Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has stated that the large number of out-of-school children, including those with disabilities, poses a significant challenge to inclusive development.
He made this announcement during the opening of the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) Start-Up Workshop on Monday and outlined the efforts his administration is making to address the issue.
According to Governor Sani, the Kaduna State Government has identified access to quality education and the provision of infrastructure as key challenges facing the education sector in northern Nigeria.
“We set out to tackle the key challenges in the educational sector in Kaduna State in six ways: improving access, building and rehabilitating educational infrastructure to create a conducive learning environment, enhancing the capacity of teachers, leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) to improve access to quality education and its management, prioritizing girl-child education, and strengthening security in the state,” he explained.
Governor Sani also mentioned that his administration has constructed 62 new secondary schools, which include 39 junior and 23 senior secondary schools spread across the three senatorial zones, to meet the growing educational needs of the state.
“Recognizing the continued demand for quality education, approval has been given for the construction of an additional 50 secondary schools across the state. The procurement process for this ambitious project is currently in its advanced stages.
“Upon completion, these new schools are expected to enrol over 100,000 students, further solidifying Kaduna State’s commitment to providing inclusive and accessible education for all,” he added.
The administration has also constructed 2,326 new classrooms, renovated 707 classrooms, supplied 30,742 two-seater pupil’s furniture, provided 3,704 Teachers Furniture, and constructed 918 VIP Cubicle Toilets and 51 hand pump boreholes in schools across the state, he said.
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The Governor also said that 2,000 qualified teachers have been recruited, awaiting deployment to these newly completed schools, to ensure effective teaching and learning.
According to him, Kaduna State Government has distributed 1,482,816 instructional materials, trained over 26,000 Teachers, Head Teachers, and School Support Officers on basic computer skills, classroom management, literacy and numeracy skills and school management information systems.
The Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQAA) has recorded significant achievements in the areas of quality of education and system strengthening, Governor Sani said.
‘’Kaduna State students’ performance improved significantly in the latest NECO SSCE results, with 67% of students achieving 5 credits and above (including Maths and English), compared to 54% in 2022,’’ he disclosed.
The Governor lamented that although ‘’our administration is making steady progress in improving access to education, infrastructure and quality of teaching. But the number of children who are out of school remains a major concern to us.’’
‘’We are determined to decisively tackle the problem on a larger scale and chart the path to a better future for our poor, vulnerable and underserved children,’’ he promised.
Governor Uba Sani thanked International Partners for their support, guidance and encouragement, especially the Islamic Development Bank, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Global Partnership for Education.
The others are Education Above All, Save the Children International and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
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