The board of executive directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has approved a long-term loan of $98 million to fund bilingual education in Nigeria.
Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Osun are the beneficiaries of the project.
Head, Public Relations and Protocol, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Mr David Apeh, said the aim of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic condition of Nigeria, ensure inclusive education and promote bilingual education.
The project will create access to basic education, improve quality and enhance the management capacity of school administrators, according to him.
No fewer than 30 bilingual education boarding schools are to be constructed in the states.
This, he said, will help boost enrolment and reduce the out-of-school-children (OOSC) syndrome, as well as expose learners to the knowledge of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
“Another important feature of this project is the Awqaf and Istisnaa imbedded to provide real estate business for sustainable income for the programme,” he said.
The project is being coordinated at the national level by UBEC, National Coordinating Unit (NCU) with supervision by Federal Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Finance.
The NCU has already engaged consultants to design, review and supervise the civil works of the projects and has also engaged the services of a Monitoring and Evaluation consultant.
He further noted that the office furniture and equipment have been procured for the nine participating states.
Stakeholders, including Commissioners of Finance, SUBEB Chairmen, Heads of Project Management Units (PMUs) and Tsangaya Arabic and Islamic Education Agencies, have already met.
The meeting, which was chaired by the Executive Secretary, UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Prof. Bala Zakari, also had in attendance, members of UBEC management as well as the representatives of the Federal Ministries of Education, Finance and IsDB.
The states expressed their readiness to take ownership of the Projects after completion while the participants were expected to brief their respective State governors.