From Aminu Dalhatu
Kaduna State government has flagged off distribution of free uniforms to all students in public schools across the state.
Deputy Governor of the state, Dr Hadiza Balarabe while flagging off the distribution for the year 2019/2020 academic year held at Government Girls Secondary School, Kawo, Kaduna, said the state had spent over four hundred and fourty million naira in purchased of the uniforms.
Dr Hadiza Balarabe explained that, each student of all public schools would be offered a pair of uniform to make basic education free and accessible for all children of school age.
According to her, over one hundred and twenty pairs of uniforms would be distributed across the state, stressing that, out of the figure, 69,520 would be distributed for male students while 51,032 for female students.
Dr Hadiza Balarabe further stated that, Since the inception of the administration in 2015, government had ensured the provision of uniforms, books to primary and secondary schools and freed parents from any financial burden to equalize access to basic primary and secondary education.
She said government would accelerate efforts to address infrastructure deficits and broken facilities in all public schools, continue to supply teaching and learning materials, free uniforms, and ICT tools to pupils and students in all schools.
According to her, no parent or guardian has any excuse to refuse to take their children to school, maintaining that, education is the great equalizer of the conditions of men and the balance-wheel of the social machinery.
In a remark, Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Usman Makarfi disclosed that, the state ministry of education had budgeted over eight hundred million naira for this year’s to purchase another set of uniforms for students.
Dr Makarfi noted that, from the last annual census, female students are competing with male students in the area of enrollment across Kaduna State.
According to him, there was fifty one percent enrollment for male students and fourty nine percent for female students.
He urged students to pay attention in their studies while government would continue to support and encourage them untill they achieve the desired objective.
Some of the students who spoke to Radio Nigeria expressed gratitude for the gesture and pledged to put more effort to acquire the sound education.