The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has launched a Sensitisation and School Mapping Exercise under the EU–UNESCO Education and Youth Empowerment Project (Phase II) in Bayelsa State. The initiative, implemented in partnership with the Bayelsa Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), targets six focus states across Nigeria with the goal of strengthening the education system and improving learning outcomes.
At the inauguration on Monday, the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative in Nigeria, Jean-Paul Abiaga, commended the government and people of Bayelsa State for hosting the sensitisation exercise. He explained that the initiative is part of the European Union–funded Education and Youth Empowerment Project (Phase II), aimed at Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to enhance teacher capacity and resilience. The six focal states of the project are Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Oyo, Plateau, and Katsina.
Mr. Abiaga highlighted that the initiative is designed to invest in the professional resilience, collaboration, and effectiveness of teachers, who are central to learning and national development. A key component of the project is the establishment of Teacher Learning Teams (TLTs), which provide platforms for teachers to share best practices, improve pedagogical skills, and build stronger connections with students and communities.
“Evidence worldwide shows that teacher collaboration improves student learning, strengthens school communities, and makes education systems more equitable and resilient,” Mr. Abiaga said. He added that collaboration with SUBEB, the state ministry of education, and local government education authorities will produce geo-referenced data on school locations, teacher deployment, and infrastructure.
The Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Ifidi Festus, represented by Joy Pulesi-Otowono, Director of the Social Mobilisation Department, praised UNESCO for funding and training support, emphasizing that the sensitisation aims to encourage community involvement in the school mapping exercise.
Simon Peter, Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Education, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to the partnership and urged schools to participate seriously in the mapping to benefit students.
Programme Assistant, UNESCO, Esther Ikenye, explained that the project seeks to review, strengthen, and implement education policies, address teacher shortages, improve working conditions, and develop both in-service and pre-service teachers’ capacities, particularly in fragile contexts. She stressed that the initiative also aims to foster better relationships among teachers, students, and colleagues within communities.
The theme of the project is “Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to Build Teachers’ Capacity and Resilience.”
