SOKOTO STATE GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON

STATE OF EMERGENCY ON EDUCATION

PRESENTATION OF INTERIM REPORT

April 2016

PREAMBLE

In a bid to revamp and rejuvenate the Education Sector, the Sokoto State

Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri

Tambuwal, CFR declared a State of Emergency on the Sector. This was

followed by the inauguration of “Council on the State of Emergency on

Education in Sokoto State” to develop policies and a Technical Committee to

study the situation, identify the challenges, proffer solutions and work out

the modalities for the implementation of the resolutions reached.

The Technical Committee was given six weeks to submit an interim report to

the Council.

The Committee studied the Terms of Reference and as a fundamental

requirement, agreed on the need to have a comprehensive technical review

of the educational sector in the state before coming up with any realistic

work plan. This consideration and the need for adequate information and

data of the sector led to formation of the following four sub-committees on:

Basic Education, Secondary Education, Science and Technology and Higher

Education.

The Reports of the Sub-committees mainly contained information on the

following: 1. Access i.e. Enrolment, Retention, Completion and Transition. 2.

Human Resources i.e. Training, Retraining, Welfare, Recruitment and

Deployment 3. Quality of Education 4. Infrastructure and Facilities 5.

Community participation, Advocacy, Sensitization, Mobilization and Private

partnership in education. 6. Integration of Islamic Education and Mass and

Nomadic Education (in respect of basic and post-basic education)

A myriad of challenges across all levels were identified.

The detailed interim report contains four sections. Section one is the

introduction. Section two delineates a brief discussion on the thrust of all the

levels of education from basic to higher education. Section three highlights the

current situational analysis, challenges and recommendations for every

category of the education sector. Section four presents a list of general and

urgent recommendations as well as action plan of specific recommendations.

However, for the purpose of this presentation only highlights of the challenges

and major recommendations are being considered.

Infrastructure and Learning/Teaching Facilities

The infrastructure needs of the 2,163 Primary and Junior Secondary

Schools in the State revolves around mainly; classrooms, toilets,

furniture and equipment.

Pupils to classroom ratio of 1:107 in some instances,

Most of the buildings are dilapidated and the furniture in both

classes and hostels need either replacement or repairs.

Some schools have been encroached

The Committee also noted the following:-

i) Enrolled pupils/students in the Basic Education Schools for the

2015/2016 academic session stood at 1,193,760.

ii) Number of classrooms available is 22,117.

iii) Average Classroom-Pupil/Student Ratio is 1:54.

iv)Number of additional classrooms required on the basis of classroom-

pupil/student ratio of 1:40 is 7,727.

The survey further shows that:

More than half of the available classrooms need repairs,

rehabilitation or renovation.

Need for additional office accommodation, staffrooms, workshops,

laboratories, libraries, wall-fence, toilets and hostels in boarding schools

at this level of education.

Most of the existing structures need repairs and furnishing. Others include

inadequate supplies of water and electricity in the schools.

Very serious shortages of furniture, textbooks, exercise books,

laboratory models, technology models, workshop equipment,

library books, school gardens and demonstration charts.

Details of such structures and facilities will be given when the

Technical Committee on the State of Emergency on Education in

the State conducts its own detailed survey.

Enrolment, Retention and Transition

Children between ages 4 and 15 years account for 46% of the

State population.

The gross enrolment rate for pre-primary and primary schools

stands at 11% and 80% respectively

Junior Secondary at 44%.

Completion rate for primary education is 73.2% which is

above the North West range of 54.6%.

However, the transition rate from primary to Junior

Secondary School is 27.3% which is very poor and may be

attributed to the lack of guidance and counselling,

traditional factors and proximity of junior secondary schools

in most of the rural areas.

The out-of-school children account for 65% of 0-15years age

cohorts, as against a national average of 34.3% and a

Northern average of 43.3%. The figure is calling for an

immediate attention of the Government in the provision of

educational opportunities for the affected children.

