Governor Nasir Idris discloses that his administration in Kebbi State has dedicated over ₦9 billion in the first eight months towards the overhaul of the education system.
The revelation was made by the governor during the commencement of the National Campaign on Out-Of-School Children across Geo-Political Zones in Nigeria, a event held in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.
The governor, as stated in a release by his media aide, Ahmed Idris, detailed that the expenditure was directed towards several projects, encompassing classroom construction, motorized boreholes and hand-pumps, toilet construction, furniture provision, classroom renovation, and the supply of textbooks and writing materials.
The statement read, ‘2,000 teachers were trained to improve their pedagogic competence for effective teaching in schools, adding that six mega schools were being constructed to provide access to education by Almajiris and other categories of out-of-school children in the state.’
‘717 Post-Basic Literacy Centres were established across the state for post-basic literacy programme for the Almajiris that had already undergone basic literacy programme under Better Education Service Delivery for All.’
‘BESDA programme, Kebbi State recorded tremendous success in terms of enrolling the different categories of out-of-school children into schools through the instrument of non-formal learning centres.’
‘Not less than 3,945 learning centres were established comprising Almajiri, Girl-Child and Nomads Children and more than 500 learners have been enrolled in a basic literacy programme.’
‘This has let Kebbi attain an enviable position amongst the 17 BESDA participating states in terms of achievement of rewards.’
In his speech, the Minister of State, Education, Dr Yusuf Tanko-Sununu, urged the Kebbi people to appreciate the new administration by supporting its policies and programmes and rendering good advice that would take the state forward.
He appealed to individuals and groups to key into the national campaign on out-of-school children and other issues related to education “as government alone cannot do it.”
Tanko-Sununu recommended to the state government the establishment of a solid foundation by increasing the number of classrooms and recruiting more teachers, thereby creating a favorable environment for potential support from the Federal Government.
The minister pressed the governor to prioritize the recruitment of qualified teachers, emphasizing the importance of selecting professionals duly registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.
In acknowledging the governor’s commendable decision to augment the education allocation in the 2024 budget, the minister advised him to initiate discussions with traditional rulers to devise strategies for reinstating respect for teachers.
The Director of Basic Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Falake Olatunji-David, stated that this program constitutes the third phase of the ministry’s comprehensive efforts to achieve a significant decrease in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
She expressed sorrow over the results of a recent study, revealing that Nigeria represents one-fifth of the world’s out-of-school children and a staggering 45 percent in the West African sub-region.
The director appealed to spirited individuals in the state to aid the less privileged in the community by adopting the children and youths “who are of school age and supporting the education of such.”
In December 2023, the governor flagged off the construction and upgrade of 120 secondary schools across the state valued at N8.9bn.
Speaking during the ceremony in Bubuche, Arugungu Local Government Area, the governor clarified that the intention behind the gesture was to strategically reposition the education sector in the state.
He expounded on the program, stating that it operates under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment in collaboration with the World Bank and Dominat Engineering Limited, with the objective of fostering the education sector through the provision of a conducive learning environment for children.
‘This flag-off will occasion the constitution of new schools designed to upgrade 120 schools from primary school to junior secondary and junior secondary to senior secondary schools under AGILE,’ he said.