Niger State House House Committee on Education, Science and Technology has said, only N58.8 million out of the N840.516 million allocated to education sector in the state’s 2019 budget was accessed by the education ministry.
Malam Suleiman Gambo, Chairman of the Committee, and Member Representing Paiko Constituency, disclosed this during the presentation of a report at a plenary in Minna on Wednesday.
The House had last month, mandated the committee to perform oversight function by interfacing with stakeholders; and visit affected schools to ascertain the level of dilapidation.
Gambo disclosed that the committee discovered that out of the money allocated to education sector in the 2019 budget, only seven per cent was released to the ministry.
He said that the committee found out that many primary, junior and secondary schools across the state were dilapidated, adding that though some were as a result of neglect, others were due to natural disasters.
The chairman also disclosed that N1.3 billion spent by the state government to renovate nine schools, under the Whole School Development Approach, three of those schools however, were yet to be completed.
He listed the schools to include; Government Day Science College, Baro, Government Girls Secondary School, Tegina and Mu’azu Ibrahim Commercial Secondary School, Kontagora.
According to Gambo, there was inadequate furniture for teachers and pupils, as about 70 per cent of pupils in primary school were sitting on bare floors.
Reading the recommendations of the committee, Mr Abdullahi Wuse, Speaker of the House, said the ministry and the state SUBEB should engage direct labour and ensure proper monitoring while carrying out rehabilitation of schools, especially in rural areas to reduce cost.
