Bauchi education, consolidating the big leap By Musa J Bogoro

It is instructive that pre-2015, the reality of neglect, disrepair and utterly corrupt state of Nigerian education sector did not spare Bauchi state.
In fact, like many states in the Northeast, Bauchi was one of the victims of the barbarism visited on Nigeria by insurgents.
This exposé, therefore, seeks to identify what has changed over the past three years – what steps has the government of Governor Mohammed Abubakar taken to put education back to its pride of place.
As a man thoroughly educated, the governor called for an assessment of the state’s compliance with the National Policy on Education at basic, post-basic and tertiary levels.
The revelation was heartbreaking and heartwarming.
Heartbreaking because the state education sector suffered needlessly from poor judgment – Bauchi lagged far behind than could be excused.
The situation, terrible as it was, was heartwarming because it presented a platform for the citizens of the state to experience what leadership truly entails.
With a sharp drop in allocation to states from the federation account, the situation presented Mr.
Governor with a robust opportunity to prove his mettle.
This he did.
At the time the Abubakar administration took over in 2015, Bauchi was facing an acute inadequacy in manpower both at management and lower levels.
Added to this was a general insecurity in our schools.
As if the trouble bedeviling our education was not bad enough, the teeming population of young people willing to further their studies was faced with exorbitant charges during registering for their preferred SSCE examinations.
This is apart from unavailability of sufficient modern learning materials, equipment and laboratories.
The governor promptly stimulated the Education Ministry to follow through on the state’s policy on provision of qualitative and functional education.
Governor Abubkar showed the world that he was ready to accord education the attention and prominence it deserves.
And in 2016 budget, education received 20% of the total fiscal year.
Knowing that funds, if not properly managed, can very easily miss its intended targets, the ever-strategic governor, trusting in the ability his deputy, appointed him as Commissioner for the Education Ministry.
One of the immediate benefits of the Abubakar administration to the good people of Bauchi state is the offsetting of over N200 million outstanding school fees for Bauchi students who are on state scholarships at the Igbinedion University, Okada in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 sessions.
Bauchis would recall that the innocent students sent by the state under an MoU to study BSc Nursing, Pharmacy and Medical Laboratory Sciences were left stranded by previous administration.
The prompt intervention saved not just the students, but our parents and indeed the state from further embarrassment.
The College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau received an intensive face-lift.
Resource Assessment Team from Bayero University, Kano were invited for possible approval for the commencement of B.A.
and B.Ed degrees in the college.
This became a success story; the school secured the approval.
This success was promptly followed by the procurement of state-of-theart equipment for the institution’s Centre for Education Technology.
With the purposeful leadership of Governor Abubakar, the college attracted goodwill from far and wide including an 18-seater bus donation from the Bauchi SDG’s office.
Moving forward, the Abubakar administration successfully completed the State University’s faculty of Agriculture in Jamaare.
The Misau campus of the Bauchi State University also received a significant intervention as its perimeter fence was tastefully completed.
As a man with a high sense of socio-economic justice, Governor Abubakar has completed the construction of the permanent site of the Bauchi campus of the state university.
After converting the Bauchi State Institute of Education, Kangere to a full-fledged college of education, the government of Barrister Abubakar secured the requisite NCCE (National Commission for Colleges of Education) approval for the commencement of 13 programs in the 2015/2016 academic session with a takeoff of population of 3,197 students.
This is followed by payment of all outstanding monies in land compensations to beneficiaries.
At Aminu Saleh College of Education, Azare, four additional undergraduate courses have been approved by the Senate of the University of Maiduguri, increasing the number of courses available to 13 for undergraduate courses; four each for postgraduate and diploma programs.
It is instructive that the school came out clean from the reaccreditation visit by the National Universities Commission.
By the records available in JAMB website, Aminu Saleh College of Education has now become one of the most sought-after institutions within the NCE cadre in the country.
Truly, leadership is everything.
To salvage the human resource crisis that rocked the Bauchi State College of Agriculture, Governor Abubakar appointed 16 academic and 30 non-academic staff for the college while promptly rehabilitating the college access roads.
The impact of Governor Abubakar Muhammed’s sterling leadership is equally being felt at the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Abuchi.
Students’ hostels were tastefully renovated.
By force of love and passion for education, the governor ensured the polytechnic secures the approval of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, for the commencement of some degree programmes in technical education in affiliation to the university.
As evidence of Abubakar’s tireless efforts, over 60 courses have been accredited by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE.
This is in addition to the reaccreditation of NCE courses from the NCCE.
Given the paucity of funds in Bauchi state and its attendant straits, how the governor and his team are able to steer the state out of the woods in terms of education is a phenomenal experience.
Having then served his people so meritoriously, Governor Abubakar deserves a goodwill of a second term from his people.
After all, one good turn, they say, deserves another.
Comrade Bogoro writes from Bauchi