We’ll provide land titles for schools to avoid encroachment – SEB board boss

Alhaji Musa Yahaya Muhammad is the newly appointed Chairman of FCT Secondary Education Board. He is also a former Chairman of Abaji Area Council. In this interview, he speaks about the move to transform secondary education in the FCT, among other issues. Excerpts:   What are your plans as the new Chairman of the Secondary […]

Alhaji Musa Yahaya Muhammad is the newly appointed Chairman of FCT Secondary Education Board. He is also a former Chairman of Abaji Area Council. In this interview, he speaks about the move to transform secondary education in the FCT, among other issues. Excerpts:

 

What are your plans as the new Chairman of the Secondary Education Board of the FCT?

Firstly, I wish to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for this appointment and my subsequent inauguration by the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello. The expectation is very high as I have had briefs from various heads of department concerning the situation on ground, and the situation calls for urgent attention.

The task ahead is very demanding as we have a lot to do, but with the cooperation I am receiving from my co-board members, as well as the departments and the acting director of the board, I think we have already hit the ground. 

I have met with all the heads of department and all the principals of secondary schools in the FCT and we have given them our eight-point agenda for a proactive relationship. And those of them who are armchair principals know that it is not going to be business as usual, as it is a new dawn for secondary education in the FCT.

Dearth of infrastructure in the education sector is one of the challenges facing secondary schools in the FCT. How do you intend to tackle it?

I don’t want to sound as if I am trying to create reasons for running away from responsibilities. The level of infrastructural decay in our schools, even though we are yet to go out on inspection tour, is enormous. We are planning to commence that this week. But that notwithstanding, if we can do away with financial constraint, which of course is the first obstacle, even as there are issues of budgetary provision, as whatever I am going to do will depend on what will be available in the budget, except if afterwards when this year’s budget is passed, God willing, because we have elements of input in the 2018 budget. 

I think what we can do now will depend on what is available and whatever is available, we shall judiciously utilise it by looking into areas of priority; particularly infrastructural decay. We will look at which of the schools that are much more in need of attention; especially secondary schools in the rural areas. And God willing, we will go out to be abreast with the challenges and come back to map out our action plan.

Insufficiency of teachers has been one of the challenges facing secondary schools. What measures are you going to put in place to address it?

You see, Abuja is a unique territory; unique in the sense that you can see the maximum security enjoyed by Nigerians trooping into the FCT. This is as a result of the insurgency which has led to influx of people into the FCT, which has also multiplied intake in public schools. The figure is very high, which of course has affected the students/teacher ratio in public schools, and not also forgetting the fact that issues like death, securing appointments elsewhere and maybe some of them have gone to contest elections in their communities. 

We shall also look at the budgetary provision so that as soon as possible we can embark on recruitment of additional teachers. Besides, you can’t have a school without teachers, except if you want to come up with half baked students. We will do what is necessary to safeguard the future of our children.

Some teachers who are posted to rural schools abscond from their duty posts. How do you intend to address this?

This time around, because of the passion I have for education, it is going to be different. We had a similar challenge when I was Chairman of Abaji, as some refused to accept being posted to rural communities. But the method I adopted then was to fish out some qualified teachers from such communities and employ them. So if anybody runs away from his duty post; that’s their own business. This time around, we are going to look at those respective communities to see those that are qualified and engage them to teach their brothers and sisters. However, we are going to provide some palliatives for those staying in the communities by giving them necessities of life such solar power, pipe borne water and good accommodation. I think with time, we shall get there, so that we will make teaching in the rural communities more attractive than even in the cities.

There have been complaints of encroachment in some schools due to lack of fencing. What is the board doing about that?

Firstly, we have a choice to make between building schools and constructing fences; as at today we have 62 senior secondary schools in the FCT and the demand keeps increasing as some of these schools are still congested, and we need to decongest them. In fact, immediately I assumed office, this matter of encroachment was discussed. In fact, one of my plans is to obtain certificates of occupancy (CofO) for our schools to avoid encroachment. And I have already mandated my acting director that we are going to have titles for all our schools in the territory. 

However, based on information available to me, the construction of fences have commenced to avoid encroachment and those that are yet to be fenced have already been provided for in the 2018 budget so that we will get our schools secured. And the FCT administration is not unmindful of this and I think we shall get there, but in phases.