Governor Uba Sani has commissioned Basic Education Schools Infrastructure and Educational Interventions across the 23 local governments of Kaduna State, in furtherance of his Human Capital Development vision.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the commissioning was held at Sultan Bello Primary School, Unguwan Sarki, in Kaduna North local government.
Governor Uba Sani emphasized the importance of basic education, arguing that ‘’primary education is where the foundations are laid. It is where a child learns to read, write, count, reason and relate with others.’’
While noting that discipline, curiosity and confidence also begin at the primary school level, he pointed out that ‘’if the foundation is weak, the structure of learning becomes fragile.’’
‘’ This is the very reason why this administration has treated investment in basic education as an investment in the future, rather than simply expenditure on infrastructure. The scale of what we are commissioning reflects this conviction,’’ he added.
Governor Uba Sani recalled that his administration has constructed or rehabilitated 3,267 classrooms, built 2,232 toilet facilities, providing greater dignity and better hygiene, particularly for the girl-child.
According to him, 180 hand-pump boreholes have been sunk to bring clean water closer to pupils and teachers and help to create healthier school environments.
Governor Uba Sani further said that his Government has built 87 science laboratories and provided 29 computer centres to enable students have ‘’the knowledge and skills required in a changing world driven by science, technology and innovation.’’
‘’We have also supplied 81540 sets of furniture, to ensure that children do not have to sit on bare floors while learning. We have also provided project monitoring vehicles to strengthen supervision, quality assurance and accountability across the 23 Local Government Areas.
‘’In Igabi, Zaria, Kubau and Giwa, four state-of-the-art Bilingual Education Schools have been delivered in partnership with UBEC and the Islamic Development Bank, to provide 192 classrooms with capacity to cater and impact 7680 learners, particularly children who are out of school,’’ he added.
According to the Governor, his administration is not only focused on improving schools for children who are already enrolled, it also aims ‘’to bring more children into the education system.’’
‘’Beyond infrastructure, the substance of learning matters. We have distributed 545,748 teaching and learning materials covering literacy, numeracy, science and other core subjects,’’ he argued.
Governor Uba Sani disclosed that 33,137 teachers, head teachers and School Support Officers have received training in areas, including computer skills, classroom management, literacy, numeracy and school management.
Speaking at the occasion, the Commissioner of Education, Prof Abubakar Sani Sambo disclosed that ‘’to sustain this culture of excellence, the State has ‘’instituted an annual Kaduna Best Teacher of the Year Award, publicly recognising educators who go beyond what is asked of them.’’
Prof Sambo emphasized that the Governor Uba Sani administration has approved a review of the minimum wage for primary school teachers, from N38,000 to N72,000.
According to him, the Governor has resolved the long-outstanding NUT Endwell Scheme dispute, releasing N548,000,000.00 to retired teachers.
‘’Government has further approved a longer runway in service for our teaching workforce, extending the service period from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65,’’ he added.
The Commissioner of Education further advised all stakeholders to take responsibility for the upkeep of every classroom, toilet, borehole and every item of furniture.
In his welcome remarks, the Executive Chairman of Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board(KADSUBEB), Mubarak Mohammed, pointed out that the commissioning ceremony at Sultan Bello Primary School was only the physical setting but the state-wide interventions are spread across all local governments.
The Executive Chairman disclosed that KADSUBEB has distributed 545,748 teaching and learning materials across schools, adding that ‘’today, we are commissioning 1,100,000 Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs), 18 Smart Boards, 55 motorcycles and 3 golf wagons.’’
‘’The Smart Boards are intended to support digital learning. The vehicles and motorcycles will strengthen the ability of our Quality Assurance officers to reach schools, observe classrooms and understand what is happening on the ground, speak with teachers, understand challenges and provide information that allows the system to respond.
‘’If we cannot see what is happening, we cannot properly improve it. This matters because providing resources is only one part of improving education. We must also know whether those resources are reaching the classroom and making a difference,’’ he argued.