Kano spends N3.3 bn on feeding pupils –Kwankwaso

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

Kano state government has said it is spending N3.3 billion annually in providing free meals to pupils in public primary schools across the state.

The state governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso stated this during the distribution of 618,778 free sets of uniforms to 309,389 primary one pupils for the 2012/13 academic session at the Government House, Kano, on Tuesday.

“It is on record that during our first tenure, our administration considered the need to introduce the free school feeding programme and provision of uniforms to primary school pupils throughout the state, under the Community Reorientation Committee (CRC), as an intervention measure to encourage primary school enrolment”.

“These initiatives brought about sudden increase in our school enrolment figures, from 1.24 million pupils to about three million pupils”, the governor disclosed, adding that “from the inception of this administration we have always made it abundantly clear that education of basic, secondary, tertiary and adult, form our uppermost priority”.

In his remarks, the state chairman, Community Reorientation Council, Alhaji Bello Magaji Toranke said that his council is adequately feeding and providing uniforms to pupils across the state, adding that the programmes are yielding positive results.

Meanwhile, the state government said it has expended N1.2 billion in providing equipment and furniture to 300 Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories in 100 secondary schools across the state. This is in addition to furnishing and stocking 100 secondary school libraries at the cost of N750 million.

Similarly, the government has sponsored 412 students to study undergraduate courses at Katsina University at the cost of over N59 million.

Kwankwaso disclosed this on Tuesday, at the presentation of the equipment to the secondary schools and admission letters to the 412 students held at the Government House lawn, in Kano.