The mobile telecommunication giant, Etisalat
Nigeria is reaching farther with its Corporate Social Responsibility effort
within the educational sector. The latest within that array of beneficiaries
interestingly, is the Girls’ Government College, Dala, Kano state.
One of the historical legacies bequeathed to
the ancient city, the Girls’ Government College mildly evokes a feeling of the
visionary leadership that was the lot of the old Northern Nigeria under the
oversight of the late premier of the region, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
Established in 1960 as an all-girls college
targeted at promoting girl-child education in the region, GGC as the College is
fondly called championed this pioneering cause with passion and went on to
produce some individuals that have made remarkable marks over the years.
Those who are used to the iconic GGC can
easily testify to the school’s descent infrastructures, hardworking teachers
and the general conducive environment for teaching and learning were among the
factors that stood out Government Girls’ College, Dala and made it the
preferred choice for students and parents who wanted sound and qualitative
education for their children.
The school’s growing influence was however
said to have been scuppered by the advent of successive military governments
and the attendant neglect meted out to it. Even concerted attempts by past
civilian administrations to address the downward slide could not yield much of
the desired fruit.
The Kano State Deputy Governor, who also
doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, while speaking
at a recent commissioning of facilities renovated by Etisalat Nigeria in the
school, succinctly gave some clues to why the trend had lingered for the time
it did.
“It is very clear to us that given our population
as the most densely populated state in the country, the huge demand on
education cannot be borne by government alone, the tiers of government cannot
single-handedly bear the funding burden of education without getting support
from corporate entities, individuals and communities. Without that, it would be
difficult to achieve our goal of education for all,” Abubakar said.
Gleaning from the Deputy Governor’s
revelation and with an increasing enrolment figure which currently stands at
1,930, the fate of the College appeared sealed until Etisalat Nigeria, albeit
with full understanding of the State Government, came into the scene on the
wings of its Adopt-A-School initiative.
Coincidentally, this social feat by the
telecoms operator is coming at a time the company is marking seven years of
exceptional dedication to sustainable development across various strata of the
Nigerian economy.
Unlike some companies in their stead which
would have rolled out the drums of celebration and music, Etisalat Nigeria is
however focusing on exploring ways to
impact more lives and communities.
The teleco operator Vice President,
Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko said it is in
keeping with this commitment to sustainability and corporate social investment,
that Etisalat Nigeria adopted the College earlier in the year, and subsequently
went about the task of providing the much needed facelift had hitherto been
elusive.
Under the first phase of renovations carried
out in the school, Etisalat Nigeria revamped several facilities including the
Information Communication Technology Centre (ICT) to which it donated 30
desktop computers, the library fitted with furniture, text books and other
relevant study materials, Kwankwaso Hostel Block, a modern science laboratory,
solar-powered potable water facility and seven classrooms with chairs and
tables.
Dikko added that it is in the effort to drive the delivery of quality education
that has propelled the telecommunication company to engage in much intervention.
“The whole aim is to drive the delivery of
quality education. What we have done is to create an enabling environment for
conducive learning which in turn drives improvement in learning. Generally, we
are about innovation.
“We are also about driving sustainable
development and one of the key platforms on which we do that is education,
everything literally rests on education. Education is at the bedrock of any
meaningful development,” Dikko said.
Not a few stakeholders had so far applauded
the teleco operator’s gesture. They have wondered that despite being the fourth
entrant into Nigeria’s telecoms industry, Etisalat has in the past seven years
impacted the lives of its 23 million customers in Nigeria in several ways, and
it is amazing how much the teleco would do in the coming years.
-Daily Trust
No comments:
Post a Comment