Bayelsa State Government says it will pay its quota of the counterpart funding for communities in the state for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) community initiated self-help project.
Governor Timipre Sylva stated this at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa, while speaking at the national flag-off of the 2010 UBE Community Initiated Self-help Projects and disbursement of support funds to four thousand one hundred and nine beneficiary communities.
Chief Sylva stated that the payment of the funds was to demonstrate government’s total support to the educational sector as it was critical for national transformation and development.
He noted that the idea of involving communities in the administration of the educational system was a laudable one, pointing out that one of the ways to ensure sustainability in the sector was to make communities part-owners of such educational projects in their domain.
Chief Sylva, who underscored the need to accord priority attention to the educational system attributed security challenges in the country to the decay in the sector and expressed appreciation to the federal government for giving education the prominence it deserves.
Speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike said the 2010 phase of the programme was being flagged off through the disbursement of funds to over four thousand beneficiary communities across the country as a way of demonstrating educational partnership between government and local communities.
Chief Wike expressed optimism that the increased funding profile for each project would spur local communities and empower them to achieve greater quality and sustainable best practices through the self help initiatives.
Also speaking, Chairman of the UBEC Governing Board, Professor Tunde Adeniran pointed out that the drive towards re-engineering the process of private-public partnership in basic education has become imperative in view of the fact that government alone cannot carry the burden and challenges of education.
Represented by Mrs. Ebiye Ahmed-Fari, Professor Adeniran stressed that while government provides the enabling opportunities for individuals and groups to make valid contributions to the development of education, it behoves the communities to show commitment to partnering with government.
In his address, the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr. Ahmed Modibo-Mohammed said the nine year UBE programme was designed to eradicate illiteracy, ignorance and poverty with the cardinal goal of stimulating and accelerating national development.
Dr. Modibo-Mohammed emphasized that the community initiated self-help project introduced by the world bank in 1990 was adopted by the UBE as a strategy for reaching educationally disadvantaged communities with a view to addressing the educational imbalance within and among states and local government areas in the country.
The State Commissioner for Education, Professor Tuemi Asuka said it was heart-warming that the state was chosen for the launch of the national 2010 UBE Community Initiated Self-Help Project.
Professor Asuka noted that the ceremony should be seen as the beginning of a journey of self-recovery and self-assertion to succeed, assuring that the ministry of Education would spare no effort in translating government’s vision for the overall transformation of the state.
Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of Letters of Allocation to one hundred and twenty-five schools.
The minister of state for Education had earlier paid a courtesy visit to Governor Sylva in Government House.
Chris Odi
For: Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
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