June 8, (THEWILL)- The Kano State Government has taken a giant step to revitalise the education sector by employing 5,000 new teachers into the state civil service.Â
Governor Abba Yusuf announced this on Saturday, while declaring a state of emergency in education, emphasising the need for qualitative personnel to manage public schools effectively.
Yusuf said the move is aimed at providing the required manpower to ensure that public schools in the state have adequate qualified teachers to provide quality education.
He emphasised that the era of pupils receiving lectures under harsh conditions, such as on a bare floor, is over.Â
The government, he said, would ensure the total rehabilitation and provision of furniture for public schools.
The Governor said the declaration of a state of emergency in education is a bold step towards addressing the challenges facing the sector.Â
He said government’s commitment to providing basic learning materials and infrastructure would go a long way in improving the quality of education in the state.Â
He said that with this move, the Government had demonstrated its dedication to providing quality education for all and its determination to ensure that every child in the state has access to a conducive learning environment.
Yusuf sounded an alarm on the crisis facing the state’s education sector, painting a stark picture of a system in dire need of reform, where:
” Over 4.7 million pupils are forced to sit on bare floors to learn, while 400 schools have only one teacher for all classes and subjects”, he said.
He explained that the past administration in the state had closed down schools vandalised, and converted them into commercial premises.
Teachers, the Governor said further, struggled with outdated and insufficient resources and basic amenities such as clean water and sanitation lacking in many schools
He lamented that the previous administration in the state prioritised profiting from school lands over investing in education, “leaving a legacy of neglect and disrepair.”
Yusuf vowed to tackle the multi-faceted problems head-on, including the severe shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate training programmes and socio-economic challenges faced by students.
“It is time for a new era of investment in public education and a commitment to providing quality learning environment for all”, the Governor added.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
