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Tag: Bauchi govt

  • Bauchi govt to reopen schools Jan. 4 – Official

    Bauchi govt to reopen schools Jan. 4 – Official

    The Bauchi government has fixed Jan. 4, 2026, for the reopening of schools in the state.

    The schools were shut in November due to insecurity and attacks on schools in some states.

    Dr Muhammed Lawal, Commissioner for Education, said this in a statement in Bauchi on Wednesday.

    He said the measure was sequel to significant improvement in the security situation, noting that critical stakeholders including principals, education managers and private school proprietors approved the school reopening.

    “The state governor has approved the reopening of all basic, senior secondary and tertiary institutions in the state with effect from January 4, 2026,” he said.

    Lawal said examinations scheduled before the closure would be held within the first week of resumption, and  followed by other academic activities.

    He said the state government also approved the reopening of three Unity Colleges in line with a directive of the Federal Ministry of Education.

    He urged parents to ensure their children return to school promptly, adding the government adopted proactive security measures to protect students, teachers and non-teaching staff across all institutions.

    (NAN)

  • Bauchi govt approves N793.6m exam fees for indigent pupils

    Bauchi govt approves N793.6m exam fees for indigent pupils

    • Ododo okays N542m for payment of UTME fees, others

    The Bauchi State government has approved N793.6 million for payment of external examination fees for 25,410 indigent students.

    This came as Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo approved N542 million for the payment of 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UMTE) fees to 18,734 students in public schools across the state.

    The Bauchi State funds would cover payment of registration fees for the 2025 National Examination Council (NECO), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic studies (NBAIS).

    Commissioner for Education Muhammed Lawal said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Bauchi.

    He said that Governor Bala Mohammed had approved the funds to ensure prompt payment of the examination registration fees for students in public secondary schools.

    Lawal said the gesture was part of the governor’s resolve to support parents, encourage enrolment, retention and transition in school.

     “This substantial financial commitment underscores the governor’s dedication to ensure that all qualified students in Bauchi State have the opportunity to pursue their academic goals without financial barriers.

     “This unprecedented action by the governor is quite commendable, it is a good gesture in a good direction to ensure that every child in the state has access to education.

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    Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo payment will also cover Common Entrance Examination (CEE) for basic six pupils and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) fees for students in public schools.

    The Commissioner for Education, Mr. Wemi Jones, disclosed this at a media conference on Tuesday in Lokoja.

    Jones explained that N145.4 million would cover CEE for 25,100 basic six pupils and N215.2 million for 30,500 students qualified for BECE.

    He added that N181.7 million would cover UTME fees for 18,734 students, amounting to N542.4 million.

    He said that the gesture was in line with the state government’s law that provides for free examination registration fees for Kogi students in public primary and secondary schools.

    The commissioner said that the law was enacted by former Governor Yahaya Bello and expressed the commitment of Ododo-led administration to consolidate on the gains recorded by the previous administration in the education sector.

    The state government had in October 2024, released more than N661.3 million for the payment of 2024/2025 West African Examination Council fees for students in public schools.

    Jones said the state government had so far spent N1.2 billion on payment for both public school students’ external and internal examinations in the 2024/2025 academic session.

    According to him, the gesture had significantly increased school enrolment rates in the state, with the 2024 payments alone increasing school enrolment by 18 per cent.

  • UNICEF urges Bauchi govt to invest in digital learning

    UNICEF urges Bauchi govt to invest in digital learning

    The United Nation Children Funds, UNICEF has called on the Bauchi State government to invest heavily in digital learning.

    This is as the U.N Agency called on the government to leverage on the availability of Digital Learning programmes under the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) initiative to improve learning outcomes in the state.

    Speaking during a one-day media dialogue in Toro Local Government Area  to mark the 2024 International Day of Education, UNICEF Education Specialist at the Bauchi Field Office, Abdulrahman Ado, emphasised the need for increased investment in digital learning tools and proper monitoring of their usage in schools.

    The Nation reports that the NLP launched in Bauchi in 2022 was designed to harness digital technology to improve learning access and quality.

    “Sometimes the teachers think the Nigerian Learning Passport belongs to UNICEF, but no, it belongs to the Bauchi State government and it is the responsibility of the state government to provide Education for all Learners”, Ado pointed out.

    The UNICEF Education Specialist who also stressed the need for developing local content to complement the existing one, urged the state government to take full ownership of the programme.

    He stressed that the provided tablets, projectors, and other gadgets belong to the state and should be effectively managed for the benefit of students.

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    Ado, who observed that the number of tablets, projectors provided are not enough, considering the number of schools and learners in Bauchi, appealed to the state government to procure more tablets and other gadgets to reach more learners.

    While commending the recent move by the government to recruit additional teachers, Ado urged the government to use the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) in the recruitment process.

    According to him, going by the importance of digitalisation of the Education Management Information System (EMIS), there is a need to identify the people that will supply the platform with data among the teachers.

    He also called for strengthening of infrastructure in schools, including the provision of security and electricity to ensure the safety of the gadgets and effective utilisation.

    On her part, the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Ai’shatu Aminu, revealed that nearly all schools across the state’s 20 local government areas have been enrolled in the NLP, with 1,110 tablets distributed across 55 primary and junior secondary schools.