The Committee is yet to have data on nomadic education,

adult and non-formal education.

Human Resource/Welfare

The growth and development of the education sector, like

many other sectors, depend largely on the quality and

quantity of teachers.

The status and conditions of teachers service is appalling and

calls for great concern. Some of the issues are stated below;

The pupil-teacher ratio at the primary level is 1:53.

Over 60% of primary school teachers are not

qualified.

About 60% of teachers in junior secondary schools are

teaching in urban areas.

There is fairly a large of teachers with high

qualifications in primary schools and others with

correspondingly low qualification in junior secondary

schools.

There exist more teachers in arts and social sciences

than sciences, English and Mathematics.

Unnecessary Proliferation of secondary school administration

as multiple Principals exists in schools housing both JSS and

SSS.

Need to gradually replace contract teachers with competent,

young and full-time teachers

Non-Implementation of promotions for over 80% of teachers

Chronic Remuneration disparity between teachers of the State

Teachers Service Board and their counterparts with the State

Universal Basic Education Board.

There are more male teachers than female.

Lack of adequate housing facilities for teachers.

There are a total of 17,981 teachers and 2,398 supporting staff across all the

schools in the 23 Local Government Areas of the State as shown in Table 1 below

Qua

lific

atio

ns

Masters First

Degree

NCE HND OND/Cert

.

Others Total No of

Teachers

Gen

der

M F M F M F M F M F M F M F

No.

Tot

al

93 33 996 848 5042 2621 188 209 941 210 5706 1094 12966 5015

126 1844 7663 397 1151 6800 17981

Table 1: Teaching Staff by Qualifications and Gender for 2015/2016 Academic Session

Source: Sub-Committee on Basic and Junior Secondary Education Field Survey 2016

With the enrolment of 1,193,760 pupils/students

at Basic Education level for the 2015/2016

academic session and with 17,981 teachers, the

teacher-pupil/student ratio stands at 1:66. To

attain the teacher pupil/student ratio of 1:40,

11,863 additional classrooms are required.

POST- BASIC EDUCATION

There are 74 conventional Senior Secondary Schools, 5 Science

Secondary Schools, 3 Technical Colleges, 2 Commercial Schools

and 9 Arabic and Islamic Studies Schools

Ministry for Religious Affairs has (1) one school.

Two of the schools (Govt. Girls Secondary School, Bodinga, and

Sani Dingyadi Secondary School, Farfaru, Sokoto, serve as unity

schools for exchange programme of students among the 19

Northern States.

The only institution that provides Vocational Training in the State

is the Works School run by the State Ministry of Works. The

institution offers its own Trade Test Certificates. According to

available information, the school is yet to have any national

recognition.

SESSION MALE FEMALE TOTAL

2010/2011 42, 802 12, 184 54, 986

2011/2012 44, 442 16, 697 61, 139

2012/2013 47, 949 18, 057 66, 001

2013/2014 46, 592 21. 520 68, 112

2014/2015 47, 164 24, 591 71, 755

Enrolment

Growth of enrolments in Post-Basic Education schools over the last 5 years 2010/2011 to

2014/2015 is shown in Table 2 below:

Table 2:

SOURCE; “Annual Schools Census Reports” (ASC), MB&SE, Sokoto

Only 58% of schools have complete NERDC curriculum for science as

well as WAEC examinations syllabi. Textbooks, laboratory

equipment, chemicals and other teaching aids that are necessary

constituents for effective teaching and learning are largely

inadequate in almost all the schools in the state.

In Senior Secondary Schools, the driving force of research and

development is “Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists” (JETS)

Club. Incidentally, only 12% of the schools affirmed to the existence of

the club and only 4% can boast of any projects within the past three

years.

According to the new Senior Secondary School curriculum, apart from

normal academic pursuits, all students must offer a vocational trade

for a career development. About 58% of the senior secondary students

offer Marketing as a vocational trade to satisfy course combinations

even though they do not see any future prospects in the course.

