Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has attributed lack of synergies among the State’s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ministry of Education (MoE) and Teaching Service Board (TCB) for the sharp decline in education standards and evaluation. Zulum raised that alarm Tuesday, while inaugurating the board and State’s Audit Service Commission (ASC) at the Government House, Maiduguri, the state capital.
“My key concerns in the education sector is the decline in standards of education,” he said; noting that it is not the building and recruitment of schools and teachers that matter, but the quality of educating over a million children. He said that when the quality of educational output is very low; that entails that the quality of inputs into the secondary system should also be bad. Besides, he added that that could create a low quality of education into the University system. “I therefore requested and forwarded to the Borno House of Assembly to review the existing law of SUBEB, whereby the education board has to report to the Governor’s office.”
He noted that this will ensure effective synergy among the board, ministry of education and the Commission. Lamenting the decline in standards, the Governor said: “The quality of education is fast declining in the state, whether we like it or not.” He therefore attributed the decline to low teachers’ salaries and engagement of unqualified teachers at the primary and secondary levels. In overcoming these challenges, he pledged that; “Teachers would not retrenched or sacked; as the unqualified ones are to be trained and re-trained; and to earn a minimum wage of N30, 000 a month.