By Ishaq Haruna Hardawa
The Gombe State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the gains recorded in the basic education sector and improving learning outcomes across the state.
The State Commissioner for Education, Associate Professor Aishatu Umar Maigari, stated this during a retreat organised for Chairmen of the local government areas and Local Council Development Areas in the state held in Bauchi.
Associate Professor Aishatu Maigari, while presenting an overview of the Gombe State Basic Education and Skills Transformation Initiative (GOBEST), said the programme was designed to systematically overhaul, modernise and revitalise basic, technical and vocational education across the state.
She explained that the retreat provided an opportunity for the ministry to present the core objectives of the initiative and clarify the roles of local government authorities in sustaining and improving standards in the basic education sector.
The commissioner also presented an education compact containing a statement of intent outlining the roles and responsibilities of the local government chairmen in the effective implementation of GOBEST over the next 100 days.
Associate Professor Aishatu announced that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention and the Gombe State Government’s counterpart funding for education had increased to ₦12 billion this year.
She said the funding would support the development of school infrastructure and other interventions aimed at improving the quality of basic education in the state.
The commissioner further highlighted some of the reforms and innovations introduced under GOBEST, including the merger of the Ministry of Higher Education with the Ministry of Education, the appointment of a new chairman for the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and other measures aimed at strengthening the education system.
She said the reforms were intended to transform and consolidate the achievements of the present administration in the education sector.
Associate Professor Aishatu Maigari also disclosed that a 10-point learning outcomes framework had been developed and shared with the local government and local council development areas chairmen to enable them assess their performance and progress.
According to her, the best-performing local government areas would be awarded by the state government based on their performance under the initiative.
