By Ahmed Ahmed
The Vice President Sen. Kashim Shetima launches Federal Government Accelerated Senior Secondary Education Programme (ASSEP) urged North East State Governors to leverage on the program in bridging gap and transforming education in the Region
Our Correspondent reports that ASSEP is Part of Federal Government efforts through the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to transform vital education outcomes in the North East States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno , Gombe Taraba and Yobe in line President Bola Tinubu renewed hope Agenda.
Shetima made the call at the formal launch of the Accelerated Senior Secondary Education Programme (ASSEP) on Saturday in Bauchi, saying the program would address specific gaps in quality of secondary education in the region.
He noted that the North-East sub-region, in particular, has been a victim of our collective inability to enforce a uniform policy to drive school enrolment and the persistent cultural aversion to formal education by various communities.
According to him, through ASSEP, we will stimulate high-quality learning and incentivize achievement in science and skills development.
“We will ensure our classrooms meet modern standards and activate a robust academic culture through practices such as quiz competitions, examination coaching, virtual instruction, and teacher quality upgrades.
“Our implementation strategies for ASSEP will be phased, progressive, and multi-year. They will address both immediate and long-term needs.
“In the first phase, we will prioritize investment in solving problems that require instant intervention. The second phase will lay the foundation for expansion, and the third phase will see the programme extended and scaled.
Sen. Shetima explained that the interventions under ASSEP are tailored to meet the needs of our people. Adding that we will ensure our school curricula are both comprehensive and relevant.
“We will adopt technology that enhances learning and tackle the human resource deficits that hinder the progress of the state in the sub-region.
“I guarantee that this NESC/ASSEP solution will set in motion a pattern of progressive growth, raising a generation of skilled, creative thinkers who excel in problem-solving across our communities,” he said
In a remark, Gov Babagana Zulum of Borno State who is the Chairman of the North East Governors Forum noted that the Northeast region is blessed with a youthful demographic and as leaders in the region, we recognize the gaps that we face in the education sector. With this in mind,
“We are particularly grateful to the Federal Government, the NorthEast Development Commission (NEDC), and the entire ASSEP team for this worthy and timely intervention to help fix the weakest point in our region’s education sector.
“We are fully aligned with the focus and pillars of ASSEP. For the northeast, we urgently need to raise the headcount and quality of our graduates,
“We need to upgrade the quality of our teachers using technology and other available resources, and we need to equip our youth with 21st century skills and fit them for the realities of the times,” he said.
Zulum pledged that as state governments, a commitment to ASSEP is beyond a commitment to a programme or initiative, it is our commitment to develop our youth and raise them to become effective contributors and leaders in different spheres of life.
“We want to see improved education outcomes, but we are also interested in how these outcomes are delivered. This will help us see opportunities to improve both the efficiency and the impact of the programme in years to come,” the Chairman stressed.
On her part, Dr Mariam Masha , Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Regional Development NEDC explained that ASSEP was designed to provide access to quality instruction delivered at scale across the 6 states and 18 senatorial districts of the North East sub-region.
“The programme’s focus is pragmatic and covers Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Agriculture (STEMA); subjects that form the foundations of modern economic productivity in any country that aspires to develop.
By intent, ASSEP goes beyond just schooling. It’s about total education, focusing on multiple aspects of an individual’s human capital (social, intellectual, psychological and emotional development).
“ASSEP thereby seeks to drive future development and human empowerment in Nigeria’s North East,” she said.
Masha however appreciated President Tinubu and the Board, Management and Staff of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) led by the Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, under the Chairmanship of Maj Gen Paul Tarfa Rtd for making the program a reality.
Earlier, Managing Director NEDC, Alhaji Mohammed Goni Alkali as part of the NEDC mandate to revitalize North East Region, the programme is targeted at students in senior secondary schools across the six states of the northeast (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe).
“It is part of concerted efforts by the Federal Government through the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) to address specific 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. On the participant side, it is designed to promote awareness and interest in education opportunities beyond the level of secondary education,” he said