During a declaration of a state of emergency on education in Kano, held at the Open Arena, Kano Government House, Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Governor of Kano State, disclosed on Saturday that upon assuming office on May 29, 2023, his administration encountered a staggering reality: 4.7 million pupils were found sitting on bare floors in primary schools across the state.
Yusuf emphasized that the declaration of a state of emergency on education in Kano had the staunch backing of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
He highlighted that the absence of instructional materials exacerbated the situation, leaving both teachers and students grappling with outdated and inadequate resources.
Among the 4.7 million pupils sitting on bare floors to receive lessons, approximately 400 schools faced an alarming shortage: only one teacher was responsible for teaching all subjects across all classes, further exacerbating the educational challenges.
Instead of prioritizing the construction of additional classrooms, furnishing schools with basic furniture, and hiring more teachers, the previous administration opted for a different approach. They resorted to encroaching on school land, even demolishing classrooms in some instances to make room for commercial establishments like shops.
Those schools that couldn’t be sold were shut down and left vulnerable to vandalism. The encroachment on public school lands and the transformation of these crucial institutions into private business ventures represent a blatant disregard for our communal values and a direct attack on our dedication to public education.
He emphasized that the reckless appropriation of educational spaces for commercial use is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately.
Continuing, he expressed, “Today, I stand before you with a profound sense of duty, driven by the urgent need to address the precarious state of our education sector. As your elected Governor, entrusted with the solemn responsibility of guiding our state towards prosperity and progress, I cannot overlook the stark reality facing us in the realm of education.”
Highlighting education as the top priority, he stressed, “Believing that education is not only a public good but also the greatest asset any people can pass down to their future generation, as no society can surpass the quality and standard of its education system, we must take radical yet practical measures to revitalize education provision in our state.”
Additionally, he lamented the increase of out-of-school children in the state but assured that his administration has implemented adequate measures to address this menace.
