The Kaduna State Government has announced a remarkable achievement in education, with over 67% of students securing five credits and above in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, up from 54% last year.
The State’s Commissioner of Education, Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello, made this known at a one-day summit organised by the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority with the theme ‘Quality Assurance in Education: A Summit for Best Practices.’
Bello, while speaking with journalists on Thursday, said the improvement reflected the educational vision of Governor Uba Sani’s administration, which aimed to raise the standard of education through enhanced quality assurance mechanisms and improved learning outcomes.
“Kaduna is committed to not only increasing access to education but ensuring that students are graduating with excellent outcomes. We have already seen a significant rise in learning outcomes, and we believe that this upward trend will continue,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the state’s educational system would soon rank as the top in Nigeria for education delivery.
The commissioner urged other agencies to follow the example set by the Quality Assurance Authority in implementing strategies to maintain high educational standards.
Also speaking, the Director General of the Quality Assurance Authority, Prof. Usman Zaria, outlined the various steps taken to strengthen educational standards across both public and private schools.
He stressed that private schools must comply with the state’s quality assurance regulations and deliver value for the fees they charge.
He said, “One of our key accomplishments under Governor Uba Sani has been the rise in WAEC results from 54% to 67%, and our ranking has improved from 10th to 7th nationally.
“We have also introduced fortified certificates with QR codes to prevent fraud and unveiled new technology, such as computer systems, to enhance learning.”
He acknowledged that while insecurity had previously impacted school enrolment, recent improvements in security across the state had led to a rise in primary school enrolment, which now stood at almost 1.8 million, up from 1.7 million last year.
