IN SEARCH OF PRIORITY BETWEEN KADUNA STATE SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME AND CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIROMENT:

IN SEARCH OF PRIORITY BETWEEN KADUNA STATE SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME AND CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIROMENT:                                                   BY: 

                                                                                       Nurudeen Dauda

nurudeendauda24@gmail.com 

nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com 

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“Pupils receives lesions outside their classrooms at LEA Unguwar Shanu Primary School in Kaduna yesterday after they were purportedly locked out by a contractor over payment for the school’s rehabilitation”(Daily Trust: March  17,2016: front page) photo: by Shehu K. Goro.

“Inside Zaria School with 34 toilets and three classrooms: A primary school located along Kano Zaria express road stands out for one major reason-it has more toilets than classrooms…”(Daily Trust: March  19,2016:p.12) reported by Isa Sa’idu Zaria.  

However, in my view, the difference between the “protagonists” and the antagonists of Kaduna state feeding programme is perhaps about “PRIORITY”. The opponents of the programme feel that what the government needs to do is to improve on the “collapsed structure” it inherits. The opponents of the programme want the state government to abandon the Feeding programme immediately and concentrate on schools rehabilitations.    

Had the present government inherited the schools in “good shape” nine months down the line might not have been enough time for the “structures” to collapse. To the best of my knowledge the government of Kaduna state has never denied the fact that, they inherited schools with more 60% “collapsed structures”, without furniture, water supply, toilets and more than 70% of its teachers unqualified etc.   

The government of Kaduna state believes that both “SCHOOLS REHABILATIONS” and “FEEDING PROGRAMME” are its “PRIORITY” and could be done simultaneous! The government believes that it could be achieved concomitantly! In the light of the above, the government deserves to be given the benefit of doubt at least to the end of this year. Before the commencement of school feeding programme on 18th January, 2016 affords were being put in place towards rehabilitations of schools etc. 

The Government of Kaduna state immediately after its inauguration its works began in earnest; the government has placed so many “ADVERTS” on the pages of “newspapers” on its various works as required by due process as follows:

• Kaduna State Government: Recruitment of Teachers for core Subjects; the Kaduna Government  hereby invites applications of from suitable qualified residents of Kaduna state and other Nigerians willing to work as teachers in the service of the Kaduna state government in the following core subjects: 

Mathematics; English; Biology; Chemistry; Physics and Information Technology /Computer Science (Daily Trust: August 5, 2015).

• Kaduna State Government Ministry of Education, science and Technology: Invitation for pre-qualification for the Rehabilitation of Kaduna Schools Batch 01- Project Description:

Lot1: Rehabilitation of existing classroom blocks and construction of new toilets blocks; Lot2: Construction of Solar powered boreholes and steel overhead water storage tanks; and Lot3: Fabrication and supply of school furniture (Daily Trust: October 12, 2015:p. 37).

• “Teachers in Kaduna can rise to level 17, the Kaduna state Government has approved a career enhancement programme for teachers in the state and has included teachers among categories of workers that can rise to Grade level 17. The government explained that teachers who rose to that level would be addressed as Director-Tutors and are expected to bring their knowledge and experience to teaching specific subjects in secondary schools” (Daily Trust: January 18, 2015:p. 6).

What is even more interesting is the establishment of Kaduna state Facility Management Agency. No matter how beautiful the structures are if not properly maintain it will collapse in no time. The government of Kaduna state knows it onion!

• The Government of Kaduna State: Vacancy for the post of Director –General Kaduna State Facilities management Agency; Request for applications (Daily Trust: January 18, 2015:p. 54). 

Ordinarily, If the government of Kaduna state is embarking on school feeding programme without addressing the issues of structures, quality teaches and their motivation etc., it should worry any right thinking person. But however, it should be nobody’s problem if the government is embarking on both school feeding programme and provision of conducive learning environment.  

The above reports stated at the begin of this write ups contain two pictures, going through the stories proper; the first picture shows a “befitting completed block of classrooms” while the second picture shows only four (4) toilets on the page with two nearly completed and others on-going although the caption of the report says 34 toilets. Reading through the report one finds out that the reporter is taking about “Tashar Yari” which is under Makarfi local government. One thinks it might be typing error; 34 or 4 toilets? I doubt if Kaduna state University has up to the number of that toilets reported. In my view that number does not add up! No one knows what the above reports aims to achieve but in my understanding what comes to the fore is that, the conditions of schools in Kaduna state are generally “bad” and there a is “deliberate efforts” by the present government to address the issues.

The state feeding programme has created at least 85,000 jobs for food vendors, their staff and supervisors; on the other hand, newly recruited teachers: 2,300 jobs; school uniforms: 11,100 jobs; Rehabilitation of schools:7,542 jobs; construction of toilets:6,285 jobs; and solar boreholes:5,028 jobs.

Let’s support this government to make Kaduna great again!