Adamawa Govt, World Bank disburse N296m for public school construction

By Talatu Maiwada

The Adamawa Government in collaboration with Global Partnership for Education(GPE), a World Bank assisted programme disbursed N296m grant for the construction of eight public schools in Adamawa.

Speaking during a ceremony to commemorate the disbursement on Friday in Yola, the state Deputy Governor, Prof. Kaletapwa Farauta, underscored the importance of education as a priority area of the administration.

“Education is a priority area for the state government. The construction and rehabilitation of  schools would create a conducive learning environment for our children,” she said.

Farauta called on the School Based Management Commitees (SBMC) responsible for the project delivery in various local government communities, to be accountable and transparent in utilising the funds.

Malam Umar Garba, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, said the grant was meant to turn around infrastructure of schools in the state.

Garba said that the selection of beneficiary schools was objective and devoid of bias or political interferences, adding that eight schools would be constructed and 15 renovated.

The commissioner stated that the project was a collective delivery by each community, and meeting the criteria and benchmark set by World Bank would determine the next phase of the project.

The National Project Coordinator, Dr Olatunji David, said the project was significant with the agenda of the Federal Ministry of Education in developing a road map in Nigeria educational sector.

Represented by the State Project Coordinator, Mr Michael Medugu, David said the GPE was providing support to three focus states of Oyo, Adamawa and Kastina to address issues of access and learning outcomes.

“We are about to witness transformation in schools’  infrastructure that are under served or hard to reach either for construction or renovation with basic amenities.

“This is to make learning conducive for learners, increase enrollment and ultimately reduce the menace of out of school children, ” the project coordinator said.

The state Chairman of SBMC, Malam Galadima Isa, who spoke on behalf of the benefiting schools, promised quality and transparent execution of the job at the end of the project. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Yakubu Uba/Sadiya Hamza