Kaduna spends N142.9bn on basic education in 4 years

The Kaduna State Government said on Saturday that it had expended N142.9 billion on basic education between 2015 and 2018.

The state’s Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Ja’afaru Sani, disclosed this in Kaduna in a paper entitled, “Management and Funding of Basic Education in Kaduna State”.

The paper was presented at the ongoing two-day policy retreat on “The State of Basic Education in Kaduna State: “Prospects and Challenges”, organised by the state’s Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Sani explained that basic education in the state was being funded through counterpart fund from the state, its 23 local government areas and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), as well as grants from international agencies.

He explained that out of the N142.9 billion, N3.8 billion was counterpart fund from the state, LGAs and UBEC, accessed between 2015 and 2016.

He added the counterpart fund for 2017 and 2018 amounting to N5.5 billion would be accessed in June.

He added that N64.9 billion was also spent on primary school teachers and 28 billion naira on education personnel.

Sani also said that N9.4 billion was spent on state school feeding programme in 2016, while N22.5 billion was spent under the ongoing National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme from 2017 to date.

“Also, N8.3 billion external aid was expended on basic education, of which 21.6 million U.S. dollars, equivalent to N6.6 billion came from World Bank under the Global Partnership for Education and Nigerian Partnership for Education Project.

“3.6 million pounds, equivalent to N1.4 billion came from United Kingdom Department for International Development’s Teacher Development Programme, while N254.2 million came from UNICEF,” he said

The commissioner described education as a vital instrument for social and economic mobility at the personal level and instrument for societal and national development.

“It is on this ground that the state government makes basic education free, introduced school feeding, provide school uniforms, recruited qualified teachers and restores the professional pride of the teaching profession.

“We are equally training and improving the capacity of our teachers and improving learning environment by modernising, rebuilding and expanding schools to accommodate the growing number of pupils.

“Not only that, we are constructing teachers’ quarters in rural schools and providing school furniture and sanitation services,” he added.

He noted the need for effective monitoring of the Local Government Education Authorities and capacity building for basic schoolteachers for improved teaching and learning.

Prof. Kabiru Mato, Commissioner, Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, also explained that the retreat was organised to look at issues around basic education and chart a way forward.

According to him, ensuring quality education at basic level will lay the needed solid foundation for sound and functional education for sustainable development of the state.