As an ICT based organization that is committed to the use of ICT for development, The Centre for Information Technology and Deployment (CITAD) has over the years facilitated numerous engagements towards bridging the wide digital skills gab, these include series of campaigns, advocacies, trainings, stakeholders’ engagements among others. And today, the 15th of January, 2020 CITAD flagged up capacity building exercise on the use of ICT tools for the staff of Bauchi state ministry of education in order to better their work. In attendance were the Honourable Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, Directors and other senior officers of the Ministry.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Y.Z Ya’u, the Executive Director of the Centre ably represented by the Training Coordinator, Malam Ahmad Yakasai said the first phase of the project will focus on training Examination and ICT Directorate. Yakasai maintained that CITAD has been putting a lot of efforts that is aimed at bridging the wide digital skills gab; CITAD has gone to many remotest villages and established ICT training centres in Abuja communities and CITAD is now planning to launch ICT lab for people with special needs so that they will not be left behind. Now that ICT come to stay, one good thing about ICT is, it has neither gender nor age bias, which makes it a must for everyone to acquire the skills regardless of one’s gender or age.
In his remark, the Honourable Commissioner, Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Dr. Aliyu Usman Tilde showed appreciation for the gesture extended to the Ministry by CITAD. In his words, “ICT compliance is the most important aspect of the ministry’s reforms†There has not been much noise about it because it concerns about the staff not anyone else. Compliance to ICT makes cumbersome tasks easier. Dr. Tilde attributed his ability to developing frequent lengthy write ups 
on News Papers in the late 90s to the use of ICT. Saying; it would not have been possible for him without complying with ICT. The large size of education ministry makes most of our challenges in education, and ICT is in to help us reduce the burden to the minimal level possible. And there is no way one can avoid misinformation or communication gab when dealing with large number of stakeholders but when aided by tech the whole bunch of the trouble is resolve by just a single click.
Before he retire to his seat, the Commissioner made some announcements that made the gathering paid more attention these include, that henceforth, appointments into the ministry as ordinary staff or director will be based on ICT compliance, the ministry as from next year will not contract anybody to do NECO and WAEC examination registration; examination department will be responsible for all these online registration. Our plan is for everyone to be IT compliance in the next three years.
I urge you to take this training very serious, you are the pioneers, you have all the facilities here and sky shall be your limit, he added.
After closing prayers, pre-test was administered to the staff that will be trained to help ascertain the level of ICT knowledge; this will help the CITAD training department to design the package that will better suit the participating staff.
