We’ve zero tolerance for out-of-school children – Ganduje

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The Executive Governor of Kano State His Excellency Abdulllahi Umar Ganduje has said the Kano state government now has zero tolerance for the phenomenon of out-of-school children, hence the introduction of the free and compulsory education policy, from primary to secondary level all over the state.

“Education will continue to be free at basic level in Kano state. We are integrating almajiri schools into the formal education system. We are building proper classrooms and dormitories for them as well as providing them with feeding and uniforms. This is because of our zero tolerance for out of school children,” Ganduje said Friday while flagging off of distribution of 150 million naira-worth instructional materials and furniture for basic education schools in Kano.

He added that, as part of plans for the free and compulsory education policy, the Kano state government was compiling a database of all school-aged children in the state that encompasses those who were in-school, those who were in Tsangaya schools as well as those we were completely out of school; a database for the numbers of school teachers with their respective qualifications; as well as a database for the numbers of primary and secondary schools, particularly looking at their infrastructural condition.

Speaking at the event, Kano State Commissioner of Education, Muhammad Sunusi Kiru applauded the governor’s efforts in the area of education which he said was “unprecedented in the history of the state”. He however called on teachers in the state to remain dedicated to their job adding that the government would not tolerate indolence and absenteeism from duty on the part of the teachers.

The 150 million naira-worth instructional materials include textbooks, chalks, whiteboards, school registers and log books, among numerous others. It would be recalled that the Ganduje administration had in 2019 introduced a free and compulsory education policy at primary and secondary school levels throughout the state; the policy is aimed at reducing Kano state’s high numbers of out-of-school children by, amongst others, integrating Tsangaya and Islamiyya schools into the formal education system.