Kano’s school enrolment rose by 150% in four years – Ganduje

Kano state government said it has increased school enrolment from 1.5m to 3.8m in the last four years.

The state governor Abdullahi Ganduje said this while speaking at Barewa Old Boys Association (BOBA)’s 2020 Annual lecture, held at the weekend in Kano.

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Ganduje, who was represented by his Deputy, Nasiru Gawauna, said this was done through effective collaboration with stakeholders and its 44 local government areas’ education promotion committees.

Ganduje said greater achievements would come the way of the state, especially in the education sector, having set aside a whooping sum of 38bn representing over 25 percent of this year’s budget for the sector.

He said 13 mega schools have been established to integrate Almajiri system of education, adding that over 60 Hafiz have been engaged to strengthen the schools.

In his presentation, the key speaker, Professor Abdulrazak Habibu, on ‘Epidemics, Pandemics and society: the COVID-19 Saga’ said Nigeria’s preparedness to health emergencies must have a critical overhaul giving the emmergence of COVID-19 which exposed the country’s weaknesses.

He said country with over 200m people could only boast of 350 ventilators and six testing centres which later rose to 72, saying that it was poor to note that only 0.25 percent of the population were able to be tested for the COVID-19.

On way forward, Professor Habib said the country should, as a matter of urgency, restrategise her priority with greater attention to the health sector through enhanced funding and financing, health education and sensitization as well as border closure should still be monitored to check second wave of the virus outbreak.

Earlier, the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubuakar Saad; Emir of Kano, Aminu Bayero all took time to reflect on the need for old boys associations to continue to be mentors.