The Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Kassim Muhammad-Kassim, has initiated comprehensive reforms to address mismanagement in the state's basic education system, including recovering stolen school furniture and redeploying over 1,300 administrative staff to teaching positions.
During his first meeting with education secretaries from the state's 13 local government areas and 18 development areas, Muhammad-Kassim expressed serious concerns about reports that school furniture meant for public school pupils had been illegally diverted and sold to private schools.
"Our students cannot be sitting on the floor while headmasters and education secretaries sell furniture we provided. I have visited schools and seen firsthand how children sit on floors, yet records show furniture was provided. I will not tolerate this under my administration," he stated firmly.
Recovery of Stolen School Property
To address the issue of stolen furniture, the chairman revealed that he has enlisted the support of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations to help identify and retrieve the stolen items from private schools where they were illegally sold.
Muhammad-Kassim also issued stern warnings against unauthorized salary deductions, instructing that no deductions should occur unless approved on disciplinary grounds by the board. He further cautioned against the unauthorized sale or lease of school lands to small businesses, noting that several reports had emerged of school property being misappropriated for personal gain.
Infrastructure Accountability Measures
As part of efforts to improve infrastructure accountability, the chairman announced the creation of maintenance units in each local government to safeguard SUBEB assets. He also warned contractors against delivering substandard work, emphasizing that payments would be withheld for any unsatisfactory projects.
"We cannot renovate a school this year and have the same structures renovated next year," he said. "It indicates a problem in the initial contractor's work. We will not pay contractors until we are satisfied with the quality."
Redeployment of Administrative Staff to Classrooms
Addressing the critical issue of teacher deployment, Muhammad-Kassim ordered the immediate redeployment of 1,300 administrative staff, out of the current 3,422, to return to classroom duties. He cited the imbalance between administrative staff numbers and teacher shortages in rural areas as the reason for this decision.
"The Board will not tolerate a situation where there are numerous supervisors in urban areas while rural schools lack teachers," he emphasized. "The 1,300 redeployed teachers will be posted to rural schools."
New Teacher Recruitment Initiative
On new recruitment efforts, the chairman revealed that Governor Abdullahi Sule had approved the hiring of 4,800 qualified teachers under a special rural-focused initiative tagged "Recruitment of Teachers in Rural Areas." He made it clear that successful candidates must be ready to serve in remote communities, stating that none of the new recruits will be posted to urban centers.
These measures form part of a broader plan to revamp basic education in Nasarawa State and ensure equitable access to quality learning environments for all children, particularly in underserved rural areas.
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