Governor Uba Sani aims to expand access to quality education, reposition education and equip young people with the knowledge, skills and character to build productive and fulfilling lives.
The Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe who made this known at a Community Engagement organized by the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority on Tuesday, noted that education is a shared responsibility.
‘’Education is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a shared responsibility involving government, teachers, school managers, parents, learners, communities and all stakeholders.
‘’Education does not begin and end at the school gate. Education begins in the home. It is strengthened in the classroom. It is reinforced by the community. And it is ultimately protected by the society we build around our children.
‘’This is the very essence of this gathering. Bringing those who matter, together, to help shape the tomorrow of our dreams for our children,’’ Dr Balarabe pointed out.
The Deputy Governor further said that the Governor Uba Sani administration’s reforms in the education sector are ‘’changing the experience of a child in a classroom.’’
According to her, Kaduna State Government is ‘’strengthening quality assurance across all 23 Local Government Areas, to ensure that schools in remote communities get the same attention to standards as those in the State capital.’’
‘’That is why we are providing Education Quality Assurance Officers motorcycles and other operational support to enable them to reach more schools, identify problems earlier and support school managers to improve,’’ she added.
According to her, the introduction of hybrid CBT for the Junior Secondary Certificate Examination, QR-coded certificates and stronger examination monitoring are part of Kaduna’s determination to protect the integrity of our education system.
‘’From 2023 to date, Senator Uba Sani’s administration has supported more than 800,000 students in the Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School examinations as a demonstration of our commitment to invest in the education of Kaduna children,’’ she added.
In his welcome address, the Director General of Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority, Prof Abubakar Usman Zaria, disclosed that the present administration has overhauled the concept of quality assurance.
‘’We have been transforming quality assurance—from fault-finding to value creation; from paper to data; and from inspection to continuous improvement,’’ he added.
According to the Director General, the Authority is moving school monitoring from paper-based reporting to digital, real-time evidence through EduMonitor App.
‘’We have developed standardized and/or automated more than 20 quality assurance tools, covering examination clearance and candidate affiliation, school categorization, proposed school site assessment, book assessment, private-school licensing, annual quality assurance reporting and examination-material tracking through a carefully designed waybill system,’’ he added.
Prof Zaria said that Kaduna State’s BECE certificates, Certificates of Consent and annual private-school operating licences now carry QR codes, strengthening verification and protection against fraud and forgery.
‘’ We have also introduced an Annual Quality Assurance Report as part of private-school licence renewal—because quality should not be demonstrated only when a school wants a licence; it must be sustained every year,’’ he added.
The DG however argued that in spite of digital reporting, officers still have to reach the schools, adding that ‘’that is why 50 motorcycles have been provided to our field officers across the 23 Local Government Areas.
He said that monthly operational and monitoring allowances are being provided, alongside robust support that expands reach, including hard-to-reach communities.