Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has said the FCT Administration has committed $1.05 billion (N177 billion) for infrastructural development in the education sector.
Wike, represented by the Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, disclosed this at the 6th International Conference on Learning Cities, held in Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
A statement by Mr Austine Elemue, media aide to the minister, added that the amount included the N3.5 billion counterpart funding from Universal Basic Education Commission.
It stressed that the FCTA’s annual budget for the education sector has surpassed the 26 per cent UNESCO benchmark.
It said that so far, a total of 21 primary and junior secondary schools have been renovated, while 30 new senior secondary schools were established.
The statement added that FCTA has also invested heavily in the training and retraining of teachers and providing infrastructure in basic schools across the six area councils of the FCT.
On tertiary education, the statement said that the FCT Administration has committed N14.53 billion for the completion of FCT University, Abaji.
It quoted the minister, affirming the FCT Administration’s commitment to the Abuja Learning City status as emphasised by UNESCO.
The statement further explained that the Abuja learning city has adopted a whole school approach in promoting peace, security, and tolerance, through knowledge and skills.
The sixth International Conference on Learning Cities focuses on strategies to promote climate action through lifelong learning.
The conference with the theme, “Learning Cities at the Forefront of Climate Action”, brought together representatives from UNESCO learning cities, policymakers, educators, researchers, and other stakeholders across the globe.