Committee recommends declaration of emergency in Sokoto’s education sector

A technical committee set up by the Sultanate Council of Sokoto State to look into the education sector in the state has recommended an immediate declaration of state of emergency in the sector.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 25-member committee, which was set up recently by the Sultan, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, was headed by a former Deputy Governor in the state, Alhaji Ahmed Gusau.

The report of the committee was presented in Sokoto on Saturday at a meeting convened by the sultan.

The executive summary of the report was presented by a member of the committee, Alhaji Ahmed Tsafe, Director, Management Information System of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

”The general public and communities should be more actively involved in education delivery in the state by among other things adopting schools and providing essential services and materials,’’ the reported read.

”This is to lessen the burden of education on the government, while the issue of integrating ICT in education delivery in the state should be taken more seriously,” the report added.

It also called for the creation of a Directorate of Quranic Education to support and regulate the establishment and development of Quranic institutions as well as monitor and supervise their operations.

Doing so, the report advised, would help greatly in stamping the menace of Almajiranci and improve the quality of education provided in the local Quranic schools.

In a remark, Abubakar commended the members of the committee for diligently discharging their assignment.

”The report is apt and timely and it is not aimed at witch-hunting any individual, government, agency or organisation.

”The report is welcome as it will help to tell ourselves the home truth for all the stakeholders to take the right action.

”The time to take the right action to redress this ugly trend about the disturbing state of education in Sokoto state is now and we are really lagging behind,” he added.

The sultan pledged that an implementation committee would soon be set up with a view to looking into the recommendations and the formulation of a blueprint for implementation.

He said that the sultanate would partner the State Government and the Sokoto State Education Development Trust Fund.

Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bashir Garba, commended the members of the committee for executing the assignment.

Garba promised that the report would be presented to Tambuwal and the incoming state executive council for vetting and implementation.

”Tambuwal’s administration accords top priority to the education sector and it will take the lion’s share of the State Government’s budget in 2016,” Garba assured.