Kano State Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, says over four million students in the state sit on the floor to receive their lessons.
This was disclosed in a statement circulated to newsmen on Wednesday in Kano by Balarabe Abdullahi Kiru, Director Public Enlightenment of the state Ministry of Education.
He said the commissioner revealed this during a meeting with staff of five agencies under the ministry held at Rumfa Collage, Kano.
According to him, the figure came to light following an investigation into the issue.
Doguwa said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is fully aware of “the total collapse of the education sector in the state,” which he alleged, is associated with the “lack of concern and commitment by the previous government.”
The Director also quoted the commissioner as disclosing that some of the schools in the state were found to be having only one teacher,which he described as “pathetic.”
He said the State Government had set aside 49 percent of its 2023 budget allocation on education as part of its commitment to revatilize the sector.
The commissioner said that the Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf administration in the state attaches more priority to the education sector considering its position as the backbone of human development.
He said that just recently, the administration paid over N1.3 billion for the settlement of 57,000 students who sat for the NECO, WAEC and NBAIS examinations.
According to the commissioner, the state government “is taking serious measures to bring all the possible changes in both the primary and secondary education systems of the state.”
“As part of these measures, we noticed that most of our Zonal Offices are filled up with competent staff who are supposed to teach in the classroom but are there doing nothing.
“As from now, no Zonal office under any agency should get more than 22 staff while the rest must be reposted to classrooms based on merit and profession,” the commissioner directed.
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sanitize private schools operation in the state, saying the administration would no longer allow posting of public school teachers to private schools,warning that any officer found wanting would be purnished accordingly.
