Reader’s Snapshot
- Dr. Kassim Muhammed-Kassim, Executive Chairman of Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), warned parents against failing to enrol children in school.
- The warning was issued at a one-day Education Summit in Lafia, attended by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
- SUBEB announced sensitization campaigns, teacher redeployments, and school infrastructure interventions to improve basic education.
The Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Kassim Muhammed-Kassim, said parents who fail to enrol their children in school would face prosecution. He made the statement on Thursday at the opening ceremony of a one-day Education Summit organised by SUBEB at the Late Aliyu Akwe Doma Banquet Hall in Lafia.
Dr. Muhammed-Kassim explained that the summit aimed to brainstorm on strategies to revamp basic education across the state’s 13 local government areas. He highlighted issues such as a shortage of qualified teachers, overstaffing in local government education offices, illegal teacher promotions, and illegal bank loan deductions by Education Secretaries.
“Overstaffing in local government education offices and overcharge and illegal deductions of loans by banks through Education Secretaries will no longer be tolerated in the state,” Dr. Muhammed-Kassim said. He stressed that basic education is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and pledged enforcement to ensure all children are enrolled.
The board plans a mass enlightenment campaign through town hall meetings and media outreach, using seven minibuses recently purchased to reach communities across the 13 local government areas. The chairman added that 3,000 trained teachers had been found working illegally in administrative roles, and 1,900 teachers have already been redeployed to classrooms, with an additional 1,000 to follow.
Dr. Muhammed-Kassim also cited steps taken to improve school infrastructure. Nine contracts, including the building of staff quarters at SMART School, Lafia, were revoked after poor-quality work, resulting in savings of N101 million for the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, who declared the summit open, said arrangements have been finalised for the groundbreaking of a USD 90 million paper mill in Keffi Local Government Area and the construction of twin flyovers in Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area. He attributed the state’s ability to undertake such projects to fiscal reforms by President Bola Tinubu.
Governor Sule commended Dr. Muhammed-Kassim for initiating the summit and pledged continued support for the board’s efforts to improve basic education. During the opening ceremony, the governor commissioned chairs for schools and the minibuses for the sensitization campaign.
The Education Summit concluded with plans to hold LGA-level meetings with parents and community leaders to enforce compulsory school enrolment and address challenges in basic education.
Bigger Picture
Nasarawa State has historically faced challenges in basic education, including teacher shortages, poor school infrastructure, and high rates of out-of-school children. Previous SUBEB initiatives have included teacher redeployments and school facility improvements. Nationwide, Nigeria enforces compulsory basic education under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act of 2004, though enforcement at the state level varies.
