Sir: The news that has generated buzz in the social and conversional media on Monday is the enrolment of Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s six-year old child in the public school. Abubakar was enrolled in Kaduna State Capital School on Monday in fulfilment of the governor’s campaign promises to take his son to public school.If one may recall, Governor El-Rufa’i since the time he assumed office to date, has been carrying out reforms aimed at repositioning the education sector. The reforms has led to the sacking of over 20 thousand primary school teachers whom he described as incompetent having failed to pass an aptitute test organised by the state government. However, the state government moved fast to fill the vacuum. It hired graduates and NCE holders to teach in the public schools.
There are divergent views being expressed by people with regard to the enrolment of Abubakar El-Rufai into the public school. Some people view the bold action as timely particularly when many Nigerians have started losing confidence on public schools.
It is no longer news that our public schools have become shadow of their former selves. Most of our primary schools lack basic infrastructures, learning materials and above all competent teachers. These sorry conditions of our education sector has forced the ruling elite and other affluent members in our societies to take or enrol their children or wards to the private schools. To these catagories of people, the governor’s decision to enrol his son is a moral booster and will encourage school enrolment drive. However, other people view the governor’s move as politics. To them, there is a world of difference between the Kaduna State Capital School which the governor took his son and the LGE Primary Schools where children of the common man attend.
It was reliably gathered that the state government last year spent N195 million to renovate the capital school. This indicates, even by any standard, that the school where the governor enrolled his son is far better than most of our LGE schools.
In most of the public schools, the children of the poor recieve lessons under dilapidated classrooms. Sometimes, under the shade of trees with the majority of pupils sitting in bare floor. This poor environment of learning still exists in spite of the much-talked or acclaimed investment in the sector. With this glaring evidence, the critics believe that Governor El-Rufai does not deserve applause or commendation. They have furthered stated that he just wants to make political capital out of the much-publicised public school enrolment.
Untill the falling standard of education in the early 90’s, the children of our ruling elites shared the same class with wards of the poor people of the society. Governor El-Rufai, who is a beneficiary of public schools attested to this fact. The governor should go beyond taking his son to a public school and invest massively in the education for the development of Kaduna State.
Ibrahim Mustapha,
Pambegua, Kaduna State.
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