The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji-Alausa, has commended the Kano State Government for its investment in education, particularly the recruitment of more than 16,000 teachers and facilitators within three years.
Tunji-Alausa gave the commendation on Tuesday in Kano at a ceremony where permanent and pensionable appointment letters were presented to 4,900 newly recruited teachers, alongside the engagement of 3,688 facilitators under the Abba Gida Gida BESDA Cohort V programme.
The minister described the recruitment drive as a significant investment in human capital development, noting that teachers remained central to the development of responsible citizens and the future of any society.
He also praised Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf for prioritising education, saying about 32 per cent of the state’s projects had been allocated to the sector.
Tunji-Alausa urged the newly employed teachers to demonstrate professionalism, dedication and commitment in discharging their responsibilities, stressing that their performance would determine the quality of education received by children across the state.
He further commended the state government’s efforts in infrastructure development, including road construction and the installation of solar-powered street lights.
Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf, who spoke at the event, said the presentation of the appointment letters represented another step in his administration’s efforts to transform the education sector.
The governor disclosed that more than 13,000 qualified teachers had been employed into basic and secondary schools between May 2023 and June 2026.
He added that the latest recruitment of 4,900 teachers and engagement of 3,688 BESDA facilitators had raised the total number of teachers and facilitators engaged by his administration to over 16,000.
Kabir-Yusuf said his administration viewed the recruitment exercise as an investment in the future of Kano children and would continue to implement measures aimed at expanding access to quality education.
He listed other interventions by the government to include the construction and renovation of classrooms, provision of furniture, uniforms and instructional materials, as well as the reopening of 15 boarding schools.
The governor also mentioned the establishment of six technical schools and the continued payment of counterpart funding to enable the state access interventions from the Universal Basic Education Commission.
According to him, the BESDA Cohort V facilitators would initially serve for nine months, after which qualified participants could be considered for permanent employment based on their performance.
The Executive Secretary of the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji Yusuf Kabir, said the recruitment process followed due procedures and was designed to ensure the selection of qualified and committed teachers.
He said the exercise was based on merit, transparency and the need to address gaps in the teaching workforce and improve learning outcomes in public schools.
Kabir also called for greater community involvement in education, saying collective ownership of schools would help improve learning outcomes and protect government investments.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, described the recruitment as a valuable investment in Kano’s educational future and praised the state government for the initiative.
She noted that the global education sector was facing a significant shortage of teachers, adding that Kano’s recruitment drive was a positive step towards addressing the challenge at the state level.
Garba assured the state of UBEC’s continued support in efforts to expand access to quality basic education.
The Kano State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Baffa Ibrahim-Garko, also commended the governor for strengthening the teaching workforce through the continuous recruitment of qualified personnel.
Representing the beneficiaries, Abdullahi Musa-Abba expressed appreciation to the state government for the opportunity and pledged that the newly recruited teachers would perform their duties diligently and uphold the standards of the teaching profession.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad; Kano State Commissioner for Education, Dr Ali Haruna-Makoda; representatives of UNICEF; members of the State Executive Council; local government chairmen and other education stakeholders.
