March 29, 2024

 

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has expressed concerned over the low morale and poor welfare packages for teachers in Adamawa.

Mrs Mairama Dikwa, Education Specialist, UNICEF Field Office, Bauchi, made the observation on Thursday during the inauguration of Technical and Vocational Education training programme in Hong Local Government Area of the state.

Dikwa, who disclosed that the state recorded significant achievements towards transforming the education sector in 2020, said some areas still need urgent attention.

She said the UN agency had recorded successes in the implementation of the Towards Safe School Initiative Project in the past one year in the state.

According to her, the TSSIP project is being funded funded by the Government of Norway, German KFW project and the GPE – accelerated and implemented by the UNICEF.

Over 219, 202 children were enrolled in schools which comprised of 90,369 girls.

The feat is achieved as a result of the enrollment drive and back to school programme being implemented in returning and host communities affected by the insurgency.

In addition; some 91,675 girls out of the 212,592 children are provided with education learning materials in three local government areas of the state.

UNICEF has so far constructed 80 classrooms in Fufore and Guyuk LGAs, it also planned to construct and rehabilitate 55 other schools in Hong; Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika, Guyuk and Fufore.

In spite of the above achievements recorded, there are still some areas such as inadequacy of teachers due to unequitable distribution, low morale due to poor welfare and weak monitoring system,” Dikwa said.

The UNICEF official said that the Agency had introduced and implemented Teaching at the Right Level project targeting 16,560 children in 134 schools in three selected LGAs in the state.

According to her, the Agency in collaboration with state government and other development partners has introduced learning by radio programme targeting about 400,000 pupils in the state.

The radio learning programme, she said, was designed to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the education sectir and avail the pupils opportunities of accessing quality education at home.

She, therefore, urged the state government to provide adequate security in schools and ensure prompt release of counterpart fund to education intervention programmes.

Government should consider the long awaited promotion of primary school teachers which is affecting their morale negatively.

Also; the state government should consider equitable distribution of teachers based on pupils’ enrollment as well as recruit more qualified female teachers,” she said

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