We met over 4.7m pupils sitting on bare floor in Kano — Gov. Yusuf
…Puts current figure of out-of-school children at 989,234
Kano State Governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, on Saturday, revealed that his administration met no fewer than 4.7 million pupils sitting on bare floors in primary schools across the state upon assumption of office, May 29, 2023.
Governor Yusuf made the revelation during the occasion of the Declaration of State of Emergency on Education in Kano state held at the Open Arena, Kano Government House.
He said the state government was declaring the State-of-Emergency on education with the full support of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
Governor Yusuf stated that the lack of instructional materials further compounded the problem, “leaving our teachers and students to struggle with outdated and insufficient resources.”
“Above 4.7 million pupils are sitting on bare floors to take lessons while about 400 schools have only one teacher for all class subjects and all pupils.
“Rather, than building more classrooms and providing basic furniture in the schools, as well as hiring more teachers, the administration we took over from chose to butcher the land belonging to those schools, in some places demolishing classrooms to create space for shops.
“Those schools that they could not sell, they closed them down and got them vandalised. The encroachment of public school lands and the conversion of these vital institutions into private business premises is an affront to our communal values and a direct assault on our commitment to public education.
“This reckless appropriation of educational spaces for commercial use is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately.”
According to him, “Today, I stand before you with a profound sense of duty, compelled by the pressing need to address the precarious state of our education sector.
“As your elected Governor, entrusted with the solemn responsibility of steering our state towards prosperity and progress, I cannot ignore the glaring reality that confronts us in the realm of education.
“And with education being our number one priority, and believing that education is not only a public good, but is also the greatest asset that any people can bequeath to its upcoming generation because no people can grow beyond the quality and standard of their education system, we must, therefore take radical but practical measures to reposition education provisioning in our State.”
He also bemoaned the proliferation of out-of-school children in the state, but promised that his administration has taken adequate steps to confront the menace.
“It is with a heavy heart that I bring forth this discourse, as the challenges we face in the education sector are as formidable as they are alarming, and the urgency with which we must act is undeniable.
“Our educational landscape, once a beacon of hope and opportunity for our youths, and an example for other states to copy, now stands shrouded in the shadows of unacceptable neglect and decay.
“Our beloved State is witnessing an alarming proliferation of out-of-school children, with the current figure standing at 989,234 children,” he added.
Governor Yusuf spoke in the presence of the National Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso; and the chairman of the occasion, former Governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke, among other dignitaries.
