‘Private sector investment will strengthen competiveness of next generation youths’

…As Oando Foundation Commissions facilities in Plateau State

Industry experts insist that continuous investment by private sector in educational development is the best solution for Nigeria if she hopes to grow the next generation of globally competitive youth population. Tonia Uduimoh, programme manager for Oando Foundation, says private sector involvement in education is to complement the efforts of the government in providing necessary educational infrastructure to boost learning.

Uduimoh while speaking at the commissioning of various infrastructure and sanitation projects in its adopted school – Bunghagida Primary School, Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to improved learning environments across adopted schools in Nigeria.

“We understand that the immediate environment where learning takes place is crucial to the overall learning outcomes of pupils, hence the reason why we have heavily invested in ensuring our students in adopted schools learn under the right environment that will further enhance their learning capabilities.

Uduimoh observe that Infrastructure development is a key driver for progress across the African continent and a critical enabler for productivity and sustainable economic growth. It contributes significantly to human development, poverty reduction, and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

Our intervention in Plateau State, similar to other States where we operate, is holistic, ensuring the needs of the teachers and learners are adequately met for better learning

outcomes” she said.

Speaking during the event, Sonni Tyoden, deputy Governor of Plateau State, commended the results of the Foundation’s work in the education sector within the state.

He said “Today, I have the singular honor and opportunity to carry-out this important assignment of the commissioning of these projects to help drive efficiency and effectiveness in the process of teaching and learning. I therefore implore pupils who will be the users of this classrooms and facilities who are the teachers and learners as well as members of the community to device all manners of caution in handling them, so they can last for a longer time”.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to the traditional rulers across the state to take interest in the management of public primary schools in their domain. They can assist in the monitoring and supervision of teaching, learning activities and report any unwholesome situation(s) to the relevant authorities for necessary action”, he said.

The event was jointly organised by the Plateau State Government and the State Universal Basic Education Board in collaboration with Oando Foundation. The completed projects will impact the lives of over 4,200 beneficiaries; bridging the existing education infrastructure gaps in public primary schools, and creating conducive learning environment for students to grow and thrive.

The programme is to support the Nigerian Government in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Basic Education) through its Adopt-a-school Initiative (AASI), aimed at holistic improvement of public primary schools. The condition, location and nature of school infrastructure has direct impact on access, quality of education, and also influences learning outcomes.

Infrastructure intervention supports adopted schools with facilities required to meet learners’ needs (classrooms, furniture, boreholes, toilets, and wash bays), utilizing the Community Based Renovation Approach (CBRA) which is aimed at increasing community participation and ownership, empowering local artisans, and optimizing project costs.

In Plateau State, Oando Foundation has adopted 6 public primary schools, working in close collaboration with key stakeholders at the state and local levels, for effective education planning and delivery to improve overall learning outcomes for pupils in the state.

Key interventions provided include 3 blocks of 9 classrooms, school perimeter fence, 4 solar-powered ICT Centers, 9 units of integrated child-friendly toilets, 6 motorized boreholes kitted with power generating sets, water storage facilities and wash bays; we also strengthened the capacity of 297 teachers in modern pedagogy and subject knowledge, trained 93 School Based Management Committee (SBMC) members in effective school improvement; and 16 quality assurance officers to support education delivery.

The Foundation also established 4 Walkin-centers to support 2,668 newly enrolled out-of-school children in the schools, awarded scholarships to 32 pupils to support their secondary education and over 2,000 learning and instructional materials distributed across 6 schools.