Date: 2018-04-30

The Chairman of the Kwara State Arabic Education Board, Dr. AbdulKadir Oba-Solagberu, has commended the good gesture of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki for donating the sum of N5million to sponsor 500 students for this year's final Arabic examination.

ROYAL NEWS reports that, Oba-Solagberu stated this in Ilorin the Kwara State capital on Sunday while inspecting participants of the mock examinations in preparation for the 2018 Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, (NBAIS).

Dr. Oba-Solagberu who is also the Proprietor of Darul Kitab College of Arabic and Islamic Studies commended the Senate President stressing that there are numerous windows of opportunities for Arabists across the world."

He however said that about 75 Arabic and Islamic Schools participated in the mock examination and thanked all the stakeholders for the successful conduct of the exercise.i Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Mariam Garba, stated the Kwara State Government is committed to improving the standard of schools across the state through adequate funding especially in the area of Arabic Language Education.

She disclosed that two thousand students participated in the examinations in six centre simultaneously across Kwara State namely; Ilorin, Lafiagi,Tsaragi, Jebba, Osi and Oke-Ode as well as Kaiama stressing that the examination was organized by Kwara State Arabic Education Board under the supervision of the state Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development.

The Permanent Secretary who expressed high fulfillment in the conduct of the examinations noted that the exercise was to formally recognize and regularize Arabic Language Education in the state.

According to her, "The examination is an all inclusive arrangement where all registered Arabic and Islamic schools would be carried along in the scheme of things. I want to assure you students that nobody had ever passed through this path and later regret in life. many of you that have taken this course and many others who have gone through regular universities are not better than you. I want to encourage you not to relent in your efforts and proceed to higher institutions of learning.

"We have a lot of professors in this fields and many others have cross to other professions. This is just an encouragement so that as soon as you finish this exams make sure you endeavour to further because this career is not only good for nation-building but also useful for humanity."

She however expressed the commitment of the Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed-led government in providing qualitative education for all Kwarans even as she commended the students over their total compliance with the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of the examination.

In his remark, the visiting supervisor,Justice Idris Haroon (rtd) appealed to government at all levels to prioritize provision of improved educational platform to further boost the desired growth and development of the nation.

Haroon who is also a retired Grand Khadi of the Kwara State Shariah Court of Appeal, Ilorin, said: "Dr Saraki's contributions to the development of Arabic Language Education and Islam in general is highly commendable. There is need for other philanthropists to emulate by contributing meaningfully to nation-building because government alone can not shoulder the responsibilities in the education sector.