By Kabiru Musa
Head of Information
FCT Education Secretariat
Head of Information
FCT Education Secretariat
ADDRESS BY MALLAM UMAR A. MARAFA, ACTING SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION/DIRECTOR OF ADMIN. & FINANCE AT THE EDUCATION SECRETARIAT ANNUAL MEDIA LUNCHEON ON WEDNESDAY, 18TH DECEMBER, 2019
GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS
It is my pleasure and honour that I welcome you all to the 2019 Edition of the Education Secretariat’s Annual Media Luncheon.
I am aware that this Media event has been on for the past 12 years and has become a tradition of the Secretariat and one of the most desired event in the calendar of the FCT Press Corps.
Mallam Umar A. Marafa, The Ag. Secretary for Education/Director of Administration & Finance, Education Secretariat reading his Address during the event
The Education Secretariat event by my understanding has also over the years created a robust and mutual media understanding with the Press especially with our own valued FCT Press Corps. This fact is evident by the significant turn out of members of the fourth realm of the Estates today. It is my expectations and hope that this media relationship will be sustained all through.
Permit me to start by appreciating the immense support, focused and impactful leadership provided by the Honourable Minister for FCT and Minister of State Mallam Muhammed Musa Bello and Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu and of course, the bureaucratic arm of the Administration, the Permanent Secretary, Sir Christian C. Ohaa respectively.
From Left: FCT Scholarship Board Director, FCT College of Education (COE) Provost, Director Dept. of Higher Education (DHE), Director Legal, Director Physical Planning AUTA, DD Project & FCT Press Corps Chairman
The Honourable Minister re-appointment is evident of his determination to place FCT in the global map as the Nation’s Capital with sustainable quality service delivery.
In 2019, the various Boards and Departments of the Education Secretariat has continued to live above board and intensify efforts to ensure that their mandates are fulfilled with the level of achievements recorded as follows:
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES AND APPOINTMENTS
In the year under review, the Education Secretariat like every other Mandate Secretariat had all its Acting Directors confirmed with additional and newly appointed Directors in the various Departments and Boards bringing the total number of Directors to twenty (20) . This has further strengthened the Educational system and administrative process effectively. The Sector also had few Directors who have retired meritoriously this year.
From Right: Directors of Dept. of Quality Assurance (DQA), Dept. of Science & Technology (DST), Secondary Education Board (SEB), Dept. of Mass Education (DME) and Dept. of Policy, Planning, Research & Statistics (DPPR&S) during the event
ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOLS
The need to accommodate the daily influx of people into the FCT has made the establishment of more Schools a necessity hence (14) Fourteen Senior Secondary Schools were newly established across the six Area Councils and has successfully taken off, bringing the total of Senior Secondary Schools in FCT to 76. The new additional Senior Schools are:
GSS Kurudu, GSS Pyakasa, GSS Kuchingoro, GSS Kubwa-Phase 3, GSS Ushafa, GSS Tupechi, GSS Agyana, GSS Naharati, GSS Nuku, GSS Ukpa, GSS Kilankwa, GSS Gwarko, GSS Anagada and GSS Kabimangooro.
Also UBEB established a Boarding Junior School called Model Girl Junior Secondary School at AMAC Estate. Another significant event of 2019 was the handing over of The Nigeria–Korea Model School to FCT Administration.
The FCT Press Corps Chairman, Mr. Attah Ikharo making his remark during the Media Luncheon
TRAINING
Effective Teacher learning and professional development is important for Students overall academic and all round success. The Education Secretariat placed priority in continuous training process of teachers to promote teachers teaching skills, masters new knowledge and develop proficiency which in turn help the students learning. It is therefore stands to reason that for any meaningful progress to take place in the Education Sector, its teachers and workforce must be trained and retrained in order to keep abreast of the best and latest innovations as well as the dynamics of the profession.
In keeping to this belief, the various Boards and Departments engaged effectively in capacity building as follows;
About 1,500 teachers were trained under the Teachers Professional Development Program (TPDP) funded by UBEC.
About 100 Principals were trained in Ondo Town in collaboration with NEIPA.
Skill Acquisition: 20 teachers from FCT Schools were trained on leather product making (leather value chain) in partnership with Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) of Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
Training of Science teachers on Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
Training of 32 Teachers and 85 Students on Emerging /New ICT Technologies in Education.
