BY IBRAHEEM MUSA

By design, the projects and policies are composite, cross-cutting  and complementary,  aimed   at  empowering the people. Mainly,   the expected outcome, from the get-go, is Human Capital Development and skills, education as well as a good healthcare,  are   key components of the sector.   Indeed,  Senator Uba Sani, the Kaduna State Governor, has been focusing on them and right now, access to education  has increased,  learning conditions have improved and the out-of-school children  bulge  has taken a hit. Similarly, in Kaduna State, there is   now a 100% Healthcare Facility Coverage, the only sub national to achieve this feat in Nigeria. How did it happen?

Specifically, upon assuming office, Senator Uba Sani fulfilled a cardinal campaign promise to the electorate. The governor, jettisoning bureaucracy, set a machinery in motion and 84 days later, students  heaved a sigh of relief as fees, in whatever guise, were slashed down  in Kaduna State-owned tertiary institutions. Presently,  Kaduna State University(KASU) students, following the review, pay N105, 000 per semester. Similarly, the fees of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, a Zaria-based institution, have been  reduced from N100,000 to N50,000. Likewise, the College of Education, Gidan Waya, now charges N37,500 instead of N75,000 per semester. Also, students of Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences, across all courses, enjoy a new fees  regime. Indeed, charges for Higher National Diploma courses were reduced from N100,000 to N70,000, while National Diploma students now pay N52,000 instead of N75,000.

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Besides, new primary and secondary schools, in the last one year, have been built and several classrooms have been constructed to accommodate more pupils and students. Indeed, over 2,326 new classrooms have been built for more than 93,040 pupils. In addition, 707 classrooms have been renovated to enhance learning. Likewise, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), in collaboration with DFID, has been training teachers to upscale their Reading and Numeracy Activities (RANA), as part of the Girls Education Programme Phase 3. Specifically, the programme is aimed at improving literacy and numeracy instruction in grades one to three,  in both public schools and integrated Quranic schools.  Ultimately, the goal is  to  increase  literacy outcomes for early learners.  RANA, to this end,  has developed Hausa-language teaching and learning materials, built teachers capacity, mobilised communities, and engaged Local Governments to improve early grade reading policies.

Similarly, at Soba, Rigachukun and Samarun Kataf towns, three Skills Acquisition Centres will soon be completed. At least, 6,000 youths will be trained annually and given universally-recognized certificates. Last month, the   Kaduna State Skills Development Council, which will collaborate with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), was inaugurated by Governor Uba Sani. Ultimately, the Council will  provide  the Nigerian Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)  certification.

In particular, healthcare has gotten a boost, doctors’ emoluments have been increased  and  the working conditions of health workers, according to reports, have improved. Besides, Kaduna State is the first sub national, in the entire country, to achieve 100% Healthcare facility Coverage. Indeed, the Senator Uba Sani administration, within one year, has distributed  state-of-the-art medical equipment to 290 Primary Health Centres across board.  Similarly, nine  General Hospitals are being renovated, remodelled and equipped in all the senatorial districts. Besides, the abandoned 300-bed Specialists Hospital is being resuscitated.

Significantly, with a revamped education sector, a structured skills acquisition programme and  quality healthcare delivery, including  its ‘’A Kori Talauci,’’ a  pro-poor empowerment programme, the Senator Uba Sani administration is not just raising the bar of Human Capital Development in Kaduna State, but positioning its youth   for the future.

The Star