The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has contributed immensely to the development of the nation’s educational sector, the Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has said.
He stated this recently while delivering a goodwill message at the maiden Bayelsa State Education Summit held at the NCDMB conference hall in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, with the theme “Optimizing the Delivery, Performance and Sustainability of Outcomes in the Education Sector of Bayelsa State.”
He highlighted that the Board has contributed to revolutionizing digital and online education through the establishment of ICT centers in secondary schools within Bayelsa State and across the country, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic had made it imperative for every nation to develop and deploy innovative solutions for delivering learning resources virtually, while leaning on technology.
He said those ICT learning schemes could continue to serve students and complement other initiatives for reaching rural and under-served communities which suffer from the lack of educational infrastructure and resources.
He said the Board had donated over 30 ICT centres to secondary schools across the country, with a view to developing the capabilities of Nigerian students in digital education and capabilities. He listed some of the beneficiary schools in Bayelsa State to include Nembe National Grammar School, Nembe, Community Secondary School, Otuoke, Government Secondary School, Okpoama, Government Technical College, Okaka-Epie, Yenagoa and Community Secondary School, Swali, Yenagoa.
The Executive Secretary who was represented by the Manager, Corporate Communication Department, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq, also mentioned that the Board had trained over 1000 teachers on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Bayelsa State in a bid to improve the quality of education being delivered to students.
He added that NCDMB had also upgraded and established numerous skills acquisition/vocational centers across the country and sponsored over 1000 youths in different states to acquire soft and hard skills in GSM technology and repair, in addition to partnering with Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and Anoh Gas Processing Company (AGPC) Limited in completing a Center for Skills Development and Training facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to serve the Niger Delta region and the rest of the country.
Other interventions of the Board in the educational sector include the ongoing establishment of a research center of excellence in five universities across the country and sponsorship of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Technology (NOGTECH) hackathon and Enactus/NCDMB Science and Technology Innovation Challenge (STIC) – enterprise development programmes intended to spur youths to solve societal challenges using innovation and technology.
The Board is also sponsoring the Annual Nigerian Content Undergraduate Essay Competition for the tertiary institutions across the country and an annual science quiz competition for senior secondary schools in Bayelsa State.
The Executive Secretary commended the Bayelsa State Government for organizing the education summit and urged stakeholders to improve the delivery and accessibility of quality learning resources by leveraging on sustainable ICT solutions, such as ICT and data-driving learning.
Delivering his keynote address, former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan hinted that instituting a functional education system is paramount to achieving the development of any nation.
The former president advised Governor Douye Diri’s administration to ensure that key recommendations from the summit form the roadmap for the educational sector and they should be passed into law, so that succeeding administrations would continue the implementation.
He canvassed that since Bayelsa is predominantly a riverine state, schools in the vicinity should be equipped in human and material capacities to set the pace in maritime studies and technology. He also recommended that greater attention should be focused on information communication technology, which is revolutionizing other disciplines, just as he underscored the teaching of international languages and development of one common language for the state.
