Minister of Education Professor Tahir Mamman, has expressed concern about low enrollment of students into Federal Unity Colleges among the northern states of the country, emphasizing the need to fill in the gap and utilise their quota in 2024.
Mamman stated this recently when he visited Kano State Ministry of Education on an Advocacy and Sensitisation Visit aimed at boosting enrollment for the National Common Entrance Examination( NCEE) and Gifted Examination into Federal Unity Colleges.
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The minister, who was represented by the Deputy Director and Head Junior Secondary Education, Mrs. Edith Osanyinpejun, revealed that statistics made available to the ministry by the National Examination Council (NECO) indicated that most states in the North had low enrollment in the National Common Entrance Examination and Gifted Examination.
He said Kano, for example, recorded 574 enrolment of students into Federal Unity Colleges in 2023, compared to 5000 candidates enrolled when this campaign was intensified in the state.
“Kano was the first among the Northern States to introduce such a sensitization campaign on student enrollment into Federal Unity Colleges during which the state was having higher percentage among its counterparts, but as of some years back, the enrollment had changed.
“It is on this premise that the Federal Ministry of Education decided to bring stakeholders, parents and guardians together as part of its mandate to sensitize the community on the importance of quality of education in the lives of our children, especially when the Entrance Examination for admission into the Federal Unity Colleges is coming up in April for the National Common Entrance Examination and May for the Gifted Examination.
“It is our desire that the state will put in place all the necessary machinery to assist those in the rural areas and the less privileged in the society, who desire a secondary education that is affordable and of remarkable standard,” the minister stated.
A statement made available to the Newspaper yesterday by the director of public enlightenment, Kano State Ministry of Education, Balarabe Kiru, noted that the North West Zonal Director of NECO, Dr. Charles E. Udoh, who was at the meeting, assured of providing the best services needed to improve the quality of education in the state.
The commissioner in his remarks reiterated the state’s commitment to educational policies and development, explaining that the United Nations benchmark on education remains at 25% but with the commitment of the present administration on education, the government sets aside 29.97% of its budget for education.
“It is now an opportunity for us to start afresh through the most proper way and ensure that our students sit for next coming National Common Entrance Examination.
“Kano being the most populated state, we are looking for more opportunities where our children can go and learn and this is why we need assurance and cooperation especially from NECO,” Doguwa was quoted to have said in the statement.