By Francis Ogwo
The sum of N81 million has been approved by the Kaduna State Government for disbursement to 13 researchers to aid in their study of various possible ways of various aspects of reforming the state’s education sector.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye on Thursday.
Adekeye said the decision was taken by the State Executive Council which was presided over the Governor while adding that the Commissioner of Education, Shehu Usman Muhammad had briefed the council that 13 proposals were selected from the 75 that were submitted.
Reports say last year October, the Ministry had issued an invitation for expression of research interest and 75 researchers had indicated interest.
The Commissioner was quoted in the statement as saying.
“Scholars were invited to assess the education sector in Kaduna State in the light of ongoing reforms and to help improve knowledge on issues such as access to education, the quality provided and the trajectory of human capital development in the state,” he said.
The Special Adviser added that “the proposals were evaluated by a 12-member committee presided over by Prof. Ben Chindo of Kaduna State University.
“The committee selected 13 research proposals for the award of grants,” he added.
Speaking further, Adekeye said “the selected research proposals comprise those that cover topics such as Higher Education and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Impact of ICT on Learning Outcomes and the Development of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), e-Literacy Platform for Secondary Education in Kaduna State.”
The Special Adviser stated that “since 2015, the El-Rufai administration has pursued a policy that promotes equal opportunity through investments in human capital development.
“This has prioritised education and health in budgetary allocations, and has manifested in actions such as making the first 12 years of schooling free and compulsory, renovation of schools, the building of more classrooms and the replacement of 21,780 failed teachers with 25,000 qualified primary school teachers,” he concluded.
