Rauf Oyewole
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima has launched the Federal Government's Accelerated Senior Secondary School Education Programme (ASSEP) to transform education outcomes in the NorthEast region.
ASSEP is anchored by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to focus on subjects with a direct bearing on science, technology, mathematics and agricultural (STEMA) courses. The programme is targeted at students in senior secondary schools across the six states of the northeast (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe).
According to NEDC, it is designed to bridge the gaps in the quality and reach of secondary education in the region. Target gaps include quality of instruction, quality of teachers and adequacy of facilities.
Shettima said while primary education provides a foundation, secondary education is a bridge. He said that “Northeast sub-region in particular has been the victim of our inability to enforce a uniform policy to drive school and the persistent cultural perversion to formal education in this nation by various communities.”
He said that consequences of the nation's action and inaction are evidence in all indices used to assess our development. “We in the Northeast occupy a quantum of position in ranking of essential services. Education being a key sector of this country, this is especially pronounced in the post primary education, while the Northeast secondary school enrollment drive stands at 19 percent –far below the nation's 39 percent.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali said that “we stand at a vital crossroad in our history that signifies our deep commitment to develop and support the children and youth of the North-East to grow, develop, compete with the best across the world in various fields, excel and contribute to further development of our states, region, country, continent and humanity in the years and decades to come.
“Once again, on behalf of the states and the people of the North-East, we express our sincere gratitude to the Federal Government, especially the Vice President, for the deep interest and commitment to human development in the North-East. We would be counting on the continued support of State Governments, Federal Government and other partners as we make progress,” he said.
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