Centre
By Mohammed Lawal
Zaria (Kaduna State) March 15, 2018 (NAN) A Zaria-based NGO, Zaria Education Development Association (ZEDA), has constructed a 100 sitting-capacity Digital Training Examination Centre in Zaria, an official has said.
The ZEDA Chairman, Central Working Committee of the NGO, Dr Alimi Bello, made the disclosure at a pre-Annual General Meeting (AGM) news conference on Thursday in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the news conference is part of the activities marking the 25th anniversary of the NGO, scheduled for March, 17.
Bello was represented by Dr Abubakar Tanimu, ZEDA spokesperson and Registrar, Eleme Petroleum Institute.
He said the gesture was in realisation of the fact that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was now the in-thing in the society.
“In the current digital age, for any educational pursuit to succeed, provision of modern ICT facilities and training must be taken into consideration.
“For this reason, ZEDA again with the assistance of public spirited individuals, a Digital Training and Examination Centre with 100 workstations has been established at its secretariat.
“Expansion of the project for additional 150 workstations has reached over 80 per cent completion.
“The Centre will provide training in various ICT fields and serve as Computer Based Test (CBT) Centre for examination bodies and employment related organisations,’’ he said.
He said the association, also with support from prominent indigenes, had established a Model Nursery and Primary School with 12 classrooms, adding that academic activities would commence in 2018/2019 session.
The chairman said the association, which was established in 1992, had also recorded successes in different areas to which include remedial training for over 2,000 secondary school leavers.
Others, he said, awarding of scholarship to more 1,000 indigent students, adding that over 500 others were also trained at the association’s JAMB clinic.
Bello said most of the beneficiaries of ZEDA’s gesture had obtained degrees, masters and PhDs in different fields and were contributing positively to the social and economic development as well as other spheres of human endevour.
The chairman, however, appealed for donations not only from residents of Zaria, Kaduna state or Nigeria but also from people all over the world.
“We want spirited individuals from across the globe to kindly extend helping hands to enable the NGO further extend its tentacles and reach out to others.’’
He said the NGO was in partnership with many institutions on vocational training and computer education.
Such institutions he said include; Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria and the National Directorate for Employment (NDE) and Microsoft outfits among others. (NAN)
KLM/GOM/
Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Dada Ahmed