The Kebbi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) says it has registered 857,185 students in primary and junior secondary schools.

SUBEB chair, Suleiman Khalid-Jega, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting on the conduct of the National Personnel Audit (NPA) with Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) team on Monday in Birnin Kebbi.

Mr Khalid-Jega said the exercise was to collect basic information on schools, pupils, students and personnel.

He explained that the data collected would assist the country to plan effectively towards expanding access to quality education and promoting gender parity at basic and other levels of education.

“At present, 857,185 pupils have been registered in basic schools in the state. Out of this, 65 per cent (534,584) are in public schools and 35 per cent  (302,601) in private schools,” he said.

Mr Khalid-Jega added that out of the figure, about one-third was taken by the private schools. He said the pupils were enrolled in 2,320 private primary schools and 426 in private and public secondary schools.

The official also mentioned that 350,000 learners were enrolled in 5,343 non-formal learning centres, adding they had 3,912 facilitators.

He also said that private schools in the state had been good partners in providing quality education. Mt Khalid-Jega disclosed that the private schools had 35 per cent of pupils and 4,141 personnel.

“The aim of the NPA is to provide answers to a series of questions on how to move the education sector forward in the state and the country, in areas of teaching and learning environment as well as enrolment of girl-child. What we are doing in the state is to provide quality assurance to our schools and also to the learning environment,” he explained.”

(NAN)