ZAMFARA GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY ON EDUCATION

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Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State announced a state of emergency in the region on Tuesday due to concerns over the quality of education in the state.

In a broadcast address to the people of Zamfara, the governor said that the state’s neglected educational system negatively impacted all educational levels, from primary to higher institutions, with subpar staff and learning settings.

The governor’s spokeswoman, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed this in a statement, pointing out that Governor Lawal’s campaign pledges were fulfilled by the proclamation of a state of emergency over education.

According to him, the state administration is carrying out a commitment to restructure the school system, which has all but collapsed.

“In a state broadcast today, Governor Dauda Lawal declared a state of emergency in the education sector across Zamfara,” the statement read.

“This is in line with his campaign manifesto, in which he made promises to the people of Zamfara to implement policies and programmes aimed at reforming the education sector, building and rehabilitating public schools, providing adequate educational facilities, and training/retraining the existing staff to enhance their capacity.

“As a result, the Dauda Lawal administration has commenced the following emergency response: construction and renovation of 245 schools across the 14 local government areas of the State; provision of two-seater desks for pupils and students, totalling 9,542 across schools in the 14 local government areas; equipping the constructed and renovated 245 schools with 619 tables and 926 chairs for teachers across the 14 local government areas.

“Furthermore, in pursuit of quality education, my government has approved sponsoring 50% of Zamfara indigenes admitted into Federal Government Girls College Gusau for the 2023-2024 academic sessions.”

He clarified that all candidates for Zamfara public schools who took the 2023 National Examination Council (NECO) tests had their fees covered by the state government. He also mentioned that certificates for candidates who took the 2019 NECO examinations had been gathered and given to the students.

Students will receive their NECO exam results by the end of November, he claims. The examinations were taken in 2020, 2021, and 2022.