Stakeholders in the education sector have urged the Kano State government to come to the aid of public schools facing inadequate teaching personnel, as well as to provide necessary infrastructural facilities that would enhance the learning of pupils and students.
Making the call when speaking with the press on Wednesday in Kano, Alhaji Muhammed Ibrahim, a retired teacher who has served the state for over 30 years, said most public schools in the state lacked desks and chairs, while many pupils sit on bare floors.
He, however, commended the state governor for the provision of over 73,800 chairs and desks recently provided to schools in the state but quickly stated that there is a need to provide more for public schools in the state.
However, during a visit by journalists to some public schools as part of the state’s declaration of an emergency on education, several challenges were uncovered.
At the Tudun Wada Model Primary School, located in Tudun Wada Local Government Area of Kano State, it was discovered that the school has 1,226 pupils but only 19 teachers to cater to them.
The Assistant Headmaster, Malam Kabir Alhassan, highlighted major challenges, including a shortage of personnel, a lack of security, and the absence of proper toilet facilities.
He added that, “Despite this huge population, vandals stole the Sumo water pump that we used to pump water from our borehole. As a result, there is no potable drinking water in this school. Our pupils are forced to defecate openly or visit nearby houses to answer the call of nature.”
Malam Kabir Alhassan, however, commended the Kano State Government for its efforts in building a new block of classrooms, which has now been completed.
“We must commend this administration because all those who were due for promotion have been promoted, salaries are being paid on time, and the minimum wage has been implemented. This has significantly boosted our morale,” he said.
While at the Government Junior Secondary School Rufa’i Tudun Wada in Doguwa Local Government, the only junior secondary school in the area, it was reported that the school is currently facing serious threats from gully erosion that surrounds the school.
It was also noted that despite the community having a population of over one million citizens, including many children, the school, situated at the far end of the village, serves as the primary educational facility for the pupils.
It was observed that the construction of a new block of classrooms at the school is still at the foundation level and appears abandoned.
However, the school, with a population of over 1,200 students, currently manages only two blocks of classrooms, while a third block remains in serious disrepair.
It was observed that the school has only three permanent teachers and five volunteer teachers, who struggle to manage the large student population.
The school premises have also been encroached upon by commercial block developers, with their building materials scattered across the area.
Speaking with one Shamsuddeen Haruna, a volunteer teacher who has been serving the school for eight years, he stated that his zeal and commitment to his community are the driving forces behind his continued service despite difficult conditions.
However, the Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Umar Doguwa, said the state needs N6bn to provide furniture for 9,063 pupils in the state’s primary and secondary schools.
“We found out that the majority of the 5.2 million children in our schools have no chairs and desks. In fact, during one of my inspection visits, I found a school, Dawanau Special Primary School in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, with 5,618 pupils, all seated on the floor! You can see how bad the situation is,” Doguwa said.
He said that besides the lack of furniture, there were also problems of a shortage of teachers and a high population of out-of-school children.
He, however, added that with the steps being taken by the state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, there would be changes in the educational sector because he has “held the bull by the horns as far as education is concerned.”
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