Functional, qualitative education is tool for national development – Gombe Gov
By Matthew Eloyi
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has said that functional and qualitative education is a vital tool for the growth and eventual development of any society or nation.
Gov. Yahaya stated this on Monday during the flag-off of the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) at State Banquet Hall in Gombe.
The Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Manassah Daniel Jatau commended the initiative of the federal government towards enhancing the development of education in the state.
He described the flag off of the SBMC in the state as a welcome development assuring of their administration’s readiness to support it through partnership and collaboration with partners.
In his words, “We are ready to learn and be criticized realistically if the need arises as we work towards improving the education in the state, and by implication the nation. Therefore, we are all challenged to dip our buckets where we are. There is no time to wait and waste, as education is too important to be left to the educationists alone.”
Also speaking, the executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi who launched the programme, explained that SBMC is a result-oriented mechanism for quality basic education delivery in Nigeria.
He said under the policy, the local actors who are community members are to take responsibility and ownership of education delivery services in their domains.
Bobboyi pointed out that recent global events have reawakened the need to improve governance and accountability in the education sector through decentralization and proper devolution of responsibilities to structures and groups closer to the schools.
The executive secretary explained that the implementation of the programme started with training of master trainers comprising of SUBEB directors of social mobilization and SBMC desk officers.
He stated that funds have been disbursed by the commission for the implementation of the programme in the beneficiary communities in the state.