Sokoto State has announced plans to invest N8.3 billion in renovating selected basic and secondary schools across the state, a move aimed at improving the learning environment for students and teachers.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmed Ala, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
He said the renovation projects, which include some of the state’s most prominent secondary schools, have already reached 90 per cent completion.
Quality learning environments
Prof. Ala emphasized the administration’s commitment to enhancing educational standards.
“I am confident that things are moving in the right direction because I have the zeal and determination to change the course of history, but the most important thing is the assurance of the governor,” he said.
The Commissioner highlighted the state’s Adolescent Girls Initiative Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme, under which 240 secondary schools are being upgraded.
“In each of these secondary schools, there is provision for washing facilities, toilets, and other facilities. This is because we have come to realise that one of the things girls find difficult when they come to school is how to go and ease themselves. Even their parents detest the idea of allowing boys and girls to share the same toilet. So, under the AGILE programme, toilets are being constructed separately, and water provided to each of these 240 secondary schools is under construction,” he said.
Teacher training
The state government is also prioritizing teacher capacity building to ensure quality education delivery.
“We are also radically undertaking teacher training because we found out that so many teachers do not have the necessary knowledge, skills and competence to teach in the secondary schools. So far, we have done two sets of training and have been able to train 2,500 teachers,” Prof. Ala said.
To support student learning, Sokoto State is partnering with organizations like UNICEF and other foundations to improve access to reading materials.
“We are working with partners such as UNICEF and some other foundations. One of the foundations wants to establish 10 libraries in 10 schools as part of efforts to revive reading culture among students,” he added.
What you should know
Sokoto State Government has invested heavily in education over the past two years, spending N4.7 billion to register students for external examinations, including WAEC, NECO, JAMB, and NABTEB, ensuring all eligible students can participate regardless of economic status.
The state also allocates N66 million annually to provide secondary school principals with monthly imprests of N200,000 for immediate school needs. Teacher salaries have been increased from N20,000 to no less than N70,000, with salaries now paid promptly by the 19th or 20th of each month.
To improve education quality and administration, the state is working to fully digitalise its basic and secondary education system within the next two years. The Education Management Information System (EMIS) ranks schools based on performance and provides detailed data on infrastructure, ICT, libraries, and other resources, while the Teachers Management Information System (TMIS) tracks teacher performance and administrative duties.
