Kano State to recruit more competent teachers, renovate boarding schools

Kano State Government has completed arrangements to recruit more competent teachers to tackle the persistent shortage of manpower especially at Primary and Post Primary Schools.

This was made known by the state Commissioner of education Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa during a public lecture titled ‘Challenges of education in Kano State and the way forward’ organized to celebrate 63rd Nigeria Independence Anniversary, held at Coronation Hall, Government House.

Commissioner Doguwa disclosed that when the present administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf came into office, it inherited series of problems which undermined the progress of the state education sector.

According to him, one of such predicaments was that many unqualified individuals were employed to teach innocent children in schools, pointing out that the trend had completely destroyed the quality of education in the state.

“To address this issue, His Excellency has directed for the formation of committee to screen those teachers thereby retaining the deserved ones and recruiting more well trained teachers to teach our pupils and students.

” We shall also attract qualified teachers to our state by offering them competitive incentives and employment opportunities. Approvals are also given for in-service training and seminars to professionally develop the skills of both teachers and schools administrators ” said Doguwa.

The Commissioner further announced that out of the Boarding Schools closed down by the previous administration, eleven of them are now under renovation and would soon be reopened to commence sessions.

Commenting on the deplorable condition of some Schools in the state, Doguwa said, ” When the present administration came in to power, there were on the ground over two million, five hundred thousand pupils/students in our primary and secondary schools sitting on the bare floor during lessons while over 400 Schools operated with one teacher each ”

Umar Doguwa also noted that Kano state was said to be at the forefront in the nation in terms of the number of out of school children, which he said, is getting to one million according to the national record.

He however revealed that in addressing the issue of out of school and providing access to education for all children, strategies had been put in place by the present administration to reduce the number of out of school children by providing free education, supporting vulnerable families and creating awareness campaigns on the importance of education.

On the government’s effort to strengthen partnership with stakeholders on education, Doguwa maintained that the Ministry had intensified good working relationships with all its donor partners such as AGILE, UNICEF and PLANE among others to share knowledge, resources and expertise to improve the quality of education in the state.