Jigawa keeps tabs on schools by effective inspection
Authorities in Jigawa State have taken a range of actions to strengthen education quality through effective school inspection. The essence is to determine the level of schools’ compliance with regulations and duties and obtain information on the quality of teaching and learning environment.
Sources said the decisions were taken because the provision of infrastructure, instructional materials and manpower alone cannot ensure quality teaching and learning; without effective supervision by experienced education inspectors.
The emphasis on supervision does not only strengthen the provision of knowledge but also helps in building the capacities of the teachers who would tap into the wealth of experience of the team of inspectors.
In the past, inspectorate units under the education departments were always the backbone of impactful teaching and learning processes but the units were said to have suffered setbacks and the consequence of such negligence almost sent them into obscurity.
Despite the fact that Jigawa State Government has in the last four years been able to transform the education sector through the construction of additional 1,400 classrooms in both primary and junior secondary schools; renovated over 3,000 dilapidated classrooms, procured and distributed 142,577 classroom furniture, provided instructional materials as well as employed 1,393 teachers who were integrated into the basic education system, the efforts to strengthen learning through effective monitoring for proper evaluation was also approved for inestimable contribution.
The government, therefore, gave a boost to all inspectorate units and distributed 224 motorcycles to education inspectors to ease their work. The inspectors later had their titles changed to School Support Officers (SSO).
The motorcycles were basically meant to ease the movement of the officers who would go to schools to improve on teaching and learning processes at the basic level, particularly in rural areas.
Of the 27 local government areas of the state, some received six while others got nine motorcycles; the disparity depended on the number of clusters (schools to supervise).
The Executive Chairman of Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Salisu Zakar, said the distribution of the motorcycles alongside 16 other items, including white chalk, attendance registers for primary schools, dusters, record of work books, science kits, maps for primary schools and those for junior secondary schools would promote quality teaching.
Zakar said appropriate measures had since been put in place for disciplinary actions against any officer found wanting, saying aside a customized number plate, each motorcycle would have an inscription boldly on it stating the purpose for which it was given.
According to him, the inscriptions were for easy identification and in case any of the beneficiaries could misuse or convert them to any form of commercial activity, people could report the matter for appropriate action.
He said government has made provision for allowances to each of the beneficiaries for the purpose of fueling and maintenance, adding that modalities for implementation were being worked out.
“The Jigawa State government is distributing 224 motorcycles to Schools Support Officers and instruction materials for effective supervision and quality education delivery. Government has provided these in order to engender better school monitoring to promote quality teaching and learning activities in our schools and improve pupil learning outcome.
“It is important to note that the misuse and deliberate loss of the motorcycles will consequently lead to compulsory refund. In same vein, education secretaries are also to ensure judicious utilization of the motorcycles. It is our expectations that these will support you to effectively deliver your primary roles to ensure improvement in teaching and learning activities in our schools,” he said.
A retired school inspector, Ibrahim Audu Danmasara, told Daily Trust that supervision has proven to be one of the most effective tool for quality assurance, saying when he was in active service he had seven schools under his supervision.
He said supervision in Jigawa State later suffered some neglect over a period of time as a result of embargo on teacher recruitment which created a gap because most experienced inspectors retired from the service without replacements.
He said before the SSO’s replaced inspectors, the latter visited schools mainly to find mistakes whereas their mission was all about correction in imparting knowledge.
He commended the state government for strengthening the work of the support officers by procuring motorcycles for them and providing other instructional materials for effective work. He said in their days, he used his personal motorcycle to inspect schools under him.
Danmasara stressed that irrespective of the huge investment government was making on education, without monitoring and evaluation, all the effort would be a futility.
“For quality of education to be attained and maintained there must be sustainable continuity in the sense that the hiring and promotion are never compromised. As those in the service are leaving, those behind them are taking over while new ones are being recruited. But once there is a gap in any part of the chain, the consequences are obvious.”