Only 47% of the schools offering science combinations have all the

required laboratories but need rehabilitation. 24% of them do not

have laboratories at all, while 23% have one or two which still need

repairs. Records were not available for the remaining 6% of the

schools as at the time of compiling this report.

There is also dearth of relevant students’ and teachers’ textbooks.

Not more than 5% have recommended Computer Studies and

Technical Trade textbooks. Again, only 11% of the students have

relevant textbooks in Mathematics while less than 15% of them have

mathematical items such as graph boards, protractors, compasses

and geometrical materials (solid figures).

Out of the 39 technical/commercial trades identified by the Federal

Government as contained in the 2013 NPE, only 9 are being offered

in the State’s Senior Secondary Schools.

Some of the schools that offer science subjects at SSCE level in

WAEC and NECO are without any laboratories and workshops.

Some “Key Performance Indicators” (KPIs) shown below give more explanation

on the situation of things in Post-Basic Education schools in the State:-

Number of children aged 15 to 17 who are supposed to be enrolled in PBECD in

2016 (158,705 males and 141,683 females) - 300,388

Number enrolled in PBECD (47,164 males and 24,591 females) - 71,755

Number of out-of-school children - 228,633 ( 76%)

Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) male and female is 24% (15.8% male and 8.2% female)

Number of classrooms available - 876

Current Average Classroom-Student Ratio - 1:82

Number of classrooms required to accommodate the enrolled children in school

at classroom-student ratio of 1:40 - 1,794

Additional classrooms needed - 918

Number of classrooms required to accommodate all the children in school at

classroom-student ratio of 1:40 - 7,510

Additional classrooms needed to accommodate the out-of-school

Children - 6,634

Number of all teachers; qualified and unqualified - 1, 630

Teacher-student ratio (qualified and unqualified) - 1:44

Number of qualified teachers - 1,411(86.6%)

Qualified teacher-student ratio - 1:51

Number of unqualified teachers - 219 (13.4%)

(Source: - ASC, 2015)

There are also serious shortages of the following facilities and services

that are very essential for effective teaching and learning:-

Health care services,

Hostel accommodation in boarding schools,

Guidance and Counselling Services

Educational Resource Centres

IT hard and software

School feeding

Sports and recreation

Power supply

Water supply

Accessibility to the School

Toilets

In addition to the above highlighted challenges facing Post-Basic Education

schools, the following are equally disturbing :-

There are only

301 English teachers giving a teacher-student ratio of 1:238.

189 Mathematics teachers with a teacher-student ratio of 1:340.

90 teachers of computer education in the whole 91 Senior Secondary

Schools that teach the subject which is less than one teacher to a school.

This clearly shows the urgent demand of English, Mathematics and Computer

Education teachers.

An 846 additional teachers need to be recruited to meet the current demand

It is observed that recruitment of teachers in the state is not only done by

“Teachers Service Board” (TSB).

Some teachers go to school with their plastic chairs or rubber mats and in

some cases are compelled to sit under trees due to lack of staffrooms.

In some schools, classrooms are converted to offices.

Most of the teachers are staying outside their schools for lack of staff

accommodation.

Institutional houses, especially in Sokoto town, are occupied by retirees

and others outside the education sector.

Teachers are being released on loan to private schools despite shortages in

public schools.

There are large numbers of contract teachers in public schools whose

services are often not required.

Irregular school inspection.

Inadequate school management.

Over population of students in some schools; about 1:100 student-

classroom ratio.

Poor performance in JAMB due to lack of computer literacy.

Poor performances in external examinations due to lack of:-

Exposure to practical lessons before the final examinations, Adequate

furniture and accommodation for smooth conduct of the examinations,

Non-functional PTAs, Old Students Associations and SBMCs in some

schools.

Inadequate attendance of workshops, seminars and trainings by teachers.

