Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The report of the 2018 National Personnel Audit (NPA) unveiled in Abuja on Monday has revealed that Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Gombe and Yobe states have the highest number of unqualified teachers in their classrooms, with Ekiti, Benue, Oyo, Edo and Osun states having an impressive number of qualified teachers in their school systems.
The report revealed that 48 percent of teachers in Sokoto State are unqualified, with 56 percent unqualified in Kebbi State, 59 percent in Jigawa State, 62 percent in Gombe State and 63 percent in Yobe State.
It also indicated a high deficit of teachers, furniture, and other teaching and learning materials in the basic education systems of some states, particularly in northern and a few southern states; meaning that a high number of children in basic schools attend classes on bare floors, for instance.
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The report, which was unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, revealed that there were 1,571,800 pieces of furniture in Early Childhood Care Development and Education systems across the states. While North East had the lowest number, with 76,735, the South West states had the highest, with 538,128 pieces of furniture in its schools.
The report documents a total of 6,847,685 pieces of furniture in primary schools in Nigeria, with North East states again having the lowest numbers, with 594, 425 in its primary schools; and the South West states having the highest numbers, with 1,770,463.
President Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, appreciated the effort of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and other contributors that led to the success of the exercise.
He said that while the content of the report may not completely reflect the reality on ground, it is nonetheless a useful guideline for further actions to be taken with regard to basic education intervention in Nigeria.
He assured stakeholders that actions that would herald significant improvement would be taken soon for the sake of the future of Nigerian children.
He disclosed that huge financial and manpower resources have been committed to the country’s basic education system through the UBEC, and a renewed commitment to funding.
Meanwhile, UBEC Executive Secretary Dr Hamid Bobboyi, in his remarks, said the objective of the personnel audit was to produce a credible enough data set to guide policy makers in the administration of the basic education system in Nigeria.
“For the first time, the exercise covered public and private schools across Nigeria. Initially, we had unfriendly responses from the private schools. But after several meetings, they bought into the idea, and offered their support that led to success of the exercise,” he said.