Zamfara to revitalise nomadic education, tackle out-of-school crisis

From John Bassey, Gusau

The Government of Zamfara State has reaffirmed its dedication to revitalising nomadic education and vowed to address the pressing challenge of out-of-school children in the state.

The commitment was made by the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government (SSG), Malam Abubakar Mohammad Nakwada, on Wednesday while receiving the Zamfara State Agency for Nomadic Education in his office.

In a statement issued by Suleman Ahmad Tudu, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Office of the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, it was revealed that the agency, led by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Malam Wadatau Madawaki, paid a courtesy visit to the SSG, during which awards of excellence were conferred on 23 individuals who demonstrated outstanding dedication and performance towards delivering the agency’s mandate.

The agency, saddled with the responsibility of providing quality basic education to nomadic communities in the state, is currently managing 108 Nomadic Schools across Zamfara, with student enrolment of 6,412, out of which 2,017—representing 31.5%—were female.

The SSG emphasised that education is among the effective remedies for preventing criminality, which led Governor Dauda Lawal to declare a state of emergency on the education sector—an action that has already started yielding results.

Malam Nakwada lamented that if previous administrations and stakeholders had taken the necessary steps on the education sector, the state would have been much better off.

He further highlighted the alarming number of out-of-school children, urging the Ministry of Education to intensify efforts towards addressing this pressing challenge.

The SSG assured that the Zamfara State Government under Governor Lawal will not rest on its oars until the education sector is fully revamped.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the agency, Alh Bala Tafida, expressed appreciation to Governor Dauda Lawal for his commitment to improving quality education and for all the support being given to the agency for the actualisation of its mandate.

The meeting was attended by the Emir of Kaura Namoda, Alh Sanusi Ahmad Asha, Emir of Bungudu, Alh Hassan Attahiru, and some leaders of the Fulani community, among other critical stakeholders.