Zulum orders UBEB to appraise private schools in Borno

Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has given the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) six months within which to assess private primary and secondary schools in the state.

This is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Maiduguri by Zulum’s Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy, Mr Isa Gusau.

The order, he said, was issued following complaints on capacity and quality of some of the private schools.

“I have directed the Secretary to the State Government to notify the UBEB board Chairman, Dr Shettima Kullima, to deploy officials to examine the capacity of all private schools.

“The board is given six months within to examine physical infrastructure, quality and availability of teachers, and other relevant records.

“The board will make recommendations to the government of Borno. We will do our best to ensure improvement of standards but where necessary, substandard schools to be close immediately.

“While we are making modest efforts to uplift the standard of education in our public schools, we shall also be very mindful of the operations of private schools in the state,” Zulum said.

It was reported that in December 2020, a High-Powered Committee on Verification and Biometric Data Capture of Local Education Authority Staff in Borno disclosed that 60 per cent of primary school teachers in the state lacked the requisite teaching qualifications.

The Chairman of the committee, Dr Shettima Kulima, said out of the 26,250 screened only 10,103 possessed the requisite teaching qualifications.