The North East has the worse education indices in the country. It has the lowest enrollment rates, the lowest completion rates and yet the worse teacher-student ratio.  The region’s performance in the NECO and WASC as well as JAMB has been at the bottom of the national ranking. Consequently, it has the least number of admissions to tertiary institutions. By the same token, it has the least number of graduates per population in the country.

This poor educational performance is partly responsible for also the high youth unemployment situation in the region. It is also implicated in the worse poverty incidence in the country.

Both unemployment and poverty are key factors in the growth and flourishing of the Boko Haram Insurgency which has devastated the region, making the situation worse. Social infrastructure such as schools, markets, factories, etc have been destroyed. As a result, more youth have been thrown out of employment. Many people have lost their means of livelihood.  Both of these have increased poverty and unemployment. School enrollment has further deteriorated due to long close of schools, destruction of education facilities and the killings of both teachers and students by the insurgents. The abduction of students, particularly the female student of Chibok, has brought a set back in girl child education as both parents and children fear about more abductions.

Given this,it is imperative that a multi-pronged strategy is needed to reboot and accelerate the educational progress and development of the region. As part of this effort, CITAD in collaboration with  Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola (MAUTECH)  is organizing the first North East Books and Education Conference and Exhibition (NEBECE).

Goal

Contribute to reviving education in the region

Objectives

1. Provide a platform for stakeholders to deliberate and strategize on revamping education in the region
2. Raise awareness on reviving reading culture which is critical to education progress
3. To provide an opportunity for states governments in the region to explain to donor organizations the specific problems they have in addressing education issues
4. Promote book trade and publishing in the region as part of the effort to revive education
5. Harvest ideas on addressing the myriad of problems of education in the north east

Forms and Format

The North East Books and Education Conference and Exhibition (NEBECE) will hold for three days and will consist of the following complimentary events and activities:

1. Conference on Education
2. Book and other educational products Exhibition
3. Literary Events
4. Student Creativity Competition

Conference Theme

The theme of the conference is Education in the Northeast in the Context of Reconstruction, Rebuilding and Resettlement in the Region

Conference Sub-themes

The sub-themes of the conference:

1. The State of Education Infrastructure in the North East
2. Tertiary Education and Pipelining in the North East
3. Tackling the Problems of Basic Education in the North East
4. Girl Child Education in the Context of Post Insurgency
5. The Place and Role of Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education in Rebuilding of the North East
6. Teacher Production Capacity in the North East
7. Gender, Education and Cultural Issues in the North East
8. Understanding and Overcoming Poor Performance of North East States in National Examinations in the North East
9. Impact of Insurgency on Education in the North East
10. The Digital Divide and the Education Sector in the North East
11. The Place of Religion in Education in the North East
12. Religious Education and Religious Education institutions in the North East

Conference Structure

The conference will consist of plenary, parallel sessions and flying shop sessions. A side of the Opening session, there would be five other plenary sessions, two on each date. Together these plenary sessions will allow the lead paper in each sub themes be presented at the plenary while other papers would feature at the parallel panels.The flying shopping sessions will have state and other agencies show case their work. However, instead of them making presentation to at either panel or plenary session each showcase presenters will stay in one place and a small group of say 10-15 at the time would be his/her shop and listen to the presentation for 10 minutes and move to the next showcase and each group will go round as many showcase stands as possible.

Key Note

Mal Adamu Adamu, Ministry of Education

Lead Presentation

It is proposed that lead presentations would come from the following:

1. Garba D. Azare, Teacher Production Capacity in the North East
2. Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi (NITDA), The Digital Divide in the Northeast and its Implications to the Education Progress on the Region
3. H. Bobboi, UBEC Contribution to Revamping Education in the North East
4. Sadiqque Abubakar, The Poor Performance of the Northeast in National Examinations: Evidence from NECO
5. Prof Abubakar A. Rasheed, The State of Tertiary Education in the North West
6. Sulaiman Elias Bogoro: An Overview of Tetfund Intervention in the North East
7. M. Kazaure, The Challenge of Technical and Vocational Education in the North East
8. Asmau Joda: Addressing Girl Child  Education in the North East
9. Saudatu Mahdi : Mainstreaming Gender Issues in Transforming Education in the North East
10. Impact of Conflict in the Education Sector in the Northeast by Prof Rabiu Mohammad
11. Can we create our own Silicon Valley in the Northeast?  Kole Shettima
12. Politics and Education Development in the Northeast  by Prof Jibrin Ibrahim
13. Reviving Public Libraries in the Northeast by Dr.  Musa Auyo
14. How to Address Almajiranci in the Northeast
15. Addressing Child Health as Key to Enhancing Educational Performance by Hussaini Abdu

Participants

1. Northeast Development Commission
2. All ministries of Education of the states of the North east
3. Donor organizations and international development partners
4. SUBEB from all the six states of the North East
5. Universities in the North East region
6. State and national legislators
7. Books Publishers across the country
8. Major bookshops and booksellers
9. Civil society organizations
10. Community Organizations
11. Professional Associations
12. Students
13. Media organizations

Organizing Partners

1. Northeast Development Commission (NEDC)
2. Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
3. Channel Television (media partners)
4. Peace Air (Travels partners)
5. Daily Trust (print media)

Supporting Organizations

1. Federal Ministry of Education
2. Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund)
3. National Teachers Institution (NTI)
4. Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
5. National Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
6. All state governments in the North East
7. National Universities Commission (NUC)
8. USAID
9. MacArthur Foundation
10. Action Aid International (Nigeria)

Host State

Adamawa State

Participation

Members of the public, especially education policy makers, scholars and policy administrators, publishers, books distributors and others are cordially invited to participate. For more information contact the Organizing Chairman, Committee either by phone (08064867312) or by email (nebece@citad.org). You can also visit the conference site (www.nebece.ng).