Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State on Saturday declared a state of emergency on education in the state, with a promise to immediately employ 10, 000 teachers across the state.
The declaration took place at the Kano Government House, with the governor emphasizing that the era of educational negligence in the state is over.
The governor said the Kano educational landscape, once a beacon of hope and opportunity for the youth and an example for other states to copy, is now in a state of decadence.
“The problems are multi-faceted; we face a severe shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate teacher training programmes, and a lack of basic amenities such as clean water and sanitation in many of our schools.
“These issues, coupled with the socioeconomic challenges that many of our students face, create an environment where education is not just difficult, but nearly impossible,” he lamented.
The governor said an additional 300 state- of-the-art laboratories in 100 schools across the state will be provided. The provision of these facilities, he said, will provide students with hands-on experience in scientific inquiry, fostering a culture of experimentation and discovery that is essential for their future success.
In order to create a more conducive atmosphere for learning, he announced the construction of 1, 000 classrooms across the state within the next academic session.
“This measure will, no doubt, mitigate classroom congestion that has become a common feature of most of our schools.
We have also directed that all contractors handling inherited abandoned projects in our tertiary institutions go back to site immediately,” he said.
As part of the emergency action, the governor approved the hiring of additional 10,000 teachers, adding that teachers will enjoy periodic training and retraining so as to achieve the vision of making “every teacher, a caring educator. ”
He added:“At least 1,000 Academic and non-academic staff will be employed into tertiary institutions.
“This declaration is not just symbolic; it signifies a commitment to overhaul our education system. We will invest in infrastructure, ensuring that every school has adequate classrooms conducive to teaching and learning.
“We will also prioritise teacher training and welfare, recognising their pivotal role in shaping the minds of tomorrow.”