Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has begun the disbursement of N148 million grants to 1,400 public secondary schools across the state.
Ganduje made this known while inaugurating the disbursement at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano as part of activities making the state’s Education day.
Ganduje said the free and compulsory education policy introduced by the state can only be sustained through consistent funding.
“We are providing cheques to schools for daily maintenance… We are providing Tablet computers to Education Officers across the 44 LGAs for data generation, analysis management and transfer of data such as enrollment, discipline among others to the headquarters without physical appearance. ”
“Outside Koranic recitation and Western education, the Almajiris are being thought various skills so that they can also fend for themselves after graduation,” Ganduje said.
He said to sustain funding of the policy and other education programs, the state has not defaulted in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) counterpart funding under the Nigerian government.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring consistent and prompt payments to the state.
“Kano State is up to date down to 2021 in the payment for counterpart funding.
”The excess we paid in 2020 is even being rolled over to 2021 and we thank President Buhari for always ensuring that funds are released to us in time,” Governor Ganduje said.
According to him, other sources of funding of the policy are; resources from the Educational Trust Fund, five percent of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, one percent of LGA funds and Community participation were individuals are voluntarily donating to the basket of the policy.
He said all teachers in the state have been upgraded to NCE through various training.
” We are happy to have entered into a partnership with Media Trust, the publishers of Daily Trust Newspapers for the publication of TEEN TRUST, a publication for the Children.
”It is an innovation to educate our children, especially in the northern part.
“I want to assure you that, since we came to office in 2015, we have never failed to provide our counterpart funding for the development of education in Kano state.
“I am happy to inform you that we are up to date because even as of 2021, we have already paid part of it,” Ganduje said.
