Teachers’ Training: EU To Support Northeastern Nigeria With 5.4m Euros

The European Union (EU) has announced the investment of an additional 5.4 million euros in building the capacity of teachers in the Northwest.

The EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, made this known at the official launch of the 4O million Euro intervention programme on education and youth empowerment in North Western Nigeria through the Global Gateway initiative.

According to Urpilainen, the investment is in line with EU’s commitment to crash the high number of out of school children in the Northwest region of Nigeria by improving access to quality education and empowering youths in the region.

“This component is complemented by a 5.4 million euro separate programme that we signed today, which is dedicated to teachers for aiming to build their resilience and capacity in challenging environments.

We have to remember that there is no education without teachers and that’s why we also have to invest in teacher training.

The third objective of our programme is really that it empowers youth with the skills they need, providing vocational education.

This ambitious programme launched today has been designed with Nigerian authorities to ensure the ownership and an adequate response to the local needs,” she said.

Urpilainen said that Nigeria was not only the economic powerhouse on the continent and the most populous country in Africa, but also a strategic partner of the EU in the West region.

She therefore, said that the programme would focus on lifting out of school children off the streets to get the required education, especially girls through various components.

Urpilainen said the programme is also designed to provide direct assistance to families, cash transfers, social protection, income generation, gifts and assistance through agricultural practices.

Responding on behalf of the Northwest Governors, Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, commended EU for supporting the region.

“The Northwestern States have the highest population in the country, so this support is coming at the right time.

For each of us, education is a priority and we have decided collectively and individually to invest in education and we are ready to change the narrative in next four years.”

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, said that education was key to development and that youths needed to be empowered to succeed .

“If our youths are not properly catered for, trained and empowered, we are toying with the future of the country. Not catering for them will allow poverty to grow and insecurity to foster.”

Mamman called on the State Governors to focus on prioritising education and youth empowerment, adding that the soon to be released education sector roadmap covered the same objectives of the European Union in revamping the sector.

He said that the Ministry’s focus is to shift to basic education to tackle out-of-school children, adolescent girls who need to be trained and empowered.

He added that the government is ready to commit 25 per cent of the budget on education.

“All the President needs, according to him, are policies that will justify that budget and that is what we are working on,” Mamman said.