Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has approved a 120-day Rapid Intervention Action Plan aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in the state’s education sector. The decision was made during the 65th State Executive Council meeting, chaired by the governor at the Government House in Gusau.
The plan follows diagnostic reviews by the Ministry of Education and the state’s Education Quality Assurance Agency. It targets urgent reforms in governance, infrastructure, digital systems, teacher development, and student welfare. Key measures include payroll audits, school mapping, and infrastructure assessments designed to improve efficiency and accountability.
The council also approved the creation of a joint committee to evaluate illegal and unapproved structures around schools, with recommendations for their removal or relocation to enhance safety. Additionally, the government will develop a unified Education Sector Bill covering early childhood through tertiary education, developed in consultation with stakeholders including civil society, traditional rulers, and development partners, for submission to the state legislature.
Non-teaching personnel such as messengers, gardeners, drivers, security guards, artisans, and health workers will be transferred from the Ministry of Education’s payroll to appropriate ministries, departments, agencies, or private contractors. A Zamfara State Steering Committee on the State of Emergency in Education will be established, working with groups such as the Nigeria Union of Teachers, UNICEF, the Universal Basic Education Commission, and private school proprietors.
The government says the intervention underscores its commitment to reversing the decline in education standards and improving learning outcomes across the state.
