Literacy Rate in Bauchi Leap-frogs from 15% to

This was a revelation made by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Bauchi
State, Alh. Ibrahim Mohammed Aliyu, in an on-the-spot interview with Monday
Bulletin on Monday, 9 July, 2012, at the National Universities Commission.
Responding to questions on the development and achievements of Bauchi State University,
the Commissioner said that, from the 10-15% literacy level previously recorded, it had risen
to 65-70%. The government had waged a war against illiteracy, by completely renovating
schools, approving the supply of text books at all levels and providing free accommodation
and mattresses for students at the basic education level, with free feeding and SSCE
registration.
On girl-child education in Bauchi State, the Commissioner said that recently, the State was
rated second best in providing access to girl-child education. To discourage premature
marriages and hawking, the Government planned to open two additional schools for girls,
located not too far from the capital, and to relocate boys from some schools to others so as to
T
Prof. Okojie and Ms. Florenciano with some participants of the intensive Spanish training
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Alh. Ibrahim Mohammed Aliyu
Commissioner for Education, Bauchi State
increase the number of girls’ schools. The reason for the location of the schools, he said, was
to facilitate monitoring and evaluation. “By this year, about 40,000 will have graduated from
both the junior and the senior schools for the girl-child. It is our expectation that by the time
they finish their senior secondary school, they would appreciate western education enough to
continue from there.’’
Speaking on the evolution of the University, following its recognition by NUC in 2011, the
Commissioner said the State Government had appointed a Consultant, Professor Ango
Abdullahi, so as not to allow any form of interference from any quarters except for the
Commissioner of Education and the Secretary to the State Government, who were to serve as
project coordinators and channels of communication with the government and the consultant.
He said the Consultants were given a free hand to operate without any political or civil
service interference. This, he said, was why
the University took off within nine months
and operates within the university system as
required by the NUC Benchmark Minimum
Academic Standards. Immediately the
Consultant was done, the Government
appointed a Governing Council with the
same Professor Ango Abdullahi as
Chairman. To allow for smooth running of
the University, devoid of political
interference, the Government took a
decision not to appoint a Vice-Chancellor
and Registrar from the State, saying that the
Vice-Chancellor is from Kaduna State,
while the Registrar is from Adamawa State
and that other competent hands were
engaged to handle the running of the
University.
On local content, the Commissioner said the Government was careful not to locate the
University in any of its major towns but in communities along the Hadejia-Jamaare River
basin. With the location of the University on a land mass, along the river basin, he said,
“when the Faculty of Agriculture takes off, it will also serve as a centre for Agricultural
Research extension to help in addressing desertification challenges, which, he said was a
global priority. Arrangements are being made to acquire land for soil-based research on types
of plants and seeds to be generated.”
Responding on the running of multi-campus, which the Commission discourages, the
Commissioner said the State Government, being mindful of NUC benchmark, runs the
various campuses each with a peculiar programme of focus, saying the main campus was to
run Arts, Sciences, Agriculture and Medicine without Social Sciences, The Misau Campus
was to run the Faculty of Law only and the Bauchi Campus was to focus on Engineering and
Social Sciences. He said the Government, mindful of the financial implication of running the
three campuses, had enacted a Law for the University to be self-reliant with 2% from the
state statutory allocation and 5% of the local government grants to go to the Institution’s
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Fatou Bom Bensouda
Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court
account. He further told MB that the Government was going to obtain about 250 million
dollar loan, for the development of infrastructure in the university.
On staffing and staff development, the Commissioner affirmed that the recruitment policy
indicated that all Graduate Assistants would be recruited from the State but were not allowed
to lecture. Rather, they conducted tutorials for the students. For other categories of staff,
suitably qualified persons were recruited, regardless of tribe, race or religion. As part of its
staff development initiative, government, through its Ministry of Higher Education, was
sponsoring graduate assistants for further studies both within and outside the country. “When
I recently visited the University, I found out that the University had given out loans to staff to
improve their welfare thereby maintaining good and qualified manpower. We have acquired a
land for the University to establish a model staff school.”