Inadequate extra-curricular activities.

Lack of discipline among staff and students.

Non conduct of SSCE mock exams.

Non availability of ICT materials and teachers.

Few private senior secondary schools in the State;

Absence or poor implementation of policies guiding the operations of private

schools.

Over reliance of community schools on Government;

Inadequate number of community schools;

Poor engagement of corporate bodies by government on their corporate

social responsibilities;

Poor delivery of corporate social responsibility services by the bodies;

Interventions from International Development Partners are often “donor

driven projects”

Sometimes the State lacks adequate information about the donor projects.

Donor projects in most cases have time lines and therefore lacking in

sustainability.

Higher Education

The State has the following seven (7) tertiary institutions:

1. Sokoto State University,

2. Shehu Shagari College of Education,

3. The Polytechnic of Sokoto State,

4. College of Nursing and Midwifery Sokoto,

5. College of Legal Studies, Wamakko,

6. Sultan Abdulrahman School of Health and Technology, Gwadabawa and

7. College of Agriculture, Wurno,

As at 2015/16 academic session, there are a total of 37, 886 Sokoto State indigenes

studying in various tertiary institutions in Nigeria and abroad. Retention and Completion

rates stand at 82% and 78.6% respectively. There is good representation of the state

indigenes in all state tertiary institutions amounting up to 95% at Sultan Abdulrahman

School of Health Technology, Sokoto.

S/N SSU SSCOE POLY COA CLS CNM SHT Total

Academic staff 193 553 255 Nil 33 80 60 1,174

Non-academic staff 255 342 299 Nil 70 104 79 1,149

First degree 122 265 149 Nil 30 35 36 637

Masters Degree 49 262 103 Nil 07 07 5 433

Ph.D. 22 26 03 Nil Nil Nil Nil 51

Sponsorship for

National Conferences

13 300 70 Nil Nil Nil 30 413

Sponsorship for

International

Conferences.

55 54 76 Nil Nil Nil Nil 185

Staff Development 72 59/20 10/8 Nil 07 4/1 Nil 80/29

Countries with higher

candidates.

UK Malaysia Malaysia Nil Nil Niger

Rep.

Niger

Rep.

-

Teacher-student –ratio 1:30 1:40 1:43 Nil 1:20 1:20 1:40 -

Average work load 8 hrs Nil 12 hrs 15 hrs 5 hrs -

Human Resources in Tertiary Institutions in Sokoto State

There are 1,174 and 1,149 academic and non-academic staff in the seven (7)

tertiary institutions.

484 (41.2%) of the lecturers are holders of Masters and Ph.D. degrees

which are the preferable entry qualifications for academic staff.

However, only 51 (10.5%) out of the 484 are PhD holders across the

various state tertiary institutions. This has the implication on accreditation

of many academic programmes by the Regulatory bodies such as NBTE,

NCCE and NUC.

A field assessment of all the tertiary institutions in the State reveals that

only 2 (CLS and SHT) of the institutions have ICT centres and 5 of the

institutions (SSCOE, Polytechnic, CLS, CNM and SHT) have Libraries. The

State University has no standard library and at the moment, the

programmes are matured for the first accreditation which the NUC may

conduct any time before end of the year.

Specific Challenges of Higher Education

Lack of enough classroom accommodation in all the institutions.

The Policy of admission at the school of Nursing Sokoto which restricts the

admission of only 50 students annually. This denies many qualified state

indigenes the opportunity to secure admission for nursing programme.

Problem of Index No. in Nursing School which prevents many qualified

students from graduating.

Inability of some students to pay their registration fees, most especially

at Sokoto State University and Shehu Shagari College of Education,

Sokoto.

Poor transportation system for the schools within the metropolis which

brings a lot of hardship to students, most especially girls.

Inadequate training and re-training of staff.

Lack of implementation of the tertiary institutions staff salary structure

(CONPCASS).

