Infrastructure : Kano Gov seeks accessibility to UBEC’s fund

Kano state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has appealed to the Federal Government to allow the state to access Universal Basic Education, (UBEC), funds for the development of basic educational infrastructure in the state.

He stated that Kano has been up to date in accessing UBEC’s funds for numerous projects, but needed more funds, in view of its enormous challenges in the sector; and to meet the needs of its teeming pupils.

Ganduje said that while some states were yet to fulfill their counterpart funding mandate with UBEC, Kano has accessed the funds up till 2016; and would soon provide the matching grant for 2017.

He said,“At the moment, we have about 3 million children in school; and about the same number out of school. So, obtaining the funds will help us revitalize the basic education sector, especially in view of the prevailing challenges facing us.”

The governor, who made the assertions while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education, led by Dr. Istifanus Dung Gyang at the Government House in Kano, said Kano, being the most populous state in the country, required more money to provide infrastructure, teaching aids and personnel in the basic education sub sector.

He observed that Kano was grappling with the challenge of million out of school kids, pointing out however, that recent figures available to the government, have shown that two thirds of them are from neighboring states and even some West African countries, brought to the state for Qur’anic education.

Governor Ganduje told the visiting committee members that his administration has deployed enormous resources to teacher capacity building, explaining that nearly 30, 000 primary school teachers have so far been sponsored by the government to enroll for professional programmes at several tertiary institutions within the state and in neighboring Kaduna state.

In his remarks, the leader of the team, Gyang acknowledged the fact that the state was facing infrastructure deficit in the basic education sector, stressing the need for increased budgetary intervention in the sector.

He commended the state government for accessing its UBEC grant up till 2016; and hoped that it would maintain judicious use of the funds for the good of its people.

Yakubu Salisu, Kano