Common Entrance: Kano pupils stagnated, deny entry to JSS 1

By solacebase.com On Sep 21, 2021

By Muhammad Muhammad

Thousands of pupils who have just completed their basic and primary education in Kano are being denied access to Junior Secondary Schools in Kano, due to no fault of theirs.

The pupils, whose mates in private schools have already resumed first term at various secondary schools, arE stagnated, failure of the state government to conduct the yearly common entrance examination.

Solacebase reports that the pupils are supposed to write their Common Entrance examination conducted by Kano Education Resources Department (KERD), along side the Federal government entry examination to unity schools, between June and July, 2021.

However, two weeks after the resumption of first term, the dreams of the pupils to see the four walls of secondary school is becoming a mirage.

The situation is already eliciting confusion as government directed the former primary six pupils to report to their old classrooms pending when the common entrance would be conducted.

A teacher of one of the public primary schools who does not want his name mentioned revealed that, “the students were moved to class 7 where they only go and sit with their friends to gist and play”.

He noted that the same pattern was adopted in the previous academic year, where the transition of pupils to junior secondary school was also delayed in the last academic session.”

Mallam Lawan, a father to one of the affected pupils in one of the primary schools in Kano, said that he has since stopped his child from going to school and has fully engaged him in another activity to save cost.

“We are waiting for the government to fix a date for the examinations, and only then he will fully resume school. I cannot continue to waste transport money where they only gist and play. They refused to conduct promotion exams”

When Solacebase made inquiry at the State Ministry of Education, over the failure to conduct the promotion examination from the spokesperson of the ministry Aliyu Yusuf, through telephone, he responded with a text message.

Yusuf who did not state any reason for the delay or when the examination would be conducted, simply said “preparation is being made by the affected department to fix a date for the Examinations”.

Many believe this is another set back to education in the region already battling security challenges such as banditry and abduction leading to the closure of many schools outskirt major towns.