Sokoto has fewer junior schools, lowest enrollment in N/West

Over the years, there have been growing concerns over the standard of education in Sokoto State. The basic performance indicators such as access and quality have been very low. Insufficient public schools and teachers have worsened the situation, forcing several people into limited opportunities and abject poverty.  Recently, analysis by the United Nations International Children’s […]

Over the years, there have been growing concerns over the standard of education in Sokoto State. The basic performance indicators such as access and quality have been very low. Insufficient public schools and teachers have worsened the situation, forcing several people into limited opportunities and abject poverty. 
Recently, analysis by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on basic education in Sokoto State indicated that the number of children out of primary schools had reached 65 per cent.
Also, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in its 2010 basic education profile in the North-West, showed that Sokoto recorded lowest in many areas of assessment.
For instance, the report showed that the state had the lowest number of junior secondary schools. While Jigawa had 338, Kaduna 382, Kano 756, Katsina 231, Kebbi 226 and Zamfara 162, Sokoto had only 96.
Similarly, statistics on enrollments in junior secondary schools in the North-West (NW) zone revealed that Sokoto had the lowest. In terms of gross and net enrollments in junior secondary schools, the state recorded 41,554 and 30,462 respectively, while Zamfara recorded 141,748 and 112,026, Kebbi 115,487 and 83,579, Katsina 157,356 and 117,946, Kano 271,639 and 194,522, Kaduna 194,794 and 143,583; and Jigawa 75,074 and 55,275.
 In the same vein, on the enrollment rate in junior secondary schools in the North-West, Sokoto recorded the lowest, with gross and net enrollment rates of 14 and 10 per cent respectively, while Zamfara, with 53 and 42 per cent, had the highest. Kebbi had 41 and 31 per cent, Katsina 33 and 25 per cent, Kano 34 and 24 per cent, Kaduna 38 and 28 per cent, and Jigawa 22 and 18 per cent.
For the quality of teachers in the early childhood development level in the North-West, Sokoto State recorded the lowest, with 24 per cent. The state also recorded lowest on the percentage of qualified teachers in primary schools, with 20 per cent.
With 9 per cent, Sokoto had the lowest percentage of primary school teachers registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). It also recorded the lowest student-classroom ratio of 1:89 in junior secondary schools.
It is worthy of note that the administration of former governor Aliyu Wamakko made some efforts at revamping the sector through construction, rehabilitation and expansion of primary and secondary schools, abolition of fees from the school system, increase in   feeding allowances of students by 100 per cent, creation of women education centres, recruitment of  additional primary and secondary school teachers, as well as college of education and polytechnic lecturers, increase in the provision of teaching and learning materials, and the establishment of Almajirai integrated schools.
However, despite these efforts, the situation hasn’t really improved.
At a meeting with some stakeholders in education recently, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal disclosed that out of 1,890 students in junior secondary schools in Gudu Local Government Area of the state, only one is female, adding that there is no senior secondary school in that local government area.
The governor had declared a state of emergency on education, an action pundits described as apt, noting that requisite attention would be focused on the sector. The state of emergency came after a retreat for senior political officeholders in the state.
In August this year, a technical committee set up by the Sultanate Council, to look into the education sector in the state, had also recommended an immediate declaration of state of emergency in the sector.
The 25-member committee, which had as its chairman, a former deputy governor in the state, Alhaji Ahmed Gusau, had noted, ‘’Communities should be more actively involved in education delivery in the state by, among other things, adopting schools and providing essential services and materials. This is to lessen the burden of education on the government. Also, the issue of integrating Industrial Communication Technology (ICT) in education delivery in the state should be taken more seriously.”
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakars had, while receiving the report of the committee said, “The time to take the right action to redress this ugly trend about the disturbing state of education in Sokoto State is now. We are really lagging behind.”
He assured that the Sultanate would partner the state government and the Sokoto State Education Development Trust Fund to boost the sector.
With the state of emergency, it is expected that negative trends in the education sector in the state would be reversed. The state government had pledged to implement measures within a defined time-frame to achieve the desired results. Government promised to improve enrollment at all stages – basic, secondary and tertiary – and improve quality of teachers by training and retraining, as well as recruiting new ones. Teachers whose capacity did not improve after the training will be reassigned to where their abilities will be better needed.
A government official said the ultimate aim of the planned exercise was to improve human capital capacity in the sector, eliminate inequality in access and radically improve numeracy and literacy. According to him, other measures include building of new schools where necessary and improving on existing ones.