In Borno: Zulum upgrades infrastructure and teachers’ welfare
….Establish more Islamic colleges and libraries
Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum recently held a high-level meeting with key education sector stakeholders to review challenges and set new directives focused on improving learning outcomes, infrastructure, and coordination across the state.
The meeting, hosted at the Government House in Maiduguri and including senior officials from the Ministry of Education and heads of education boards and agencies, emphasized the need for synergy and collaboration among agencies to deliver effective services in education.
Governor Zulum’s administration has been actively reforming education in Borno, including appointing new leadership such as Professor Yusuf Gana Balami to head the Secondary Education Board, reflecting a commitment to enhancing governance and educational quality.
The administration has also invested significantly in infrastructure, teachers’ welfare, and recruitment of over 1,000 qualified teachers, alongside reconstructing more than 150 schools to improve the education environment and access.
The reforms include structural changes, training programs for teachers, and initiatives targeting the competency and employment framework within the education sector to address longstanding challenges and improve service delivery.
The state’s 2025 budget allocated about N69.81 billion to education, covering the establishment of mega schools, rehabilitation of existing facilities, and other developmental projects.
Governor Zulum outlined a multifaceted plan to rejuvenate the education sector, which includes building houses for teachers, renovating dilapidated schools, providing professional development opportunities, and improving teachers’ access to resources.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, among other senior officials.
… orders more high Islamic colleges, libraries
Meanwhile, as part of his policy direction for the education sector, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has directed the establishment of additional High Islamic Colleges in some local government areas.
The High Islamic Colleges are designed to offer a wide range of programmes, including traditional Islamic studies, literacy and numeracy, modern sciences, and vocational training.
According to Zulum, the High Islamic Colleges were to ensure the integration of the non-formal education sector with formal education. He also affirmed that the colleges will teach basic literacy, numeracy, and vocational skills to Almajiri pupils and will provide a second chance for out-of-school children who have exceeded the enrollment age.
In addition, the governor directed the establishment of additional state libraries in Biu, southern Borno, and Monguno, in the northern part of the state.
“Deliberately, I upgraded the Maiduguri library, with the aim of establishing another one in Biu and one in Monguno in order to promote reading culture, which is fast eroding. I want you to rejuvenate the reading culture by ensuring the library is effective. But most importantly, apart from the physical books, let’s put a mechanism for e-books in place,” Zulum said.
