Free, compulsory education will eliminate out-of-school children syndrome ― Ganduje

THE Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that his administration will soon commence free and compulsory primary and secondary education in the state.

He said this was aimed at ensuring that no child is left behind as well as deal with the issue of out-of-school children syndrome which Kano is reported to have the highest number in the North.

Ganduje, spoke while fielding questions with newsmen during the weekend after a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in Abuja.

He told journalists that he was at the ministry of education to invite Adamu to a stakeholders’ meeting on education organised by the state to brainstorm on implementation of the free and compulsory basic and primary education in the state.

He said the plan was also to integrate the Almajiri system with the modern system of education, saying very soon the state would pass legislation to make primary and secondary education compulsory.

ALSO READ: Land tussle: Court awards N30m damages against Ogun govt

He said, “we are having a very important decision on basic and secondary education in Kano. We have made a pronouncement that basic education and secondary education will be free and compulsory.

“In order to make it sustainable, we are holding a stakeholders’ summit for which I have come to invite the Minister of Education.

“Mind you, we are not limiting it to basic education; secondary education will also be free and compulsory. So we are going to have a legislation to back it. As you know, basic education is already compulsory according to the Universal Basic Education Law,” he said.

Speaking on the Almajiri system, Ganduje said the essence of the summit was to take care of the out-of-school children, including the almajiri.

He said: “What we plan to do is to integrate the Almajiri system with the modern western type of education.

“We are going to modify the curriculum so that it will tally with the national curriculum that we are operating at the moment.”