As part of efforts to revitalise learning in the region following long years of insecurity and abductions in the region, the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has initiated a programme to train 100,000 teachers.

The commission announced plans to collaborate with the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, to upgrade the qualifications of these teachers across the six states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, and Taraba.

Manager, Scholarship Training and Capacity Building Unit of NEDC, Khalifa Mohammed, who disclosed this at the opening of a two-day workshop for consultants who will be responsible for training teachers in school management and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) across the region, said the training will start with 40,000 teachers in the first batch, and it’s expected to be concluded before the end of 2025.

Mohammed said: “Taking into consideration the dilapidation of the entire education structure in the North-East due to Boko Haram insurgency, Mohammed disclosed that the training is targeting the upgrade and retraining of 100,000 teachers, including education administrators.

“The training of teachers and education administrators will improve the quality of education in the region, while teachers can foster a peaceful, healthy, and well-educated society, ultimately leading to a thriving regional economic development,” he added.”

Mohammed added that NEDC state coordinators will collaborate with the education commissioners of each state to select suitable beneficiaries for the training.

He said the programme is part of the commission’s efforts to address the region’s developmental challenges, including poverty, illiteracy, and ecological degradation.

This initiative is a crucial component of the broader North-East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP).