By Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Katsina State Government is set to introduce entrepreneurship courses in secondary schools to equip students with practical skills and prepare them for self-reliance after graduation.
The State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Suleiman Jibia, disclosed this while speaking with journalists, explaining that the courses would be implemented in collaboration with the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA).
Jibia said the proposed courses would include solar installation, phone repairs, knitting, furniture making and other vocational skills.
He explained that the ministry had established a committee to develop the modalities and advise the government on how to ensure the smooth implementation of the programme.
According to him, 100 schools have already been selected to serve as pilot centres for the entrepreneurship courses.
The commissioner described the initiative as part of the government’s efforts to address unemployment among secondary school graduates.
He said the programme would equip students with practical skills to become self-reliant after graduation and enable them to generate income to support their further education in higher institutions.
On other activities of the ministry, Jibia disclosed that the state government, in collaboration with the World Bank-supported Transforming Education for Secondary Schools (TESS) programme, was set to commence the distribution of textbooks worth over N18 billion.
He said every student in public secondary schools would receive a complete set of textbooks alongside writing materials.
The commissioner added that the state government had already distributed textbooks worth N600 million to primary school pupils across the state.
He further disclosed that the government had introduced rural allowances as an incentive for teachers posted to rural communities, adding that arrangements had been concluded to commence payment of the allowance this month.
Jibia also said the state government had concluded arrangements to distribute 3,000 electric motorcycles to teachers under a loan scheme.
He revealed that over 7,000 teachers had been trained in collaboration with the British Council under a programme aimed at strengthening teachers’ English proficiency.
To improve the teaching and learning environment, the commissioner said the government had renovated buildings in primary and secondary schools across the state.
He added that within the last three years, the state government had employed over 10,000 teachers and constructed 30 secondary schools.
