Bayero University Kano (BUK) has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Kano State Government to address the education crisis in the state.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, gave this assurance when he led a team from the university’s management to pay a courtesy visit to the state Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, in his office.

Professor Abbas emphasised the need for decisive action to address the education crisis in Kano, highlighting the government’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in education as a positive step. He stressed the importance of understanding the real extent of the education crisis to find effective solutions.

In a statement signed by the Director of Public Enlightenment, Ministry of Education, Kano State, Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi Kiru, and made available to the press in Kano on Wednesday, Professor Abbas was quoted saying, “If you can take your time to conduct research with a view to finding out the real problem of education in Kano, the solution is going to be beyond your time.”

He further stated, “Something needs to be done. We are highly concerned when we go to do admission. Even though Kano has the largest number of students at Bayero University, during every admission, we are not taking the number we are expected to take because of a lack of qualification.”

Professor Abbas emphasised that conducting holistic research on education is crucial to identifying the underlying problems and assured that the university is willing to provide every support in this regard.

He added, “Bayero University also has the capacity to provide extensive training to teachers in groups and equip them with what they require to start facing the challenges of education in Kano.”

The Vice-Chancellor highlighted that there are numerous ways the university could assist the state beyond research, including teacher training and capacity building to help them effectively tackle the educational challenges in Kano.

Prof. Adamu attributed the increasing cases of Daba, drug addiction, and other social vices in Kano to the lack of quality education that has characterised the state for quite some time.

While responding, the Kano State Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, described the visit as timely, considering the new policies and programmes implemented by the administration to revive the education sector.

“It is obvious that the present administration has inherited the state education sector in a stage of total dilapidation and decay of school infrastructure and a lack of instructional materials, resulting in a non-conducive learning environment.

“We have produced a documentary programme portraying the total neglect and decay of the education sector, meaning that we have a lot to do to address all the challenges of the education sector. This government is now trying to see how it can address those problems inherited in education,” he said.

He assured the management team that the administration is fully determined to work with the university to find lasting solutions to these challenges by setting up a team of researchers to assist in tackling the situation.

Doguwa asserted that the administration focuses on three basic components aimed at improving the education sector: access, quality, and infrastructure development in schools.

He disclosed that many initiatives have been undertaken by the administration since its inception to improve education in the state.

These include the provision of instructional materials to schools, the training of teachers, the timely payment of NECO/NBAIS/NABTEB registration fees, the recruitment of over 5,600 teachers, the construction and renovation of schools, the repair of 70 girl child buses, the payment of qualifying examination fees, and the distribution of free JAMB forms to Kano students, among others.

He added, “So, as we really thank and appreciate Bayero University Kano for coming to our aid in finding a way forward to our educational crisis, our doors will remain open at all times for advice and necessary guidance so that we can move the education sector forward.”