By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Abba Kabir Yusuf led Kano State Government, with the support of the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) in Nigeria and Arewa Consultative Forum, is set to convene an education recovery conference on 10th and 11th of July, 2024.
The conference featuring thought leaders, political actors, diplomats, educators, private sector players, advocates and policymakers, will focus on addressing significant education sector challenges in Kano State.
A statement signed by Alhaji Tajuddeen Gambo, Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Education Chairman, Education Recovery Conference Planning Committee, Wednesday explained that the education conference has as its theme “Repositioning Education in Kano State: Navigating the Path to Excellence”.
“It is designed to address critical challenges on education access and equity, chart a reform pathway and foster partnerships in transforming education in the state”, the statement added.
During the two-day event, stakeholders “will work together to identify sustainable and scalable solutions that will reposition and improve the education sector in Kano State, ensuring sustainable access to quality education for all.
“The education sector in Kano State, like many parts of Nigeria, faces critical issues that hinder its progress. Currently, there are over 9 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, and Kano State contributes significantly to this figure as the most populous northern state of Nigeria, hence, tackling challenges in Kano is essential to the ‘Education for Renewed Hope Agenda’.
“In recent times, the Kano State Government has demonstrated willingness to tackle educational challenges head on.
“Earlier in June, the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, declared a state of emergency in the education sector due to the significant decay in both educational quality and infrastructure.
“Our administration has commenced a total overhaul, focusing on academic and infrastructure development”, he said, outlining plans for the extensive renovation of all primary and junior secondary schools in the state, soft loans for teachers, initiatives to promote girl-child education and many other interventions.
“Soon after, his statements were followed by the approval of funds to the 44 local government areas in Kano for the renovation of classrooms and construction of new ones across the state.
“The Kano aspiration is an ambitious roadmap to kickstart the journey to quality and accessible education in the state. Through the proposed conference, the government will be creating a platform for technical deliberations on education access, quality, and equity in the state.
“There will be keynote speeches, lead paper presentation, plenaries and breakout sessions, all carefully structured to address different areas of challenges, using an interactive and inclusive approach”, it stated. End
