Kaduna State commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Malam Ja’afaru Sani, has announced the state government’s full implementation of free education for female students in the state’s public secondary schools as directed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Sani explained that, about 191,445 female students currently in public schools to benefit from the gesture that would cost the government N143.587 million every term and N430.791 million every year.
Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, Sani explained that, the government decision become necessary with a view to removing all obstacle standing on the way of the girl-child to acquire education in the state.
Sani said: “We hope by this gesture parents will have no excuse not to send their girl-child to school and significantly increase enrolment and retention of the girl-child in school. This was in line with the significance the current administration placed on educating the girl-child”
“It will be recalled that that the female students were accorded priority when the government distribute 15,000 tablets computers to secondary school students.” Sani noted.
He revealed some of the supports to include T. Y. Danjuma Foundation that supported 120 girls, Centre for Girl Education of ABU Zaria, 250 girls, and Girl-Child Concern, 750 girls
Sani explained further: “Also about 900 million and 70.335 million have been expended on girl-child scholarship and female teacher support respectively under the World Bank’s 21.5 million dollars grant for Global Partnership for Education project.
“Similarly, Mercy Corps Foundation in collaboration with the education ministry had equally returned 100 married women dropped-out back to school. You can see that Kaduna State has demonstrated it resolve in many ways for female student to receive the best of education.”
“This we are doing by removing any hindrance on the way of the girl-child in acquiring quality education,” the commissioner said.
However, Sani said the state government has recruited additional 13,606 qualified teachers for its public primary schools, including a PhD holder.
The commissioner averred that the exercise completed the recruitment of 25,000 vacancies announced after the sacked of about 22,000 alleged unqualified primary school teachers in January.
Sani added that apart from the one PhD holder, 8,494 out of the 25,000 recruited teachers were first degree holders while the rest were National Certificate in Education (NCE) holders.