Governor Dauda Lawal has declared a state of emergency on education in Zamfara State.
In a statewide broadcast on Tuesday, the governor said the neglected education sector in Zamfara affected all levels, from primary to tertiary, with poor learning environment and personnel.
A statement by the Spokesperson to the Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, noted that the declaration of a state of emergency on education was in line with the campaign promise of Governor Lawal.
The statement added that the State Government was fulfilling a pledge to overhaul the education sector, which has virtually collapsed.
The statement read in parts: “In a state broadcast today, Governor Dauda Lawal declared a state of emergency in the education sector across Zamfara.
“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/retraining the existing staff to enhance their capacity.
“As a result, the Dauda Lawal administration has commenced the following emergency response: construction and renovation of 245 schools across the 14 local government areas of the State; provision of two-seater desks for pupils and students, totalling 9,542 across schools in the 14 local government areas; equipping the constructed and renovated 245 schools with 619 tables and 926 chairs for teachers across the 14 local government areas.
“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 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.
“Governor Lawal has paid the tuition fees and allowances of students on scholarship in various countries, including Sudan, Cyprus, and India. This ensures they can continue their studies without interruption due to debts incurred by the previous government.
“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.”
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