More than half of Sokoto teachers can’t read – UBEC boss

Sebagen Henry Noboh | May 25, 2012 |

 Gov Wammakko

Over 50% of basic school teachers in Sokoto state cannot read and write, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)Dr Mohammed Modibbo has said.

Modibbo dropped the hint during a pre-oversight visit by the Senate Committee on Education to UBEC headquarters, in Abuja.

He told the senators why efforts being made by the commission to intervene in basic education in the state seem unfruitful.

He said: “For example, I have told you that 80 per cent of the teachers in Sokoto state cannot read.

“I have given them UBE books in Sokoto state. But more than 50 per cent of the entire teachers in the state cannot read, because they are unqualified. So how can they read the UBE books we sent to them?

“How would they be able to teach the children how to read and impact on the children so that we can record success with our objective?”

The UBEC boss said that there has to be concerted efforts by all stakeholders to achieve any meaningful results from the various intervention efforts by the government.

Modibbo thus requested that the senators amend the law establishing the commission give it more powers to bite.

“If the through legislation UBEC is empower to close any sub-standard school, it will go a long way to solving the problem.

“There are so many ramshackle schools in Nigeria; People open garages and call them schools, and parents take them there.

“If we have power to close them, if we have power to sanction any state, that is employing unqualified teachers in the state, it would go a long way in helping the children,” Modibbo added.

As it stands now, he said, UBEC has no power to either close down a sub-standard school or sanction a state that employs unqualified teachers.

Sharfaddeen Sidi Umar 

Sent from my iPad 2