Inadequate qualified manpower and other facilities necessary for

accreditation in most of the institutions.

Teacher-students ratios are higher in most of the institutions.

Inadequate staff and students’ furniture.

Inadequate staff office accommodation.

Inadequate lecture Halls/Classrooms.

Lack of E-Library.

Lack of ICT centres in most of the institutions.

Inadequate sporting facilities.

Inadequate Community support in tertiary institutions.

Lack of adequate data on the established private schools.

Lack of synergy between private schools and the Ministry for

Higher Education.

Lack of any guidelines or instruments guiding Min. of Higher

Education in registering and monitoring of the private tertiary

institutions.

Major Recommendations

Considering the enormous challenges, the magnitude of the

work that is necessary for fairly accurate quantification of

resources needed and the time factor as well as the urgent

need to kick start various aspects of the overwhelming

recommendations as highlighted in the Interim Report, the

Technical Committee hereby highlights some of the major

and urgent recommendations (most of which boarder on

policy issues). While a number of these recommendations

cut across the board, others are specific to various

categories of interventions. The following are thus

presented as general recommendations:

Basic Education

1. There is the urgent need for the State Government to declare a classroom-student

ratio policy of 1:40 and to work towards achieving the target immediately. This

will translate into provisions of additional classrooms, teachers and classroom

furniture.

2. There should be a screening of unqualified teachers with a view to determine their

levels of competences based on which their training needs can be designed. Those

found not capable can be redeployed to where there services are needed. Without

prejudice to the collaboration of the State with “National Teachers Institute” (NTI),

the Technical Committee on State of Emergency on Education could be given the

mandate for the training and certification of these teachers. This can be done with

the collaboration of SSCOE, UDUS and, in the long run, the State University.

3. There is a need to address the concentration of Junior Secondary

teachers in urban areas by decongesting such teachers to rural areas.

This can be done by introducing distance based welfare packages and/or

providing transport services for teachers from the urban centres to go to

rural schools to teach and be brought back home on daily bases.

4. There is a need to embark on mass recruitment of qualified Science,

Mathematics and English teachers for the senior secondary schools.

5. There is a need to harmonize the school administration of Junior Secondary

Schools and Senior Secondary Schools with a view to having a single

principal.

6. Immediate implementation of promotions exercise that affects about 80%

of the teachers.

7. There is a need to screen all contract teachers with the view to determine

their competences and the ability to deliver. Those found wanting to be

replaced with young, competent and full time teachers.

8. Reconcile remuneration disparity between teachers under the State

Teachers Service Board and their counterparts with the State Universal

Basic Education Board. MB&SE to find out those affected and to

determine the financial implication of the harmonization of the salary

structures.

9. There is an ardent need to embark on a recruitment of more teachers, with

more emphasis on female teachers rather than the male teachers. Female

teachers serve as role models, especially in rural areas, and this will

encourage girl child education. The recruitment exercise can be done as

follows:-

a) 2015/2016 academic session:- - - - 800 teachers.

b) 2016/2017 academic session:- - - - 1,200 teachers.

c) 2017/2018 academic session:- - - - - 1,500 teachers.

10. It is being recommended that each of the 83 Districts in the State should

have a “Model School” at the Basic Education level. However, for the start

and in consideration of the budgetary provision for 2016, there should be one

“Model School” for each of the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

Post Basic Education

1. Computer literacy capacity building for all SS3 students before they sit for

JAMB in April 2017.

2. Provision of furnished Examination Halls in all schools offering SSCE WAEC

and NECO before May/June examinations of 2017.

3. Provision of additional classrooms in most schools across the state to

alleviate overcrowdings.

4. Provision of adequate classroom and hostel furniture in all schools to

alleviate the conditions of students sitting on the floor to receive lessons or

sleeping on the floor in the hostels.

5. Provide adequate laboratories and workshops and expose students to

practical lessons before the 2017 external examinations.

