Stakeholders Forum of the National Association of Nigerian Students NANS, Bayelsa State Chapter says it has studied the interventions by the Bayelsa State Education Development Trust Fund EDTF and adjudged it a worthy creation of government.
In a statement signed by the Forum Chairman, Comrade Believe Ezekiel Wisdom, the Forum noted that it had followed the activities of the Trust Fund and have verified its interventions in the education sector before making its assessment.
According to NANS Forum, EDTF’s laboratory interventions in the Bayelsa Medical University, those at the Microbiology Labs in the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, several years of intervening in the Internet provision for the NDU, Computer Base Testing Centre in the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, sponsorship of researches as areas the Fund has contributed to the advancement of education in the Bayelsa State.
It also identified distribution of Science Equipment to several public schools with the recent being fifteen public schools cutting across the eight Local Government Areas. NANS said it is particularly pleased with the EDTF for not only focusing on the tertiary institutions, Technical Colleges and the Model Secondary Schools where feeding and tuition are free, but to public Secondary Schools and for even distribution of its interventions.
Other areas of interest are the Fund’s support in the introduction of coding and robotics in public schools with inter-school challenges, sponsorship of BDGS students to National Science Competition, water projects for schools as some legacy interventions of EDTF worthy of note.
It noted that within the last one year with Professor Ebimieowei Etebu as Executive Secretary of the EDTF, the Fund has lived up to expectation. This goes to show that the Prosperity Administration made the right choices in the calibre of members appointed and the Executive Secretary who knows his onions.
NANS maintained that the first and second Board laid a good foundation and expressed optimism that the current Board and Secretariat administered by Professor Etebu will surpass the threshold already made.
The Forum equally acknowledged the various training programmes for teachers in the State in partnership with the British Council and the State Teachers Training, Registration and Certification Board, TTRCB saying no wonder states have come to understudy the Bayelsa model.
It added that the EDTF was a creation of necessity to improve Bayelsa students and improve their learning experience particularly with its support for special SIM for students to surf the Internet with campuses freely.
Another Intervention programme carried out by PROF. EBIMIEOWEI ETEBU as the executive Secretary of the EDTF, which is currently going on now both physical and online is the board partnering with the Founder and Executive Director Bridge Academy International, an organization based in the United States of America to train One Hundred classroom teachers on the Science of reading (Phonics). The partnership was born out of the desire to improve reading skills in our teacher’s.
Secondly still ongoing, the EDTF has also partnered with Matific pedagogy Academy based in the United Kingdom to train teachers, pupils in pry 4, 5, 6 Jss1 and 2 students on the use of Modern methods in teaching mathematics to arouse the interest of students in learning Mathematics, the desire for this partnership was motivated on the premise that students often shy away from mathematics, this was evident in the mathematics performance of students.
In appreciation, the stakeholders forum equally use this medium to Pass a Vote of Confidence on the EDTF and Professor Ebimieowei Etebu led secretariat maintaining that EDTF is the most outstanding interventionist agency in education, in the committee of states. NANS leadership and stakeholders Forum also appreciate the Hon. Commissioner of Education Dr. Gentle Emelah, and finally appreciated his Excellency the executive governor of Bayelsa state, for appointing an ilustrous son of Bayelsa state, Professor Ebimieowei Etebu, as the executive secretary of the Bayelsa State education development trust fund EDTF, and call for its sustenance……
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