Education

Nigeria’s Intervention Paying Dividends in Our Education Sector-Prof.Gomez,Gambian Minister for Higher Education

Published

5 days ago

February 27, 2025

Joel Ajayi

Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology of The Gambia,Prof.Pierre Gomez has conveyed the gratitude of the Government of The Gambia to the Federal Government of Nigeria, saying Nigeria’s intervention in the education sector of their country is paying dividends.

The Minister,who disclosed, Wednesday, during a visit to the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps in Abuja,how pleased the President of their country is at the glaring impact of the injection of some Engineering Professors of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps into the running of the University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) of The Gambia,also revealed that the Nigerian Professors have changed the narrative in the country’s higher education with regards to skills, innovation and enterprise development,such that enrollment at the USET has increased from 47 to over 200 in the last academic season.

While commending the professional astuteness of the TAC Volunteers currently serving in The Gambia,Prof. Gomez informed that the Engineering Professors were championing a new wave of thinking out of the box that are aimed at fashioning out self- funding initiatives for Universities that had , hitherto ,depended solely on government’s subvention.

The Minister,who also informed of the establishment of a new University of Education in his country, said they had looked towards the direction of Nigeria to help in fostering the University into a place of excellence,since all Universities must be seen as places of excellence and Nigeria has all it takes to foster such demands.

He also added that apart from coming to demonstrate appreciation to Nigeria,the delegation specifically had another reason for the visit.He said:
“Today we are here again to request the help of our big brother, Nigeria.This is because your Volunteers have performed greatly well in our country. The great dynamism they have brought into our country’s higher education is changing narratives everywhere and we cannot but request for more hands to mentor our teachers and administrators to get things right.

“You gave us all we needed before. The Engineering Professors you gave to our country are more than anyone can ever ask in terms of their productivity and results on ground. But here we are again,we are begging your professionals to come and mentor our people in the area of Education,a different area from what the Engineers are already doing.”

While assuring the people of The Gambia of the continuous support of Nigeria in the area of her educational needs,the Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps,Rt.Hon.Yusuf Buba Yakub said the whole idea of NTAC was to fill such gaps among brother nations in the ACP countries.

He congratulated the Government and people of The Gambia on the roles Prof.Gomez has continued to play to make better the higher education sector of the country,adding that the new University of Education would aid in no small way in producing the needed crop of teachers that would deepen education and research in the West African nation.

Buba pledged to immediately set in motion the process of offering the requested assistance to The Gambia in the weeks ahead, stressing that the impact of today’s decision on the country ‘s teaching and learning needs would reverberate positively in the sector in the next twenty years.

Among those who were part of the Minister’s delegation were:Dr.Alieu B.Senghore, Chairman of the University of Education,The Gambia;Mr.Aboubacarr Jallow,Provost of the University,as well as Mr.Siaka Saidilzigh,a Principal Assistant Secretary at the country’s Ministry of Higher Education and Mr.Babucarr Dumbuya,First Secretary at the High Commission of The Gambia in Abuja.

From the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps were the Director of Programmes at the Agency,Amb.Zakari Usman and Mr.Lawandy Bala, Special Assistant to the Director General on Protocol Matters,among others.

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Education

NECO accredits more schools in Equatorial Guinea

Published

2 weeks ago

February 19, 2025

The Gleamer

Mariam Sanni

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has accredited more schools in Equatorial Guinea to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

In a statement, the Council’s Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr Azeez Sani, said the move was to expand its global presence.

Sani said that the newly accredited schools in addition to the existing ones were in Bata, the largest city in Equatorial Guinea.

He explained that the NECO accreditation team visited the schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.

“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls, sport facilities and continuous assessment.

“They also inspected the adequacy of teachers and school security to determine their suitability and readiness for NECO examinations.

“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” he said.

Sani added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools was a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.

According to him, with the expansion, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for Nigeria students and other foreign nationals worldwide to benefit from its expertise.

He said this would further contribute to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.

The candidates in Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Cote’d Ivoire, Togo, Equatorial Guinea and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are now written NECO examinations.

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