By Hassana Yakubu
Kaduna – Kaduna State Government has earmarked N42 billion to education in its 2020 budget, the Commissioner of Education, Dr Shehu Makarfi, has said.
Makarfi said during budget defence of the ministry at the state House of Assembly on Wednesday in Kaduna that N26 billion of the total budget would be spent on capital projects.
He added that over N10 billion was for salary payments and over N12 billion for recurrent expenditure.
Makarfi explained that apart from the provision of infrastructure, the government would also focus on securing schools, enhancing road networks and deploying more matrons to girls schools.
“The ministry is doing alot of interventions, we are dealing with over 500 secondary schools and we will make alot of investments in improving infrastructures, improving quality of the teachers
“We have also made adequate provisions to move Kaduna State University from the current site to its permanent site along Zaria road.
“We have also budgeted adequately to complete the six science secondary schools we are building; we are also taking another 16 secondary schools that will be fully made into bording schools.
“We are going to continue the routine issue of feeding, providing uniforms and we are going to increase the number and we are going to improve on infrastructure, rehabilitation of schools,” the commissioner said.
Meanwhile, the Rector of Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Mohammed Abdullahi, has said that the institution plans to spend over N3 billion in 2020, out of which N1.3 billion would go to capital projects and N1.7 billion on recurrent services.
He said “we want to have more facilities such as equipment for our laboratories and workshops, we want go into accreditation for our programmes.”
Also, the Executives Secretary of the state Scholarship Board, Alhaji Hassan Rilwan, asked for the assembly’s intervention for upward review on some critical aspects of the scholarship awarded to students.
Rilwan said it is important to ensure that students especially those studying abroad are adequately catered for.
He said that the board would roll out minimum criteria for government sponsorship, which would be strictly awarded based on merit.
Rilwan added the board would make special provisions for students with disabilities and those studying courses which the state has special needs.
The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Alhaji Yusuf Liman assured that the lawmakers would fully support important government policies targeted at moving the state forward.
He said that the Assembly had passed different laws and resolutions that would improve the education sector and assured the ministry of appropriate consideration of its 2020 budget.
