By Suleiman Anyalewechi
To arrest the fast and steady dwindling fortunes and quality of education in Kano State, Governor Abba Yusuf on Saturday June 8, 2024 declared a state of emergency on the sector.
The Governor who made the declaration at a ceremony held at the Open Theatre inside Government House Kano, regretted that the once vibrant sector which produced high profile players across all the country’s socio-economic and political sectors has, over the years retrogressed abysmally, resulting in several thousands of out-of-school children, dilapidated educational facilities,and low quality of educational standard .
Governor Yusuf maintained that the state of emergency will afford the authorities the opportunity to adequately mobilise resources, implement urgent reforms, and focus on strategic interventions capable of rebuilding the system,with particular emphasis on infrastructural renewal and provision of all necessary materials.
In a statement issued by his Media Aide, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa on Sunday, June 9, the Kano State Governor noted that the revival of the education sector will pave the way for every child in the State to have access to quality education which he insisted is part of their inalienable rights.
He highlighted some of the steps taken and provisions made to resuscitate the sector to include a budgetary allocation of 29.95% to the sector in the 2024 fiscal year, restoration of upkeep and overhead funds for secondary schools, setting up of about 300 laboratories, and the construction of one thousand blocks of classrooms in the next academic session.
Similarly, all boarding schools closed by the immediate past administration in the state, he said, will be reopened,while a comprehensive renovation of all primary and junior secondary schools will be carried out .
According to Governor Yusuf, deliberate efforts will be made to ensure the enrollment of no fewer than 28,264 out-of-school children in the next three years.
The distribution of one free meal daily, and reintroduction of free school uniforms and other materials are some of the incentives lined up to swell the State’s primary and junior secondary schools enrollment figure .
” In the same vein, the State Government has offered full time employment to 5,632 Better Education Service Delivery For All, BESDA, teachers, approved for hiring additional 10,000 teachers with intensified effort of continuous periodic training and retraining of teachers so as to achieve the vision of making “every teacher ,a caring educator”
He also revealed that “The Government has approved the disbursement of the sum of N300 million as soft loan to teachers working under the State Universal Basic Education Board SUBEB across the State.
“The over all objective of the declaration of state of emergency on education is encapsulated in the vision for education delivery in a statement viz:
“Every school,a good school; every child,enrolled child; every student,an engaged learner,;every teacher ,a caring educator; every parent ,a supportive partner,; and your government,a committed investor in human capital development”
In his remarks at the occasion ,former Governor of the State and the Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, during the 2023 general elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso expressed happiness over the development .
He appealed to the people, particularly all stakeholders in the education sector to support the State Government in its desire to reposition and take Kano State to a new height.
He urged the newly employed teachers to show patriotism and commitment by accepting to serve in any part of the State.
