The Katsina State Government says it is rolling out far-reaching interventions to tackle the root causes of multidimensional poverty and reduce the growing number of out-of-school children across the state.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Jibia, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with Channels Television on Friday at his office in the State Secretariat.
Jibia identified multidimensional poverty as one of the major drivers of the out-of-school children challenge, noting that the problem extends beyond Katsina to the entire North-West region of Nigeria and many parts of Africa.
To address the situation, he revealed that the state government has inaugurated a committee to explore the reintegration of informal education into the formal school system, a move aimed at bringing more children off the streets and into classrooms.
The commissioner also said the government has domesticated the National Policy on Safe Schools and has begun implementing key measures to ensure a secure learning environment across the state.
According to him, security has been strengthened in schools, particularly boarding institutions, through the deployment of Mobile Police personnel, the Katsina State Community Watch Corps, and vigilante groups.
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He explained that every school now has between six and ten Community Watch Corps personnel working alongside security agencies to safeguard students and staff.
Jibia disclosed that school security committees have been established across the state, bringing together principals; security personnel; traditional and religious leaders, as well as other community stakeholders to monitor security situations and ensure prompt reporting of threats.
Highlighting the government’s investment in education, the commissioner said the administration has recruited more than 9,000 teachers since assuming office.
He explained that an initial recruitment of 7,000 teachers was followed by the automatic employment of first-class graduates from universities and higher institutions into the education sector.
Recently, the government also employed an additional 2,158 teachers who have since been deployed to primary and secondary schools across the state.
Jibia commended Governor Dikko Radda’s commitment to revitalising the education sector and urged teachers to reciprocate the government’s support through dedication and professionalism.
He added that the ministry is strengthening its quality assurance mechanisms to ensure teachers remain in their duty posts and deliver effective teaching as part of efforts to improve learning outcomes and restore public confidence in the state’s education system.
