EU to invest 5.4m euros to train teachers in North Western Nigeria

The European Union (EU) has announced the investment of an additional 5.4 million euros in building the capacity of teachers in North Western Nigeria.

The EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, made this known at the official launch of the 4O million Euro intervention programme on education and youth empowerment in North Western Nigeria through the Global Gateway initiative.

According to Urpilainen, the investment is in line with the EU’s commitment to crash the high number of out-of-school children in the Northwest region of Nigeria by improving access to quality education and empowering youths in the region.

“This component is complemented by a 5.4 million euro separate programme that we signed today, which is dedicated to teachers for aiming to build their resilience and capacity in challenging environments.

“We have to remember that there is no education without teachers and that’s why we also have to invest in teacher training.

“The third objective of our programme is really that it empowers youth with the skills they need, providing vocational education as promoting behavioural change campaigns to challenge harmful social norms and empower girls,” she said

Urpilainen said that the European Union was equally out to provide vocational education and training for Nigerian youths in order to equip them with the necessary skills required to excel in the Labour market.

“This ambitious programme launched today has been designed with Nigerian authorities to ensure the ownership and an adequate response to the local needs.

“The EU is not only targeting the youth through this specific programme, it is also bringing the youth to the driving seat and this is why as the EU, we set up the Youth Sounding Board, also here in Nigeria, as well as in many countries to make sure that what we do is for the youth but also by the youth,” she added.

Urpilainen said that young people had to be included in decision making creating spaces and structures where young people would feel visible.

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She said that Nigeria was not only the economic powerhouse on the continent and the most populous country in Africa but also a strategic partner of the EU in the West region.

She therefore, said that the programme would focus on lifting out-of-school children off the streets to get the required education, especially girls through various components aimed at achieving one objective; access to quality education and youth empowerment.

Urpilainen said the programme launched, apart from tackling out-of-school children, would also include direct assistance to families, cash transfers, social protection, income generation, gifts and indirect assistance through agricultural practices.

She added that another objective of the programme is to promote validated teaching and learning in targeted schools.

She said the programme would support child-centred medical, sexual reproductive health, racial gender equality training and support community-based and state-level capacities to deliver on education.

Responding on behalf of the Northwest governors, Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, commended the EU for supporting the region to address the scourge of out-of-school children.

“The Northwestern states have the highest population in the country, we are more disadvantaged when it comes to education so this support is coming at the right time.

“For each of us, education is a priority and we have decided collectively and individually to invest in education and we are ready to change the narrative in the next four years.

“This support has come at the right time and I assure you that this support will go a long way in helping us to revamp education in our various states.

“This intervention we will utilise in the best way possible and I assure you that the outcomes would be something commendable to improve our educational system and other aspects of social development,” he said.

(NAN)

EU to invest 5.4m euros to train teachers in North Western Nigeria