6. Immediate provision of well-equipped laboratories to all schools that offer

science subjects at WAEC and NECO at SSCE levels and are without the

laboratories before the 2017 final examinations.

7. All schools offering science and technical subjects and all other subjects

that need practical lessons should have all the minimum requirements to

offer these subjects and should expose students to practical lessons

before external examinations.

8. Support the development of technical, vocational and

entrepreneurship education through the provision of

relevant facilities;

9. Provide ICT related materials and equipment to support e-

learning;

10. Some schools under the Ministry of Science and Technology

to admit students into Junior Secondary classes to provide

wider coverage and utilization of existing structures.

11. Massive recruitment of graduate teachers on specific subject

requirements instead of recruitment of teachers irrespective of

their teaching subjects, with specific attention to English Language,

Mathematics and Computer Education. This can be done as follows:-

a.2015/2016 - 300 Teachers

b.2016/2017 - 300 Teachers

c.2017/2018 - 300 Teachers

12. Training and re-training of the existing teachers through the

following programmes:-

a.Degree Programmes at SSCOE

b.Faculties of Education in the universities and NTI/NOUN

Programme, (HESSO, restricted to State indigenes only).

13. GDE/PGD Programmes should be made mandatory for the unqualified

teachers at SSCOE, UDUS and NTI.

14. Recruitment of teachers should be conducted by the relevant Boards and

MS&T in accordance with the extant rules and regulations.

15. Conduct of a more exhaustive school specific field survey within the next

three months. Data emanating from this exercise should be used to

generate an evidence-based development plan in education to cover a

period of four years.

16.State Government should revive the idea of special standards or “Model

Schools” to serve as centres of excellence at this level of education, The

following schools are recommended for possible consideration:-

a) Sokoto West Senatorial District:-

GSSS Yabo (Boy, Science)

GGCSS Tambuwal (Girls, Commercial)

GSS Tureta (Boys, Conventional)

b) Sokoto Central Senatorial District:-

Nagarta College Boys, Science)

Hafsatu Ahmadu Bello Memorial (Girls) Arabic Secondary School.

GSS Tangaza (Boys, Conventional)

Govt. Tech. College, Binji Boys, Vocational)

c) Sokoto East Senatorial District

GGSS Raba (Girls, Conventional)

GSSS Gwadabawa (Boys, Science)

GSS Gada (Boys, Conventional)

17. The State Government should urgently address the gross and acute salary

disparity existing between teachers under the State Universal Basic Education

Board and the State Teachers Service Board.

18. To address the issue of about 76% out-of-school children at post basic education

level, the Government needs to identify all the skills acquisition centres in the

State, reorganize them into Vocational Training Centres, put them under a body

to coordinate them and run courses relevant to the societal needs of the State

that are in accordance with the provisions of the National Policy on Education.

19. The Sokoto State Government should, as a matter of urgency, organize an

Education summit with a view to engaging local, national and international

stakeholders on moving education in the State forward.

3. Higher Education

1. Provision of more classrooms to accommodate the large number of qualified

indigenes wishing to further their education.

2. Ministry of Higher Education and that of Health should jointly pursue

for the increment of the admission quota of the School of Nursing,

Sokoto from Federal Ministry of Health.

3. Massive recruitment of qualified masters and Ph.D. holders and

Professors and readers at the state University.

4. Immediate implementation of CONPCASS salary structure.

5. Supporting adequately the state tertiary institutions to attain all forms of

accreditation and registration with their National supervising as well as

registration agencies/bodies in the country.

6. Employment of qualified staff and upgrading the existing facilities to reduce the

teacher-students’ ratio and to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

7. Construction of E-Library.

8. There is the need for more collaboration between private institutions and the

Ministry of Higher Education in the state.

9. Developing and instrument to guide the interested private sector wishing to

establish private institutions in the state.

10. Immediate take-off of college of Agriculture, Wurno.

THANK YOU