The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has launched a large-scale training programme targeting 100,000 teachers and school administrators across the region, in a bid to strengthen education delivery in areas affected by years of insurgency.
The initiative, which began with a two-day “Train the Trainers” workshop in Maiduguri, is aimed at addressing the severe shortage of skilled educators in the region. The decade-long insurgency has taken a devastating toll on education, with nearly 2,400 teachers killed, many more injured, and over 3,000 classrooms destroyed.
NEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, represented by Khalifa Lawan, Head of Scholarship, Training and Capacity Building, explained that the training covers all six states in the North-East: Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, and Bauchi.
According to Lawan, the federal government had earlier this year mandated the training of 100,000 teachers in the region. The commission is rolling this out in phases, beginning with the “Train the Trainers” stage which will prepare consultants to lead further trainings in their respective states.
“This phase targets 3,600 teachers—200 from each of the 18 senatorial districts in the North-East,” Lawan said. “Our goal is to enhance teaching methodologies and overall capacity, so that we can produce quality students and a brighter future for the region.”
He added that the NEDC’s broader agenda includes psycho-social support for teachers affected by the conflict, acknowledging the trauma many have faced due to violence and displacement.
Education expert and university lecturer, Alice Musa, explained that the training consists of two main modules: one focusing on STEMA—Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Agriculture—and the other on school and classroom management, as well as guidance and counselling.
“This training is centered on human capital development and repositioning the education sector in the North-East,” she said. “The consultants we’re training will return to their states to replicate this knowledge with teachers in secondary schools. The aim is to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes across public schools in the region.”
The programme is part of NEDC’s continued efforts to rebuild critical sectors in the North-East, with education at the core of long-term recovery and development.
