 4,953 undergraduates, 102 postgraduates, and 42 PhD potential students have a chance of obtaining full scholarship awards.
Concluding, Hajiya Mohammed commended the respective states of the North-East, developing partners, and the non-governmental organizations for the roles they have been playing to help NECD-EEF salvage education in the region.
She urged them to further strengthen their resolve to ensure that all determined effort is sustained till the North-East is restored to an educational equilibrium that will meet its developmental yearnings and security imperatives.
