By Salihu Pirkusu, Maiduguri
The Office of the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima and the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), have trained 100 teachers on digital literacy in Adamawa state.
THISAGE recalls that similar exercise were conducted on Borno,Yobe, Gombe and Bauchi states across the region.
Dr Mariam Masha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Regional Development Programmes, disclosed this during her presentation at the two-day Academic Support and Skills Enhancement Programme (ASSEP), on Tuesday, in Yola.
She said the in-person training targeted Science, Technology, Mathematics and Agriculture (STEMA) teachers in senior secondary schools across the North-East subregion.
She listed the states to include; Gombe, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba.
Masha explained that the initiative was a collaboration between the Office of the Vice President and NEDC, which aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She noted that the programme aimed to bridge educational gaps and equip teachers with digital and technical skills for effective teaching in a 21st-century economy.
“The programme enhances teachers’ capacity to integrate technology into teaching methods to boost education outcomes in the region,” she said.
Mr Mohammed Alkali, NEDC Managing Director, represented by Mr Khalifa Lawan, NEDC Adamawa state Coordinator said insurgency in the region necessitated urgent interventions in the education sector.
He said the commission prioritised education, linking insurgency partly to lack of access to quality education and awareness.
“Insurgency has affected the region for almost 16 years, so we realised urgent action was needed and decided to tackle education very seriously.
“This is because the root cause of the insurgency could be linked to a lack of education, or a lack of understanding of education,” he said
Alkali said NEDC undertook rapid interventions, including rehabilitation of damaged schools across the 112 local government areas in the North-East.
He added that the region lost over 50 per cent of its teaching workforce, prompting efforts to train and retain teachers, especially at foundational levels.
In an interview with the Personal Assistant on Domestic and Northeast Affairs to the Vice President and a member of Project Implementation Team (PIT) ASSEP, Comrade Mahmud Muhammad expressed delight for Adamawa state government “to key into the programme aims at enhancing teachers’ ability to integrate technology into their teaching methods, as part of a broader effort to boost education in the region”.
With this move, he added, “teachers in the state are expected to leverage digital tools to make learning more interactive and engaging for students.
Dr Umar Pella, Adamawa Commissioner for Education, represented by the Permanent Secretary Mrs Aisha Umar, commended the Federal Government for the initiative.
Pella said continuous teacher training was vital to improve classroom delivery, strengthen STEMA education and enhance students’ learning outcomes.
Prof. Augustine Okoronka of Modibbo Adama University described the initiative as commendable, noting that education remained a key driver of national development.
He urged teachers to embrace lifelong learning through continuous study, unlearning outdated methods and adopting modern teaching techniques.
A participant, Mr Kieran Godiya, described the training as timely, especially amid security challenges hence the need to increase technological advancements in education.
Godiya commended the organisers adding that participants learned to integrate artificial intelligence and inclusive teaching methods to cater to diverse and special needs learners.