Training of 240 English and Mathematics Teachers in gender –based response and teaching skills aimed at providing extra lessons to vulnerable girls.
Also training of 240 gender officers across AMAC and BWARI Area Councils in gender –based violence management and response in as Schools.
Training of 30 Teachers on Psycho-socio support for victims of child abuse in Schools.
ICT Training for 50 girls in primary School and 90 girls in Junior Secondary School.
Training 450 male Students in Secondary Schools as Ambassadors for ending Sexual violence in a Project tagged ‘BOYS FOR CHANGE’.
Training of 4,550 girls and boys Students, PTAs and SBMCs in 15 Schools.
Training of gender focal persons in the Agencies and 10 teachers in Schools to boost Disability Gender Rights in Schools.
Establishment of 2 Community Child Protection Committees (CCPC) in AMAC to respond to Gender-based violence.
About 100 Principals were trained in Ondo Town in collaboration with NEIPA.
Skill Acquisition: 20 teachers from FCT Schools were trained on leather product making (leather value chain) in partnership with Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) of Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
Training of Science teachers on Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
Training of 32 Teachers and 85 Students on Emerging /New ICT Technologies in Education.
Training of 240 English and Mathematics Teachers in gender –based response and teaching skills aimed at providing extra lessons to vulnerable girls.
Also training of 240 gender officers across AMAC and BWARI Area Councils in gender –based violence management and response in as Schools.
Training of 30 Teachers on Psycho-socio support for victims of child abuse in Schools.
ICT Training for 50 girls in primary School and 90 girls in Junior Secondary School.
Training 450 male Students in Secondary Schools as Ambassadors for ending Sexual violence in a Project tagged ‘BOYS FOR CHANGE’.
Training of 4,550 girls and boys Students, PTAs and SBMCs in 15 Schools.
Training of gender focal persons in the Agencies and 10 teachers in Schools to boost Disability Gender Rights in Schools.
Establishment of 2 Community Child Protection Committees (CCPC) in AMAC to respond to Gender-based violence.
The Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Mr. Anthony Ogunleye making a brief remark
The College hosted National and International conferences and workshops in various areas of Discipline to improve the academic progammes.
Academic and Non-Academic Staff of FCT College of Education attended local and International conferences / workshop sponsored by TETFund.
Thirty –one (31) Academic Staff were sponsored through TETFund for various Postgraduate Programmes in Ph.D and Master Degrees.
Total number of (843) Eight-hundred and forty-three Students graduated in the 2018/2019 Academic session.
The Result analysis of total percentage of Candidates in public schools with credits above including English and Mathematics for WAEC/NECO Examinations is 43.3% and 57.7% respectively.
Training of seven (7) states including FCT Local Education Sector Operational Plan (LESOP).
Capacity workshop for FCT Science Teachers and Lecturers of College of Education under Africa Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) STEM Education Project.
Training and Empowerment of 95 and 73 Learners in dressing making and Catering/Event Management.
Training of FCT Schools and Counsellors and Teachers referred by Department of Quality Assurance.
Successful conduct of the 2019 Triennial Book Review.
Successful submission, setting and moderation as well as smooth Registration of 75,000 BECE Candidates.
Members of FCT Press Corps during the 2019 Education Secretariat Media Luncheon held at the Education Resource Centre (ERC)
MONITORING
The various Boards and Departments that manage Schools have continued to engage in–house quality assurance mechanisms to ensure standards are not compromised however the Department of Quality Assurance (DQA) is saddled with the task of ensuring that the highest standards are adhered to and maintained by public and private schools within the FCT. This is done through the constant monitoring of school activities including resumption and mid-term school assessments of schools. The Department has use this planning tool of monitoring for efficiency of performance of teaching and learning system. The DQA’s key functions are inspection, adherence to the dictates of management of schools and accreditations of public and private schools in the FCT.
In the period under review, the DQA processed the Registration of 248 private Schools and processed the records of 130 public and private schools for the Accreditation in 2019. It carried out 3,870 visits to Schools (Public and Private) for Advisory, Resumption, Mentoring and Recognition Evaluations. Designed templates to be used by units/zones for easy collection of data. Conducted research on the implementation of the Early Child Care Development Education and Nursery Curriculum in public schools in the FCT.
