Education as a liberator is an incontestable fact. Any investment in education is therefore not just money well spent, but it is a catalyst for advancement in society. It is common knowledge in Zamfara State that Governor (Dr) Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar ‘s administration has made sure that no child is denied access to quality education. It is a common factor that primary education has always been the foundation upon which the entire education structure rests on or is built. Governor Abubakar’s silent revolution in education has convinced the people of Zamara State that he is for real. He has taken far-reaching measures to rescue the educational system from an impending collapse and decay of the past. The colossal amount of financial resources committed has led to the drastic upliftment of standard of primary education across the state underscoring the slogan of ‘catch them young’. His predecessors tried their best to improve access to basic education but Governor Abubakar surpassed them by bringing about unprecedented transformation that the sector is witnessing today. At the inception of his regime the situation was so bad that primary schools were in deplorable condition. The challenge was enormous but Governor Abubakar remained undaunted. There were dilapidated structures, dearth of qualified manpower and problem of ghost workers, no furniture, no course to quality and standard. Governor Abubakar who is an achiever did not allow that to weigh him down because he possesses the willpower to confront the rot and decay in the sector.
The first step he took is to form Zamfara State Primary Education Assessment Committee, ZSPEAC, which comprises of eminent professors and renowned educationists from various academic disciplines. Six professors, 15 doctorate holders (Ph.D.) and other professionals from colleges of education, state polytechnics and from within the state civil service was mandated to assess the situation on ground. They came up with a report which was later published and used in assessing the primary education system.
And to drive the revitalised education system, Governor Abubakar appointed Honourable Murtala Adamu, Mutawallen Jangebe , a thoroughbred professional teacher and administrator in 2011, as the executive chairman, Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board, ZSUBEB. He was also the immediate past deputy speaker of Zamfara State House of Assembly. Honourable Adamu understands the importance of education in the administration. Before his appointment, ZSUBEB was in a sorry state and everything was grounded. It was not functioning the way it is supposed to. But with Hon. Adamu in the wheel of ZSUBEB, much emphasis has been placed on capacity building as well as manpower development. He started by establishing a teacher’s training centre with state-of-the-art facilities. It sits on a vast land, has accommodation for over 600 students coupled with classes with modern teaching equipment.
From infrastructure to quality education, there is remarkable progress. The goal of government is to ensure that it competes effectively with any other state in the country or even supersedes them in the delivery of primary education to its citizens. To show that it is not a mere political statement, teachers training centre has been built to accommodate between 6,000 and 7,000 intakes at a time at Gusau. It is ICT equipped to prepare teachers for the latest demand in teaching profession.
This centre can be called ‘Governor Abubakar Yari Centre of Excellence’ and it is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
Regarding quality education many teachers are trained in various higher institutions across the country. A lot of teachers were sent for Special Education Training at Federal College of Education Special [Oyo] for training in different aspect of special education.
One of them, Mallam Bashir Muhammed, is now teaching some visually impaired students in his class.
Honourable Jangebe is an astute administrator and amazing achiever, who mounted the mantle of leadership at ZSUBEB with a wealth of experience especially concerning primary basic education.
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