Bauchi Allocates 18.8% of 2018 Budget to Education
Segun Awofadeji
The Bauchi State Government has allocated 18.8 per cent which amount to N31,579 696,627 to the education sector in the 2018 proposed budget of N167,957,420 800.
This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary of the State Planning Commission, Yahuza Adamu Haruna at a ministerial media briefing on 2018 budget.
The permanent secretary said 2018 budget was basically focused on the six priority areas of the present administration which are health, agriculture, education, sanitation and water supply, youth and women empowerment and infrastructural development.
According to him, education is another area of critical importance to the state government, which is why the government is allocating N31,579,696,627, representing 18.80 per cent to the sector.
He said the intervention that will be carried out in the sector includes renovation and reconstruction of many primary and secondary schools; training and retraining of staff; provision of equipment and construction of ICT centres, among others.
“Because of the intervention in this sector, the number of students that passed the national exams rose from 3.37 per cent in 2015 to 17 per cent. in 2016 and 27 per cent in 2017,” Haruna said.
Giving a further breakdown of the 2018 budget, he said N25,574,001,643, representing 15.23 per cent was allocated to the health sector, which shows government’s commitment to the sector.
He said the planned interventions in the health sector in 2018 includes continue the implementing of the fivehealth point agenda and establishment of state health care insurance agency.
Others includes provision of one per cent of the entire state Consolidated Revenue Fund ( CRF) for basic health care delivery, fulfilling all national and international health partnership agreements, as well as implementing the national policy guidelines for primary health care under one roof.
The permanent secretary explained that the budget tagged ‘Budget of Consolidation’ is investing massively in infrastructure revolution, as well as human capital development.