Vice President Shettima launches NEDC’s ASSEP, applauds N’East Governors

By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

The Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday launched the Accelerated Senior Secondary School Education Program (ASSAP) in Bauchi state.

Speaking at the Banquet Hall of the Government House Bauchi, the Vice President who commended the performance of the Northeast Governors, urged them to continue to synergize with a view to improving the standard of education in the region.

Earlier Speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer CEO of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Dr. Mohammed Goni Alkali described the launching of the ASSAP as a landmark event in the history of the North-East Region.

Dr Goni who explained that the NEDC is a Regional Development Enabler, noted that the Region consist of people with diverse but rich and complimentary Socio-Cultural and Economic heritage and traditions.

He said that the FG conceived and established the Commission not merely to rebuild social and physical infrastructure damaged by the devastating insurgency that ravaged the region but also to address the root issues that fueled such and lift the region to a level where such will not happen again.

He added that NEDC was set up to coordinate and drive a strategic development agenda with a focus on the near-term and future challenges to, and opportunities for development.

“The North-East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NERSDMP) developed by the Commission and its diverse partners consists of Pillars that support Human Capital Development in the North-East Region such as Educated Populace and Healthy Citizens Pillars”, Dr Goni said.

According to him, the pillars caters for both human capital and physical facilities (infrastructure, teaching/learning materials, etc.) which he said is estimated to cost over N1 trillion.

The NEDC MD said that the Commission has also ploughed other funds in Human Capital training and retraining programmes that can propel socio-economic development of the North East Region.

He further explained that the Accelerated Senior Secondary Education Programme (ASSEP) is an intervention focused on addressing a particular challenge in the North East Region’s education system which will provide effective support where the capacity of conventional schooling arrangements is limited for the teeming beneficiaries.