Jonathan explains vision behind establishment of almajiri schools

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has explained the vision behind the establishment of almajiri schools across the north while he was in office.

Delivering the keynote address at the maiden Bayelsa State Education Summit, Jonathan said the vision was to add western education to the Islamic education the children already had.

He said such an addition would have enabled the almajiris to be employable in their various states so that they would not feel that society had rejected them.

The five-day summit is aimed at developing a 15-year roadmap for education in the state with the theme: Optimising the Delivery, Performance and Sustainability of Outcomes in the Education Sector.

The former president said that such a roadmap once developed should be passed into law so that no succeeding governor could unilaterally alter it and stressed that everything must be done in the interest of the people.

According to Jonathan, development in the state should be based on education even as he emphasised the need for teaching of international languages as well as a transition to digital technology in the education sector.

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He said that in addition to teaching international languages, the state must have a central language like Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo which would be of enormous benefit.

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri who echoed the former president also stressed the need for a central language and urged the summit to look at all the missing links and explore avenues for the private sector to partner with the government in implementing its vision for education.

Diri also called on international oil companies to provide special scholarships for children from oil producing communities as part of their corporate social responsibility.

He said Bayelsans must be global citizens and open up the state while urging the summit to consider farflung communities in Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw and Brass local government areas while discussing digitalisation of education.

First governor of old Rivers State and Amayanabo of Twon Brass, Alfred Papa Preye Diete-Spiff called for the award of more scholarships which must be based on computer testing.

Diete-Spiff urged the summit to consider the five different levels of education which are tertiary, secondary, primary, girl child and physically challenged.

In his welcome address, the state Gentle Emelah, commissioner for Education said there was a need to move education to the next level while reeling out the achievements of the Diri administration in the past two years.