Stakeholders in Adamawa Education sector have called for more investments in infrastructures, comprehensive teachers training programmes and subsidised ECE initiatives targeting low income families to guarantee universal access for children regardless of their socio economic status.
The stakeholders made their position known at a two-day workshop on improving learning outcomes for children and strengthening early childhood Education in Adamawa state, organised by the United Nation children Fund ( Unicef) Bauchi field office, in collaboration with Adamawa State ministry of Education and Human capital Development to chart a way forward for the rducation sector in the state.
Speaking on a topic titled “The role of Early child Education in a Nation building” Dr.Maimuna Gambo Hammawa, a lecturer with the Federal College of Education ( FCE) Yola said that, Early child Education is a strategic investment with far reaching implications for National progress and highlight some of its advantages to includes cognitive development, social and emotional development, economic returns foundational skills building among other.
She advocated for universal access to early child education through substantial investments in infrastructure, comprehensive teachers training programmes and subsidised ECE initiatives targeting low income families,stakeholders collaborations,inclusive curricula,Education training, ECE integration with National Development as some of the policy recommendations to government to enhance Early child Education in the country which was adopted by stakeholders.
Also speaking, Uniceff Education specialist, Bauçhi field office, Abdulrahman Ibrahim Adon, gave an insight into the GPE- AF programme being implemented by the Unicef in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states to ensure safe and inclusive Educational continuity in the benefiting states, stressing that the objectives of the project was to ensure assess,inclusive and resilience of Educational systems and responces.
According to him,160 formal schools and ECE centres ,670 teachers and facilitators ,180,000 government officials ,40 schools and centred Based management committee members will benefits from the project which focus on increased awareness for parents( Households)and care givers through engagement in learning in the home and community ,including reading at home and making books available as well as on increasing demand for organised ECE among other components of the project.
On his part, Godwin kure Lucky, Unicef Focal officer, ministry of Education and Human capital Development,in his presentation on Education trends in Adamawa state: Data and policy update,progress and challenges enumerated some of the achievements recorded in the Education sector of the state since the coming of Fintiri in the areas of access,quality and supplies, policy and systems which Includes constructions of 21 new model schools ,1,725 classrooms renovated,563 blocks of classrooms constructed
Others are 86,340 students seats and 22,467 teachers furniture’s supplied, 56 schools equipped with boreholes,n2000 secondary school teachers employed, 4728 basic Education teachers replaced, 18,600 teachers trained, 132,427 textbooks provided to Tsangaya centres, among many other achievements