The Netherlands and Namibia have withdrawn from participating in the on-going International Association Educational Assessment, IAEA, 2012 scholarship training on educational measurement and evaluation which is holding in Abuja from the 13th-24th of February , 2012, due to security concerns.
This was stated yesterday by the registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Dibu Ojerinde, during the opening session of the 2012 edition of the IAEA scholarship training. He said, “in as much as we miss these colleagues, we want to place on record our appreciations to our friends who have identified with our country and reposed confidence and faith in our dear nation despite our most recent challenges”.
While assuring the participants of their safety in Nigeria, the registrar said, “in our drive to ensure that this important aspect of education did not stop, especially in view of its attendant benefits, the Nigeria member organizations of IAEA and AEAA namely; JAMB, NABTEB, NECO, NERDC, NTI and WAEC, including affiliate members’ jointly contribute funds to sponsor this year’s training programme”.
He revealed that the scholarship training which was an initiative of IAEA in collaboration with UNESCO was to support examination bodies in Africa and had been holding in Nigeria since its introduction. He said for this year, “The training is focusing on Item Response Theory, IRT, which is expected to provide opportunities for participants to brainstorm on the use of IRT as an empirical tool for test item development to enhance its utility and validity”.
In her speech, the minister of education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i said the federal government supports the initiative and would urge the UNESCO which had in the past provided funding for the scholarship training, to rekindle efforts to continue its support for the programme and many more initiatives that would make African countries shining examples in educational measurement and assessment.