Ahmed Ilallah
Jigawa state is home to roughly seven million people, the majority of whom live in rural areas. Children make up a sizable portion of the population.
Compared to these populations and the educational status of the children, the estimated number of schools enrolled is approximately 800,000 students.
This has demonstrated the state’s status as one of the states with the highest percentage of children who are not in school.
The present administration inherited critical challenges that need time for a precise solution.
The recent upheaval and the reorganization of six postsecondary institutions within the state is a sign of the numerous issues plaguing the state’s general education policies.
In a similar vein, the basic education system is unable to achieve its objectives and is caught in a standard sympathetic loop.
The state is one of the least advantaged states in the nation in terms of education, and the current administration inherited serious issues, particularly about human resources management.
The state has about 800,000 students enrolled but less than 15,000 teachers overall, with many schools having just two teachers and some having only one teacher per school. The administration inherited the problem of inadequate teachers; Jigawa’s basic schools are short on teachers by roughly 40,000.
UNESCO recommends a teacher-to-student ratio of one teacher for every 35 students.
Another issue impeding the state’s educational goals is teacher quality. Jigawa is one of several states in the nation facing comparable issues, much like Kaduna state, where the government terminated the appointments of numerous unqualified teachers during the former governor Malam Nasiru Elrufa’I’s administration.
To prevent the state from hiring underqualified teachers, which would worsen the teachers’ quality issue, the J-Teach candidate must pass screening and testing before being considered for a permanent appointment.
This marks the first time that the citizens’ schema has influenced the political leadership in Jigawa State.
A Jigawa citizen’s charter, outlining the concerns and demands of the Jigawa people, was created before the general election of 2023 with the help of civil society organizations such as Jigawa Next, ELIP, TAIN, NET-JIC, and others. The charter was then given to all of the gubernatorial candidates running at the time.
Governor Danmodi outlined his 12-point agenda, which provides a clear outline of the administration’s policies and plans for Jigawa State’s overall transformation.
The ramifications of the citizen’s chart are exactly like the Danmodi agenda. One of his goals is to transform basic education. The most obvious manifestation of Malam Umar Namadi’s new Jigawa is this.
All parties involved in education now believe they have a solution to the problems because of the tactics and approaches used by the current Malam Umar Namadi administration to transform basic education in the state.
Through addressing current issues, increasing school enrollment through his Tsangaya integration program, and pursuing other majors aimed at raising the state’s educational standards, this administration marks the first time that the basic education system in the state has undergone a clear transformation.
