Uba Sani Gives Basic Education A Boost, Enhances Human Capital

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has unveiled a series of Basic Education Schools Infrastructure and Educational Interventions across the state's 23 local governments, as part of his commitment to Human Capital Development. Addressing the importance of foundational education, Governor Sani stated that primary education is where children learn crucial skills such as reading, writing, counting, reasoning, and social interaction.

He emphasized that a weak foundation can lead to a fragile learning structure, underlining his administration's investment in basic education as a long-term commitment rather than mere infrastructure expenditure.

The extensive infrastructure upgrades include the construction or rehabilitation of 3,267 classrooms, the establishment of 2,232 toilets, provision of 180 hand-pump boreholes for clean water access, and the creation of 87 science laboratories and 29 computer centers to equip students with modern knowledge and skills. Moreover, the governor's administration has supplied 81,540 sets of furniture to enhance student comfort and provided project monitoring vehicles to ensure supervision, quality assurance, and accountability across all local governments.

The initiative extends beyond infrastructure development; Governor Sani highlighted the importance of enriched learning materials, distributing 545,748 teaching and learning resources covering literacy, numeracy, science, and other core subjects. Additionally, 33,137 teachers, head teachers, and School Support Officers received training in various aspects of education, including computer skills, classroom management, and curriculum delivery.

The Commissioner of Education, Prof Abubakar Sani Sambo, revealed the state's initiative to recognize outstanding teachers through the annual Kaduna Best Teacher of the Year Award. The government has also reviewed the minimum wage for primary school teachers from N38,000 to N72,000 and resolved a longstanding issue with the National Union of Teachers regarding the Endwell Scheme, releasing N548,000,000.00 to retired educators.

Furthermore, the service period for teachers has been extended from 35 to 40 years, and the retirement age from 60 to 65.

KADSUBEB's Executive Chairman, Mubarak Mohammed, noted that while the commissioning ceremony at Sultan Bello Primary School represents a physical milestone, the state-wide interventions are ongoing and spread throughout all local governments. He emphasized the importance of monitoring and evaluation, stating that the provision of resources is just one aspect of improving education; understanding their impact on classrooms and learning outcomes is equally crucial.