As part of measures to consolidate the development efforts of the Rivers State Government in the educational sector, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rivers State Government on the strategies of implementation of a special intervention scheme for educational development policy in the state.
The MoU, which was signed at the Government Girls Secondary School, Rumueme, Port Harcourt, was the climax of the formal inauguration of the Project Implementation Task Team of the special education project in Rivers State.
Speaking at the event, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi, who is also the chairman of the Project Implementation Task Team, thanked UNESCO for the choice of Rivers State as the first for the pilot project in addition to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Minabelem Michael West, said Rivers State Government will ensure that it fulfills its obligation to the partnership project and ensure strict implementation of the scheme.
In his remarks, Chairman of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (UBE), Sir Ali Oruitemaka, thanked UNESCO for the project, and noting that the interventionist programme will make the beneficiaries, the girl-child, and women- to be ICT compliant and able to meet up the challenges of modern development.
Also speaking, the Senior Programme Specialist, Education Bureau, Regional Multisectoral (UNESCO), Abuja, Saidon Siren Jallow, said the project which was targeted at the education of the girl-child using ICT, through the non-formal education sector was to compliment the effort of the Rivers State Government in educational development.
He said, the programme was targeted at training over 60,000 beneficiaries in Abuja and Rivers State which are the flagships of the project, and called on stakeholders to be committed to the strident implementation of the project.
In her remarks, representative of the Executive Secretary National Mass Education Commission, Adult and Non-formal Education, Abuja, Mrs Fehintola Aguga, assured of the commission’s commitment towards ensuring strict implementation of the mass literacy policy of the Federal Government in line with the Education For All (EFA) project.
In his speech, Executive Director of the Rivers State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education, Mr. Paul Nwanikpo thanked UNESCO for the programme, and assured the commitment of the agency towards the actualization of the project.
Taneh Beemene
