Education is the key to human capital development and essential to sustaining an emerging democracy and a vibrant economy. It has been established that Taraba State disadvantaged concerning education in North East Sub-region.
Thus, we shall deploy cutting edge strategies first to reverse this position, while at the same time ramp up the standard of education, as a matter of urgency, regarding institutions, infrastructure, and human capacity at all levels.
(i) Primary Education
We recognize that the primary school is the foundation of any basic education scheme. Consequently, school infrastructure will be constructed or rehabilitated; also a deliberate plan will be put in place to develop a world-class curriculum for primary schools in Taraba State. This Uniform Standard Curriculum will be jointly designed by both the public and private primary schools.
(ii) Secondary Education
To ensure that the secondary level pupils get proper supervision and adequate conducive learning environment and strategic commitment will be made to substantially improve the quality of boarding secondary schools in the state where they exist, and establish additional ones on a needs basis.
Where feasible, school feeding programme will be considered for implementation in our day secondary schools, to enhance the quality of life of our young ones and guarantee their cognitive development. This administration will ensure the payment of all exam fees for secondary school students as soon as the financial crisis is resolved.
(iii) Tertiary Education
We will increase access to higher education for all qualified citizens through a sustainable scholarship programme. The Taraba State University, Jalingo, will be developed to expand its capacity to a world class university in collaboration with the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) and notable foreign universities. Eminent citizens will also be encouraged to support the University through endowment programmes.
We shall encourage and support private higher insttutions that are in the state such as Kwararafa University in Wukari, and other upcoming private universities.
(iv) Scholarship
We shall put in place a scholarship scheme for both local and overseas training of young and qualified citizens in specialized areas of medicine, engineering, environmental sciences, aviation, agriculture, information and communication technology, and other critical areas, to meet the increasing manpower needs of transforming Taraba State into a nationally and globally competitive economy guided by the Rescue Agenda.
(v) Vocational Education
In addition to the mainstream educational programmes, particular emphasis will be laid on vocational education to ensure that our graduates at this level do not swell the rank of job seekers, but become entrepreneurs and employers of labour in their right.
(vi)Teacher Education
In recognition of the immense contributions of our teachers and the need for on-the-job training and retraining, we shall provide training for qualified teachers at all levels by enhancing the capacity of the College of Education, Zing, to serve as the bastion of teacher capacity building. Taraba State Government will also improve the working conditions of teachers by the establishment of Teachers’ Housing Scheme through Housing Cooperatives, as well as provide funding and incentives for creative work and research for lecturers.
We shall invest sufficiently in capacity building to encourage the development of indigenous lecturers for all the tertiary institutions within the state, by the establishment of scholarship scheme for qualified lectures at all institutional levels, within available financial resources, as well as leveraging on development partners and private sector stakeholders.
Health
The health institutions, facilities, and human resources needs of Taraba State will be considered with a high sense of responsibility. An inventory and status of the primary, secondary, and tertiary health institutions in Taraba State will be examined and given requisite attention. The rating of health personnel to patients will be reviewed, and the gaps therein addressed through strengthening the College of Health Technology in Takum, and the College of Nursing and Midwifery in Jalingo, as well as consider pragmatic approaches with regards to doctors.
We will liaise with development partners to provide cutting edge maternity centers in selected locations, to guarantee that no healthy mother loses her life through childbearing, all things being equal, to fulfill our campaign promises.
