Imam, NBAIS and the promotion of Islamic studies in Nigeria

Since he assumed office on May 20, 2023, as the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, (NBAIS) Professor Yahuza Sulaiman Imam has been recording remarkable achievements in the turnaround of the agency towards delivering its primary mandate of conducting Senior Arabic and Islamic Secondary School Certificate Examination (SAISSCE) in Nigeria.In fact, Prof. Imam is working assiduously to ensure that NBAIS is well positioned for smooth and effective conduct and supervision of SAISSCE in 28 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The Board is undoubtedly a key player in the promotion and preservation of Islamic and Arabic studies in Nigeria.Notable achievements under Imam’s leadership of NBAIS in the last one year include: Successful conduct of June/July 2023 Senior Arabic and Islamic Secondary School Certificate Examination (SAISSCE) across 28 states and FCT; Successful conduct of Nov/December 2023 Senior Arabic and Islamic Secondary School Certificate Examination (SAISSCE); Review of the existing curricular and syllabi;Digitalization of SAISSCE: Online Registration and Electronic Album of SAISSCE Candidates; Online Checking of Results & Certifications; Advocacy and Public Awareness; Courtesy visits to some State Governors, State Ministries of Education and other stakeholders across the country.Other achievements are: Design and implementation of public communication programs on NBAIS operations; Conferences for both National and International media (FRCN, VOA, BBC etc); Design, development and utilization of Social Media Handles e.g. Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, etc; NUC circular conveying the decision taken at the 59th meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE), AAbuj in June 2013, directing tertiary institutions to accept SAISSCE as O’ level requirement for admission [February, 2024]; Interactive meetings with various stakeholders across some North-eastern states (Yobe, Borno and Gombe) as a form of advocacy and public enlightenment on NBAIS-SAISSCE and Tsangaya matters, September (2023).There were also: interactive meetings with various stakeholders of Nigerian universities on NCE decision on NBAIS-SAISSCE; MoU between NBAIS and Nigerian Arabic Language Village Ngala, Borno state on inter-related Arabic/SAISSCE activities [September 2023]; MoU between NBAIS and Fountain University, Osun state on inter-related Arabic/SAISSCE activities; Mou between NBAIS and Jigawa state ministry of education; The directive of Community Health Practitioners and Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN) to its affiliate institutions to accept SAISSCE as O’ level requirement for admission, among others.NBAIS also has collaboration with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Education and Nigeria Arabic Language Village Ngala on Out-of-School Children Education; Construction and furnishing of Zaria Main Operation Centre; Rehabilitation of Administrative Building at Headquarters, Kaduna; Construction of Operation Centre, Ibadan, Oyo state – 95% as at May 2024; Renovation and rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Auditorium Complex.There was the Construction of Access Road to Centre for Tsangaya and General Studies; Construction of Access Road at NBAIS Zonal Office Kano; Construction of Estate and Physical Planning Building; Ongoing Construction of NBAIS Niger Zonal Office at Minna; 3-Day Workshop/Training for Tsangaya Teachers; Successful completion of Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) Programme for 2nd Batch of the Board’s staff totaling 1,413; Completion of the 1st Batch of 3-day Sensitization Workshop on the Role of ACTU in MDAs with a total number of 250 participants; A 3-day workshop for 200 Arabic and Islamic School Teachers on Modern Method of Teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies; Observance of International Arabic Language Day through International Conference in collaboration with Islamic School Women Teachers Association of Nigeria, Kaduna Chapter, Kaduna; Arabic Language Day (International Conference) held at NBAIS Zonal Office, Katsina, Katsina State; Capacity building workshop organized by NBAIS in collaboration with Foundation of Integrated Arabic Schools Islamic Enlightenment (FIASIE), December 2023; Workshop for Subject Officers in the Examination Development Department as part of the Capacity Building/Training on modern techniques of Item Generation for Exam Questions in the various subjects (2023).Two-day training for Senior Arabic and Islamic school certificate SAISSCE supervisors (2023); In-House Training on the newly introduced procurement, inventory and asset management and payment process using GIFMIS in public finance; Upgrading of ICT through Procurement and Installation of ICT Equipment; In-house training organised by all department zonal office, state offices and liaison offices; Capacity building workshop on leadership and management in collaboration with the Education Leadership Management Academy Nigeria (ELMAN), among others.Going by the above monumental achievements in a space of just one year, it is crystal clear that NBAIS, under the leadership of Professor Yahuza Sulaiman Imam is on course in achieving the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government in the education sector, particularly in the area of Arabic and Islamic studies.Mohammed Dauda, media and communication specialist, writes from Kado, FCT, Abuja
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