Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has awarded a contract for the supply of 15,716 desks to public schools in the state.

This follows the startling observation that public schools in almost all the 13 local government areas in Nasarawa State lack good desks and chairs.

The Executive Chairman, Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Kassim Muhammed-Kassim, made the disclosure while speaking with Journalists in Lafia, the state capital, on Wednesday.

He explained that the sorry state of affairs in the various primary schools was recently discovered through his constant unscheduled visits to schools across the state.

He said, “I informed the governor about the true position of things in our primary schools, and he wasted no time in awarding the contract for the supply of 15,716 Chairs and Desks across the various primary schools in the state.

“He also directed the contractor to supply the chairs in the next month for onward distribution to the schools.”

Muhammed-Kassim, therefore, expressed his gratitude to Sule for listening to the cry of the people and reaffirmed his commitment to work in line with the educational policies of the governor to change the narrative of the state’s basic education sub-sector.

The NSUBEB boss further noted that basic education holds the key to the future, as there are opportunities that come with formal education.

He said that his visit to various primary schools in the state gave him first-hand information about the condition at the schools, which cast a bleak shadow on the future of the pupils.

“I have been to classes to observe the furniture myself, I took pictures of the students sitting on bare floors, most of the schools, you would see pupils either standing or sitting on the floor.

“In some classes, there are no chairs, while some have but are broken, and you will see pupils sitting on the remnants of some of the furniture, others sit on the floor, while some stand by the wall, facing or turning away from the blackboard.

“The pupils are struggling to learn, but they have no option. I have personally seen the precarious learning situation that the pupils are facing, and I’m determined to change the situation completely. I’m happy that Governor Sule is ready to give me all the support. We will change the system and make public basic education attractive in Nasarawa State.

“I will not sit down in the office. I’m a field chairman, and I’m ready to give my all to ensure that basic education in Nasarawa State under my watch works. Yes, it is doable and it is possible to change the narrative,” he added.