Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has disclosed that the Federal College of Education, [Technical] FCET, Gusau, is critical to his administration’s quest to reform the education sector in the state.
He said the college is critical to the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector by his administration.
Mr Lawal stated this when he received a courtesy visit from governing council of FCET at the Government House Gusau on Wednesday.
A statement by the spokesperson for the governor, Sulaiman Idris, said the visit was for familiarisation and improved synergy between the state government and the FCET, Gusau.
“I want to start by saying that the people of Zamfara State have greatly benefited from the Federal College of Education [Technical] Gusua. Let me be clear: About five of my sisters graduated from FCET.
“As mentioned by the chairman, the state of education in Zamfara State has been at the bottom for many years when considering all the indicators. We have consistently vied with Yobe for the last position.
“Last year, I declared a state of emergency in the educational sector of Zamfara due to its challenges. Over the past three years, the previous government failed to pay fees for the NECO and WAEC exams, which was unfortunate. However, we have settled the debt, which is now a thing of the past.
“Just recently, you may have read in the news about the performance of our students in the NECO entrance examination for gifted students. Our dear state, Zamfara, emerged as the best-performing state in the entire North and the second-best in the whole country.
“We are dedicated to ensuring every child has access to quality education. Currently, we are renovating and constructing over 290 schools throughout the state.
“The steps we are taking involve providing suitable furniture and offering continuous training to our teachers. In this endeavour, FCET plays a significant role as we aim to enhance the capacity and quality of our teachers. So, we will work in synergy to revamp the educational system of Zamfara State,” Mr Lawal was quoted as saying.
Earlier, in his remarks, the chairman of the council, Professor Muhammad Bashir-Nuhu, commended the governor for pprioritisingeducation in his administration’s agenda.
He said, “We are the governing council of the prestigious FCET. It is considered prestigious because it is the only one of its kind in the entire federation at the time of its establishment. When it was established, there was a lot of envy regarding why it was located in Zamfara. Later on, I realised that this was because Zamfara is one of the most disadvantaged states in terms of education.
“Today, we are here due to your government declaring an emergency in the state’s education sector and the positive steps you are taking to improve the sector.
“We commend you for your efforts, and we would like to take this opportunity to praise your wife, the First Lady Hajiya Huriyya Dauda, who sponsored 20 students in the college and awarded three computers to the top three graduating students.”
