We’re on course to addressing challenges in teacher recruitment in Kano – SUBEB

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, has said that it has implemented several strategies to address the challenges to teacher recruitment, aimed at ensuring quality education from basic level.
Director Personnel, SUBEB, Mariya Hodi Adamu, disclosed this in her presentation at a roundtable session on teacher recruitment and deployment, organized by Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria, PLANE, in collaboration with SUBEB, held in Kano on Tuesday.
According to Mrs Hodi, to increase recruitment drives, SUBEB had lunched targeted recruitment campaigns to attract more qualified teachers, particularly focusing on filling the gaps in rural areas.
She explained that the board also enhanced training programs, “there by introducing professional development programs to improved the skill and the capacity of exist teachers.”
“ The board also introduced improved incentives and benefits to make teaching profession more attractive, in addition to working on improving salary structure, offering other benefit to techers expecially those willing to work in rural areas, e.g Professional and hazard allowances, staff car loan e.t.c.
“The Board has also invested in improving schools infrastructure making schools more conducive to teaching and learning. Government approved for the building of new classroom, renovations and provision of teaching aids to enhance quality of education.
“Community involvement: the Board has engaged local communities to support teacher recruitment and retention Merit – based – recruitment: effort have been made to ensure that the recuitment process is transference and based on merit to reduce the impact of political interference and nepotism and ensuring that the most qualified candidates are selected.
“ The Board has put in place mechanism for regular monitoring and evaluation of teachers performance and the recruitment process. This help in identifying areas for improvement and making necessary adjustment,” she explained in her presentation.

In his remarks earlier, the Permanent Member 1 at the board, Rabi’u Sale Gwarzo, attributed the deficiency in quality of education in the state to the inadequacy of trained teachers.
According to him, the quality of educational delivery across the state is seriously deficient in a number of aspects, including low commitment from teachers.
Other factors affecting the quality of education in the state, according to Gwarzo, include low quality of teachers, inadequacy of female teachers in rural areas as well as shortage of teaching and learning materials.
“These challenges resulted in jeopardizing the education system in the state.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our collective journey towards embracing opportunities presented by PLANE in engaging stakeholders in constructive dialogue regarding the shortage of teachers in basic education.”