BY PATRICIA OGBECHE
The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education in partnership with Save the Children International and the Global Partnership for Education, has continued its comprehensive support for education delivery in refugee and host communities across five beneficiary states, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Cross River, and Taraba.
Under the ongoing intervention, teachers, including volunteer educators working in crisis-affected areas, have received capacity-building training, while several educational facilities such as school buildings, classroom blocks, lavatories, and boreholes have been constructed. The project, which specifically targets out-of-school children, commenced in 2024 and is coordinated by the High-Level Project Technical Committee and the National Steering Committee chaired by the Honourable Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa. Stakeholders have described the initiative as impactful and commendable.
At the National Project Steering Committee meeting held on Monday at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, members reviewed the progress recorded so far and deliberated on sustainability strategies. Key discussions focused on consolidating teacher training programmes, expanding infrastructure interventions, and strengthening state-level ownership of the project. The committee also considered the absorption of trained volunteer teachers into government employment to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.
Cross River State was represented by its Commissioner for Education, Stephen Odey, who reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the programme. He expressed pride in Cross River being one of the five states benefiting from the GPE-supported initiative, attributing the state’s active involvement to the support of the Governor, Bassey Otu, whose administration has continued to prioritise educational transformation.
