Gov. Ganduje receives roadmap on free, compulsory basic education

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Monday received a roadmap for the implementation of the state’s free and compulsory primary and secondary school education policy, according to Abba Anwar, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor.

Anwar said in a statement issued to newsmen in Kano that the event took place on Monday when the governor met with Dr Kabiru Shehu, his Special Adviser on Free and Compulsory Education, and members of his technical committee on the policy.

The CPS quoted the governor as saying that strengthening the policy of free and compulsory primary and secondary schools’ education in the State, is one of the main thrusts of his administration.

“It is a team of 54 members partitioned into 14 sub-committees for effective and efficient deliberations. The committee’s membership was drawn from experts in the education sector, development partners and other stakeholders that are also specialists in the area.

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“It was designed in such a way that technical contributions could be accessed from those who understand the concept of education very well.

“Parts of the fundamental objectives of the technical committee was to seek a way to drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children.

“To integrate Islamiyyah and Tsangaya system into a conventional system of education, to see to the overall development of the state, by way of an improved education system, among others”, Anwar said.

Receiving the roadmap, Gov. Ganduje said: “There are three variables that are behind the policy statement of free and compulsory primary and post-primary schools education, right from the onset. We are dealing with problems of accessibility, affordability and sustainability.

“The idea of the roadmap was a kind of framework to be used in order to go about implementing the policy very well. It is more like a fine-tuning process.

“All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should critically take a look at this document and see what can be added or adjusted. As we are laying the foundation, we believe it must be solid,  so that the incoming administrations can have a platform for forging ahead. We need commitment and coordination to work with this effectively,” he said.

After acknowledging that financing education was a herculean task, Ganduje identified some of the avenues the state would employ to ensure that the sector is financed effectively.

“Apart from the budgetary allocation of over 26 percent in our fiscal document, we have Education Trust Fund, we have avenues for some levies”, he said, adding that there was also community participation,  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from corporate organisations and development partners.

Ganduje said once there was a well-articulated programme supported by accurate data, coupled with a transparent posture, development partners would respond positively.

“You must make sure that the issue of data is being handled very well. We must always strive to have accurate data.

“Data is very critical in governance. Development partners also need to work and partner with accurate data all the times,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the state government had since introduced free and compulsory primary, secondary school education in the state. (NAN)