The Nasarawa State House of Assembly (NSHA) has demanded additional teachers be hired in order to bolster the state’s public elementary education system.
Danladi Jatau, the chairman of the House Committee on Education, stated that the call was made because there was an urgent need to replace the positions that were left empty in the state as a consequence of retirements, deaths, and other events.
Jatau made the request on Monday at an oversight meeting held at the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) headquarters in Lafia.
The purpose of the House Committee’s visit was to evaluate the Board’s 2023 budget’s performance and handle any potential issues.
It was discovered during the monitoring function that a considerable number of teaching positions—3,700 in total—remained unfilled in primary schools throughout the state as a result of teacher retirements, deaths, and other circumstances.
According to the NSHA, hiring more primary school teachers is essential to closing the achievement gap and maintaining the state’s high standard of education.
“No society will achieve speedy development without sound education, especially primary education which is the foundation of all education,” stated Danladi, drawing attention to the critical role that primary education plays in building a firm foundation for all education.
Additionally, the committee directed the State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs—among the local government authorities—to discontinue its role in funding elementary school teachers’ wages.
It directed them to assign the duty of improving service delivery efficiency to the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Jatau also gave the board the order to cancel any contracts given to vendors who haven’t started construction in any of the state’s elementary schools.
The committee stated that the contractors cannot hold the state to ransom and declared its decision to personally check each of the 137 contracts that SUBEB is now carrying out in the state to make sure the important projects are carried out as planned.
The chairman of the committee praised Governor Abdullahi Sule for his commitment to the education sector and encouraged the House to continue supporting it, assuring the board of the House’s commitment to overcoming any obstacles they may face.
