The Kano State Government has expressed concern over the alarming state of education in the state, revealing that more than 1.5 million children are currently out of school.
Speaking during a meeting with a delegation from the British Council, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Umar Haruna Doguwa, emphasized the need for urgent intervention to address the challenges plaguing the education sector in Kano.
The commissioner shed light on the dire conditions faced by students, revealing that some schools were accommodating over 5,000 pupils without proper classrooms or standard toilets, as reported by Daily Trust.
Doguwa reiterated the government’s commitment to continue working closely with the British Council to address challenges surrounding the education sector.
He revealed that the state was facing serious challenges undermining the progress of education and affecting the future of its younger ones.
Acknowledging the historic collaboration between Kano State Government and the British Council, Doguwa called for renewed support from the Council to tackle these pressing challenges.
He maintained the Council’s support to Nigeria and Kano State in particular in the area of education remained very commendable but there was a need for more to complement the effort of the present administration of revamping the sector.
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“In Kano now, you have a school with 5,000 pupils without a standard toilet, no classrooms and seats. So the problem is serious and pathetic.
“In addition to this, we can find a school with 300 students without a teacher at the same time sitting on the window or bare floor,” the commissioner disclosed.
Doguwa stressed that Kano needed 1.5 million seats for its students at primary and post primary schools the cost of which he estimated at billions of naira.
He pointed out that the interventions expected from the British Council in Kano on education were many, urging the Council to come to assist the state in addressing the lingering situation.
“Today, we have 1.5m out of schools, a situation that has to be looked into because having people that are redundant is like creating ground for insecurity.
“So, we need to work together and establish more schools in Kano with all the needed facilities as obtainable in Britain,” Duguwa pleaded.
The British Council delegation, led by Chikodi Onyemerela, the Council Director Programme in Nigeria, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Kano’s education sector.
He noted that the delegation’s visit aimed to strengthen the longstanding partnership between the British Council and the government and people of Kano, particularly in the realm of education.