World Bank gives Bauchi $50m education grant

 

The Bauchi State Government said it accessed 50 million dollars (N8.5 billion) grant from the World bank for the improvement of the standard of education in the state.

The state Coordinator of the project, Alhaji Abubakar Tilde, told journalists how the fund was implemented in Bauchi. He said that it spent 10 million dollars about N1.7 billion in 2013.

He said that 30 per cent of the grant had been spent in 2014, while the balance of 70 per cent would be released soon.

The coordinator said that the grant which will last for four years started in 2013 and would end in 2017. He named Bauchi, Anambara and Ekiti as the benefiting states.

Tilde said that no fewer than 1,090 primary and junior secondary schools science teachers would be either redeployed to rural or urban school to balance the equation of the teachers.

He said the affected teachers would enjoy 10 per cent of their basic salary for the rural posting in addition to 5 per cent of their basic salaries for teaching core subjects.

The aim of the programme is to make teachers and teaching materials available to rural schools. This includes primary, secondary and vocational and technical schools in the state.

Tilde said 40 selected schools would enjoy N500, 000 monthly grant through their School- Based Management Communities to improve their infrastructures and other basic materials.

Alhaji Aminu Mohammed, Commissioner for Education, said the state government had employed 3,000 teachers for the Sate Universal Basic Education Board and 2,000 teachers for the Junior Secondary schools.

Aminu refuted claims by some teachers that the World Bank had increased salaries of some teachers while others were neglected.

He said that teachers whose salaries were elevated were those affected by the project while the increases affected allowances and not salaries.

He noted that the state government would sustain the project after the withdrawal of the World Bank in 2017.