From Christiana Babayo, Jalingo

Taraba state Governor, Kefas Agbu on Wednesday, flagged off the Taraba Education Student Identification System (TESIS) as part of efforts to ensure the smooth running of the free education policy in the state.

The governor, in a speech, said through the program, the government seeks to create an inclusive and equitable education system by removing financial barriers and forging a holistic approach to education.

Agbu  said, “I stand before you today with great pleasure and a sense of pride as we launch a transformative initiative under my leadership.

“Today marks a significant milestone as we embark on the education enrolment program, a bold step towards providing free education to our students.

“We have programmed this to ensure that every child has access to free education. However this is not just about students but also with the teachers who are actively engaged in the job of shaping minds. Teachers are not Just educators but architects of our future. By including them we acknowledge their invaluable contributions to education in the state.

The Governor, who noted that the program requires commitment from everyone involved, called for collaboration from students, teachers, parents and neighbouring communities to ensure that the program is a success.

“As we embark on this journey let’s remember that education is a collaborative effort. The success relies on the collective commitment of teachers, students, parent and brother communities

“We must work hand in hand to make the education enrolment program a success so that both students and teachers thrive in this transformative educational journey'” the Governor said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of education, Dr Augustina Godwin in her speech earlier commended the efforts of Gov Agbu since the free education policy was announced.

She said efforts have not ceased since then to ensure that the program is successful and today a milestone is being celebrated.

“On assumption of office on 29th May 2023, His Excellency declared a state of emergency on education and later declared free education in our primary and secondary schools.

“Since that time our enrollment has been on the increase on a daily basis hence the need for biometric capturing for all our students and pupils across the state. The digital enrollment is to enable the government to ascertain near accurate data that will be used in planning and allocation of resources within the education sector.

“Similarly teachers will be captured to ascertain the ratio of teacher to students to determine whether or not there is a need to employ more teachers. Other benefits include a learning system that will enable students to learn online and teachers to compare learning materials with their counterparts across the state,” She said.

The commissioner said by the time the program is successfully implemented, Taraba will be among the only three states of the federation that has fully complied with e- education initiatives.

On her part, the Managing Director ZIP Warehousing Limited and Project Consultant, Mrs Uchenna Eshareturi said the firm will dedicate its time to ensure the provide a system that will aid the education of students, thereby fulfilling the dream of the administration to see a vibrant education sector in the state.