By Salihu Abubakar and Filibus Yatai
“To be honest, if I tell you that I am comfortable with the situation, I will be telling lies. If from 2007 to date, we are still having less than 10 per cent success in WAEC examinations, then, something is wrong somewhere.
“I am heartbroken and I feel completely dissatisfied with my performance as far as education is concerned; I have done my best but we have no excuses for this consistent failure.”
These were the words of Gov. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State when he addressed education stakeholders in the state recently.
As expected, the statement elicited the commendation of observers who lauded the governor for being frank and straightforward, instead of shifting the blame on others.
The governor summoned an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the poor performance of Bauchi State students in WAEC examinations over the years.
From Yuguda’s disposition, one could clearly visualise that his agony over the situation has reached its climax.
In spite of the fact that the failure of students in the 2014 WAEC examination was somewhat nationwide, the governor’s anger probably stemmed from the fact that Bauchi State occupied the 36th position on the performance table.
The governor’s anger is, perhaps, understandable because his administration has made appreciable efforts, within the last seven years, to increase the funding of the education sector.
Observers note that the administration has been able to meet with UNESCO’s benchmark of 26 per cent of budgetary allocation to the education sector, adding that the dismal performance of the students is, therefore, inexcusable.
Barely running short of openly castigating those managing the sector, the governor dished out some statistics to buttress his claims regarding his administration’s funding of the sector.
Juxtaposing the figures with the students’ poor performance, Yuguda wondered what must have gone wrong.
He stressed that in the last seven years; his administration had spent more than N127 billion on education, representing 26 per cent of the state’s annual budget, adding, however, that there was nothing to show for the huge expenditure.
“When I took the mantle of leadership in the state in 2007, only six per cent of the entire budget was dedicated to education. I increased education’s share in the budget to 26 per cent.
“If we realised an average of N70 billion annually as revenue; it will give you N490 billion in seven years. That is the amount that came into the coffers of the state during the period.
“If you calculate 26 per cent of the amount, it will give you N127 billion. That is the money we allocated to the education sector within the last seven years,’’ he added.
Yuguda said that the money was spent on teachers’ remuneration, development of physical infrastructure and facilities; as well as provision of equipment, instructional materials and books, among others.
He bemoaned the mass students’ failure in WAEC examinations in the last seven years, buttressing his argument with some statistics.
“In 2007 when we came into office, we had 5,416 candidates who sat for WAEC examination and 240 passed with five credits, representing 4.4 per cent. In 2008, 8,400 students sat for the exam and only 4.6 per cent of them passed.
“In 2009, we had 9,200 students who sat for the same examination and 320 passed, representing 3.4 per cent. In 2010, we had 9,800 students and 377 passed, representing 3.8 per cent.
“In 2011, 11,900 students sat for the examination and only 510 passed, representing 4.2 per cent. In 2012, we had 18,000 students but only 4.2 per cent of them passed. In 2013, it was 4.5 per cent.
“The story is not different this year, where out of the 29,332 students who sat for the examination in the state, only 1,584 passed with credits in five subjects, including English and Mathematics, representing 5.2 per cent.
“This placed Bauchi State 36th on the performance table, out of the 36 states and the FCT,’’ Yuguda said, adding: “The trend of this mass failure is alarming for a state that has invested so much in education.’’
Sharing similar sentiments, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, the Commissioner for Education, stressed that the state government had so far spent N20.88 billion on Senior Secondary Schools alone in the last seven years.