Nasarawa Assembly decries falling education standard, seeks recruitment of qualified teachers

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has urged the local government areas and the state government to put machinery in place to employ competent and qualified primary school teachers in the state.

The house said the call was necessary due to the falling standard of primary education in the state.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the speaker of the house, made the call after Daniel Ogazi, the chairman of the House Committee on Education, raised the issue on matters of public importance during the house proceedings in Lafia on Monday.

Mr Abdullahi said the state government was doing well by providing structures across primary schools in the state, but it would amount to nothing if there were no qualified and competent teachers.

“Our resolution is that we urge the state government to declare a state of emergency in primary education and

“That the local government areas in conjunction with the state government to put machinery in place for the employment of primary school teachers in the state,” he said.

The speaker urged members and other people, especially public officeholders, to send their children to public schools to ensure the sector is revived.

“I believe, we all attended public schools, and if we send our children to public schools, it will revive the system and ensure quality education in the state,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Ogazi, the deputy majority leader, said there was an urgent need for the government to employ primary school teachers to arrest the situation in the primary schools.

“Mr Speaker and my honourable colleagues, in the course of our oversight function, we discovered that from 2011 to 2021, we have 3,665 primary school teachers who have died or retired.

“And there has never been the employment of primary school teachers since 2011 to 2021.

“It is in view of this that I call for the employment of primary school teachers in the state in order to address the situation,” he said.

In their contributions, Peter Akwe, Suleiman Yakubu-Azara, John Osewu and Mohammed Okpoku appreciated Mr Ogazi for raising the issue.

(NAN)