Governor Lawal’s Reforms Restoring Hope For Out-of-School Children, Teachers – Commissioner

Zamfara State supervisory commissioner for  Education, Mallam Abdulmalik Abubakar Gajam, has lauded the reforms of Governor Dauda Lawal in education stressing that the number of out-of-school children was being reduced drastically.

Gajam, who also doubles as substantive commissioner for Budget and Planning, made this known while fielding questions in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP in Gusau.

According to him, Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration placed education at the centre of human capital development, recognizing it as a critical tool for security, economic recovery, and inclusive growth in Zamfara State.

“To ensure no child is denied access to Basic Education, the Ministry conducted placement of 33,368 pupils into JSS 1 and 1,080 into girl’s focal schools across the state. To provide opportunities for out-of-school children a supplementary admission into JSS 1 across the state, resulting in the admission of 3,467 pupils who could not secure placement during the first batch.This intervention significantly reduced out-of-school numbers and reinforced the Governor’s commitment to equity and universal access to education. The state Government supported the education of 538 into Federal Government Colleges (FGGC Gusau, Sokoto and Anka), 53 into Key Science Academy, Abuja, 24 into Federal Government prestigious Gifted and Talented Academy, Suleja and 30 in El – Amin academy, Minna, Niger State.The state Government also paid the inherited outstanding debts to secure its commitment to student exchange program in which 384 of Zamfara State indigenes are studying in schools outside Zamfara on Exchange program.Under Arabic & Islamic Education Board, admissions were provided to 1,741 JAIS and 1,564 SAIS students into Arabic and Islamic schools in the state,” Gajam revealed.

He maintained that the state government under the administration of Governor Dauda extensively strengthened scholarship access for Zamfara State students. 22 Zamfara students completed studies in India, while 50 new scholarships were supported by BUA Cement.

On teachers recruitment and welfare, the commissioner stated that the ministry facilitated the reinstatement of 103 wrongfully disengaged teachers, restoring justice and experienced manpower to the system while 2000 teachers were recruited. He added that the selection of the first batch of 500 science teachers has been completed, while the selection of the next 500 teachers prioritizing computer and entrepreneurship subject teachers is also in the pipeline.

Under  SUBEB Teacher professional development programme, Gajam said 7,789 primary school teachers were trained. The state government also distributed 485,746 textbooks, 8,210 library materials across all the primary schools in the state. Teachers Service Board promoted 330 teachers, 41 confirmed, and 43 staff sponsored for undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional development.

According to him, through AGILE Project interventions and state-funded initiatives, 789 schools across the state were renovated, rehabilitated, and upgraded, significantly improving teaching and learning conditions.