EDUCATION

'We are only 32 Lecturers teaching 7000 students in Gidan Waya' - Don

College of Education, Gidan Waya: Rot within

By EDDY OCHIGBO

A Senior English Lecturer with the College of Education, Gidan Waya, Dr Philip Hayab has expressed total dissatisfaction with the gross neglect of the institution by the Kaduna state government.

Dr Hayab who was speaking at a forum put together by the Kaduna state Basic Education and Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) to kick start 'Open Kaduna Education Sector' , lamented the worsening condition of the College of Education,Gidan Waya, calling on the Kaduna state government to urgently step in to redress the ugly trend.

Hayab disclosed: "The college which has a student population of 7000, can only boast of only 32 lecturers. There are uncountable situations where students overwhelm the lecturer in the class. That is not talk about the terrible state of most of the structures in college. To aggravate matters, the road leading to the college is also in a terrible shape."

Also speaking at the inaugural interactive Forum on Education Sector Performance Review, the brainchild of KADBEAM, supported by DFID funded Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL-ECP), the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Alhaji Ja'afaru Sani commended the organizers of the event noting that the Education Sector can only make meaningful progress when the people are carried along in the design and implementation process of government policies.

"Government do not know everything and the responsibility of providing education for all is the responsibility of all, making this open governance and citizens engagement key to the success of government programs in the sector."

KADBEAM's Aliyu Tijani a co-chair from civil society, while explaining the nitty gritty of the Forum, described his outfit as a 'child of necessity', pointing out that the state is doing all it can in the sector without the knowledge of the people due to lack of awareness.

"It might interest you to know that the Permanent Secretary of the Education ministry is a co-chair - a partnership platform for the government and citizens to work together for the greater good of the sector", Tijana said, revealing that the main goal of the KADBEAM is to bridge the gap between the public and government and educate them on what the government is doing in the sector, with particular attention on basic education. He added that KADBEAM is an accountability mechanism designed to ensure transparency in the education sector.

Reacting to the pathetic condition of the Gidan Waya College of Education, the commissioner regretted the bad shape of the institution and pledged to set machinery in motion to give the ailing college a new lease of life.

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