Education – Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has announced a state of emergency in the education sector due to its alarming decline in the state.
In a broadcast to the entire state on Tuesday, the governor expressed his concern over the severe neglect of education, which has affected all levels of education from primary to tertiary institutions.
He emphasized that this declaration aligns with his campaign promises to the people.
The governor further stated that the state government is committed to fulfilling its pledge to revitalize the education sector, which is currently in a state of collapse.
“This is in line with his campaign manifesto, where he made promises to the people of Zamfara to implement policies and programs aimed at reforming the education sector, building and rehabilitating public schools, providing adequate educational facilities, and training and retraining of the existing staff to enhance their capacity,” he said.
Governor Lawal stated that his administration has commenced the construction and renovation of 245 schools in all 14 local government areas of the state. Furthermore, they have provided 9,542 two-seater desks for students in these schools. Additionally, the 245 schools that have been constructed or renovated are now equipped with 619 tables and 926 chairs for teachers.
“All teachers and education managers will receive subject-specific training and retraining.
“To maintain a minimum level of quality in education delivery, the government has suspended the licenses of private education providers in the state. This ensures that private schools meet the required standards for providing quality education.
“Furthermore, in pursuit of quality education, my government has approved sponsoring 50% of Zamfara State indigenes admitted into Federal Government Girls College Gusau for the 2023-2024 academic sessions.”
“The State Government has paid the National Examination Council (NECO) fees for all Zamfara public school candidates who sat for the 2023 exams. Similarly, certificates for the candidates who sat for the 2019 NECO examinations have been collected and distributed to the students.”
“The results of the NECO exams taken in 2020, 2021, and 2022 will be released to students before the end of this month. The results were previously withheld by the NECO due to non-payment by the previous administration. However, with our intervention, students who graduated during those years can now access their results and apply to different tertiary institutions for admission.”
“The government is committed to changing the narrative of constant underperformance. Zamfara will thrive across all sectors. This is just the beginning of our rescue mission.”
