Transforming the educational scene with diligence

28 students graduating without having the feel of a textbook. That is why we have failure in external examinations. So, with the coming of this government a lot has been done; congestion of classrooms and poor motivation of teachers and a lot have disappeared.

Have you achieved the benchmark you set for yourself?

I am happy today because looking back we have achieved so much. With support from Governor Dankwambo I can say we have achieved beyond our dream. Example, in our science secondary schools, the committee recommended well-equipped laboratory each for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but the governor went ahead to build three laboratories each for the three subjects in all our science schools. That is, SS I, SS II and SS III have separate laboratories to facilitate the practical teaching of these subjects. And that has done a lot of magic for us. Growing up My childhood was very nice and encouraging and I always look back with nostalgia. I recall my days in Kaltungo when I was living with my grandmother. Family life back then was communal, when you entered my grandmother’s house you could move up to seven houses from the same door. They were separate houses but they used the same door, unlike today when people don’t even know your neighbours. When returning from school, I moved from house to house before finally arriving at my grandmother’s house. I also remember the days when we will be climbing mango and guava trees, as well as singing, dancing and listening to folktales (tatsuniya) after dinner. All these things have disappeared and I so much miss them.

We learnt a lot from our grandparents by sitting down with them to gist. Also, about six to seven of us would sit down and eat together from the same bowl. We really had a nice childhood and always look back with nostalgia. Challenges The major challenge I faced in life was when I lost my father, then I was staying with my grandmother. My father died when I was 10 years old. He was the breadwinner of the family. My mother never went to school, so she was a complete housewife. Therefore, when he died we really felt his absence; that my grandmother had to move from Kaltungo to Gombe.

The other one is the general challenge that a career woman normally gets in the course of building her career. When I was at the COE Azare, my husband was a lecturer there. I was going to school and at the same time taking care of the family. It was really challenging but I tried my best and you can see from the certificates of merit I received when I graduated. Eventually, my husband had to leave for a PhD abroad, he left me and I had to go and stay with another family.