Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin-City
Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Prof. Bashir H. Usman, has said that conflicts between herders and farmers had hampered child enrollment in nomadic schools across the country.
Prof. Bashir stated this, on Wednesday, in Benin-City at the national teaching training workshop on the use of curriculum guides, record keeping, multi- grade teaching techniques and guidance and counselling for nomadic school Head Teachers/Teachers in the South-South zone.
“The conflict is definitely affecting child menthol in nomadic schools, particularly in Benue state. We have 24 nomadic schools there, 12 of them have been shut down completely due to the conflict. And they have all moved to Nasarawa state,” he said.
“The other 12 schools that are not affected are fishers and migrant primary schools. But the 12 nomadic schools are completely shut down now.”
The NCNE boss also said the reason for the workshop was to train and retrain teachers for nomadic schools, adding “until we train and retrain teachers, the quality of out put will definitely not going to be qualitative”
He said the teachers would be trained on develop participants’ knowledge and competences on effective use of curriculum guides, techniques of proper record keeping, capacities on skills and techniques in guidance and counselling, variety of instructional methods that will engender effective lesson delivery among others.
On his part, Deputy Director, Programme Coordinator, and Federal Ministry of Education-SDG Desk Officer, Khadijat Liman, charged the NCME to come up with a wide range of initiatives aimed at collaborating with state and local governments communities, non-governmental organizations and development partners in addressing the challenges of children of nomads, migrants farmers and fishermen, especially in conflict communities.
Edo state Commissioner of Education, Emanuel Agbale, at the event, said the state had made much progress in the Implementation of nomadic education.
Represented by a staff of the ministry, Mrs. Stella-Maris Imasuen, he said the state has implemented the programme in 12 local government area in the state, with the establishment of 59 nomadic schools in the state.
