12,000 students write placement examination to science schools in Kaduna

No fewer than 12,000 students on Saturday wrote the senior secondary placement examination into the 14 science, technical and commercial schools and colleges in Kaduna State.

The Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Makarfi, who monitored the exercise at Science School Kufena, Zaria, said that the government was taking necessary steps to promote science and technical education by building more schools to improve access.

“Following the increasing need for science and technology in addressing our developmental needs, there is the need to ensure that a larger percentage of our children study sciences.

“We are doing all that we can to improve access to quality science and technology education with a view to produce an innovative, creative and technology-oriented population that would address societal needs.

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“This placement examination by implication means that in the next three years, only 12,000 students will hopefully write science subject in the Secondary School Certificate Examination being conducted by WAEC and NECO.

“It also means by extension that our universities should be ready to absorb 12,000 students for different programmes in the area of science and technology.

“This is drastically inadequate because there will certainly be drop-outs, while some may not finish secondary school for one reason or the other,” he said.

The commissioner said that the state government, with support from Islamic Development Bank, would soon complete six new science secondary schools as part of efforts to increase access.

He added that 13 secondary schools would also be converted into boarding schools with 70 per cent enrolment in favour of sciences.