By: Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu

It was a bright morning when I woke up today and prepared for the daily usual activities. While preparing to inaugurate the steering committee on the National Humanitarian Summit for our Ministry, I gladly browsed a few of the several WhatsApp group messages I have received. The most striking was the list of teachers posted to various schools released by the Kebbi State Ministry for Basic and Secondary Education. I was excited for so many reasons.

As the then Minister of State for Education, I strongly believe, and I still hold this dear to my mind that for education to wax stronger and deliver the dividends, the professionalization of teaching is, without doubt, the way out. The foundation of that is the recruitment of the right caliber of people with basic qualifications to practice the profession. In Nigeria, as of today, the minimum qualification is NCE or any other qualification with PGDE. The second is to be duly registered with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), among other prerequisites.

I took my time to browse through the first batch of 500 teachers released, and to my greatest happiness, all possessed either NCE, B.Ed, B.Sc.Ed, or other qualifications with PGDE. This is a significant departure from the norm, where unqualified individuals were often recruited as teachers. In fact, simply put, it is putting a peg in a round hole. While I can attest to previous recruitment in the medical profession in the state where adherence to basic qualifications is a must, I cannot say that for the teaching profession in the state. I am therefore elated to witness this happening in Kebbi.

The implications of this development are far-reaching. The right caliber of human resources for education is a foundation for educational development. When teachers are qualified and well-trained, they can deliver quality education, which is essential for the growth and development of any society. Another problem in education that the recruitment is set to address directly or indirectly is the growing decline of interest of our youths to take Education and teaching in particular as a career, leading to declining enrollment in education and education-related courses in our tertiary institutions, worsening the teacher enrollment crisis in the country and adding to the global teacher crisis index.

Among the major reasons for this decline was non-recruitment of teachers or taking a long interval without recruitment, as was currently broken by the teacher/governor, or given preference to those without basic requirements to be employed as teachers. The fact is that if measures like these are not put in place, there will be rapid displacement of teachers from their colonies, and replacing them with invaders that are readily there to damage the foundation of our basic education. This will have far-reaching consequences for the future of our children and the society at large.

Also, importantly, the recruitment has created job opportunities and reduced idle minds in our society. The recruitment couldn’t come at a better time than now when there is political will and commitment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to address the issue of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria, of which Kebbi state is a major contributor. Hence, Kebbi State is among the first batch of states to have a state office of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education opened. This demonstrates the governor’s commitment to education and his willingness to work with the federal government to address pressing issues in the sector.

Furthermore, the recruitment has also demonstrated how listening to the views of the populace can positively affect governance. The cry from several quarters of the state for the government to act by recruiting qualified teachers has been answered. This shows that the governor is responsive to the needs of his people and is willing to take bold steps to address them. Certainly, I am not surprised with the current development with regards to education in the state, based on the fact that the Governor is a product of education in all its ramifications. From being a student, a classroom teacher, an administrator, an activist who championed the passage of the TRCN Act, policymaker, and most importantly, transformed into a governor while still in a classroom.

It is therefore appropriate to say KUDOS TO THE TEACHER/GOVERNOR of Kebbi state. Your commitment to education is a shining example for other governors, and I hope that your efforts will be replicated in other states. The future of our children and the society at large depends on the quality of education we provide, and I believe that Kebbi State is on the right path.