The Nasarawa State House of Assembly formally passed into law the Executive Bill on Education Department Trust Fund today, Tuesday, September 17, 2024, while reaffirming its steadfast support for executive bills aimed at enhancing citizen welfare and statewide development.
The House emphasized that, recognizing the significance of quality education for societal advancement, it has accorded the education trust fund bill utmost priority prior to its passage into law.
Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, the Honourable Speaker of the House, proclaimed the bill’s enactment into law following its successful passage through third reading at today’s, Tuesday, House session.
The Speaker expressed appreciation to Chairman of the Education Committee, Rt. Hon. Abel Yakubu Bala, and his team for their diligent and commendable efforts.
” I want to appreciate the committee for their efforts in ensuring that standard of education is improved in the state.
” We will not leave any stone unturned to ensure that quality and sound education is provided in the state. the Speaker said.
He said that the establishment of the Education Trust Fund will provide quality and sound education in the state.
He said that the Education Trust Fund would make provision for the Chairman of the Board to be a retired educationist while the Secretary of the board will be a civil servant not below the level of a Director.
Speaker Jatau appreciated Gov. Abdullahi Sule for his zeal and passion for the education sector through initiating the bill.
“The law provided for confiscated amount accrued from criminal proceedings and activities to be channeled into the state education trust fund”
“It also provides a jail term for individuals or groups found guilty in embezzling funds meant for the trust fund”
“The Nasarawa State Education Development Trust Fund is also aimed at providing functional and qualitative education, educational infrastructure, vocational skills, scholarship and other interventions to strengthen the standard of education and allow the state competes with its contemporaries educationally” The Speaker said.
“Recalled that the House has earlier had a public hearing where key actors in the education sector x-ray and make inputs on the bill before it was passed into law today”
“The law equally had 19 recommendations on possible ways of making the trust fund feasible”
“Additionally, aside seeking for upward review from one to two percent of the contract sum from companies in the state as source of funding, it also provides for one percent in the salaries of political office holders to fund the education trust fund”
“The law also pegged funds to institutions accordingly where tertiary institution will take 50%, secondary school 30% and basic level 20%, suggesting that the chairman of the trust fund must be a retired and seasoned educationist while the secretary should be a civil servant not below the rank of a Director in the state civil service”
“Also is that, in the law all monies secured will be shared into two where capital projects will take 70% and training will gulp 30% respectfully”The Speaker added.
The Speaker Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau directed the Clerk of the House Mr Ibrahim Musa to produced a clean copy of the law for his perusal and onwards transmission to Gov. Abdullahi Sule for his ascent.
