The Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) says the transfer of Junior Secondary Schools from Ministry of Education to State Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB) will improve transition rate from primary to JSS.

The Citizen’s Co-chair, KADBEAM, Mr Aliyu Tijjani, said this in an interview with NAN in Kaduna on Thursday, while reacting to the recent transfer of 170 JSS to KADSUBEB.

KADBEAM is a permanent dialogue platform for government and citizens to co-create and co-implement basic education programmes and projects to ensure transparency and accountability in line with the principle of Open Government Partnership.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr Haliru Soba, had in a letter to the Executive Chairman, KADSUBEB, Mr Tijjani Abdullahi, announced the handing over of 170 Junior Secondary Schools to the board.

According to Soba, the handing over is in line with the directive of Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the subsequent renaming of primary and junior secondary schools in the state to Basic Education Schools.

Tijjani, who commended the decision, stressed that one of the major problems affecting basic education in the state was the low transition from primary schools to JSS, particularly for the girl-child.

He said over the years, the JSS had been part of senior secondary schools and usually located far away from primary schools.

READ ALSO: Kaduna govt recalls LG chairmen suspended by Assembly

“This barrier discourages a lot of children from transiting from primary school to JSS because of the distance to the nearest JSS in the area.

“But with this development, junior secondary schools will be located in the same environment with the JSS so that the primary school pupils will transit seamlessly to JSS.

“This will significantly improve transition rate from primary to junior secondary schools across the state,” he said.

He stated that the step would go a long way in ensuring full implementation of the Universal Basic Education Act, 2004, which placed junior secondary schools under the purview of SUBEB.

He said the state government was already providing free education from primary to senior secondary school, adding that bringing, primary and JSS under the same environment would improve school retention and transition.

The Star