FACTS, NOT POLITICAL MANIPULATION
By Lawal Mamman Dawai
The recent write-up credited to Aliyu Mohammed Kurfi of Team Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita, questioning the achievements of the Katsina State Government in education, deserves a response. Constructive criticism is a vital part of democracy, and every citizen has the right to ask questions about public expenditure and educational outcomes.
However, criticism must be founded on facts, sound reasoning and a fair assessment of what government has actually done. It must not become an exercise in manipulating figures to create a narrative of failure.
As supporters of the APC administration of His Excellency, Governor Malam Dikko Umar Radda, PhD, we welcome accountability. But we equally insist that the people of Katsina deserve the complete picture.
1. CLASSROOMS ARE NOT JUST WALLS :THEY ARE INVESTMENTS IN CHILDREN
The writer acknowledges the construction of 160 classrooms and rehabilitation of 258 classrooms, making a total of 418 classrooms, yet attempts to diminish the achievement by comparing it with the estimated number of primary schools requiring attention across the state.
This is a misleading approach.
No responsible government claims that every educational challenge in Katsina has been solved within two years. The relevant question is whether the government has made measurable investments in expanding and improving educational infrastructure.
The construction and rehabilitation of classrooms provide learning spaces for children. The fact that more schools still require attention does not make the completed projects worthless.
Government is not expected to repair every school in one day before its achievements can be acknowledged.
2. RECRUITMENT OF 7,326 TEACHERS IS NOT A FAILURE
The recruitment of 7,326 teachers is a significant intervention in a state where the need for qualified teachers has long been recognised.
Yet the writer argues that because WAEC performance allegedly declined, the recruitment must have been a failure.
That conclusion is not supported by the evidence presented.
Educational outcomes are influenced by several factors, including the quality of teaching, teacher deployment, students' preparation, school facilities, examination conditions and the socioeconomic circumstances of families.
A change in WAEC performance between two years does not, by itself, establish that newly recruited teachers caused the decline.
The proper questions are:
- How many recruited teachers have been deployed to classrooms?
- What qualifications and training do they possess?
- What teacher development programmes are ongoing?
- What measures are being taken to improve learning outcomes?
These are legitimate questions. But dismissing thousands of new teachers as a failure without examining their actual impact is unfair and intellectually weak.
3. 170 JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS: WHY IGNORE THE EXPANSION?
The writer acknowledges the construction of 170 junior secondary schools, yet immediately attempts to invalidate the achievement by citing school transition and completion figures.
This is a clear case of confusing an existing challenge with the value of a government intervention.
If children are unable to transition from primary to secondary school, expanding access to junior secondary education is part of the solution, not evidence that government has failed.
The existence of dropout rates does not mean that new schools are unnecessary. Rather, it highlights the need for government to combine infrastructure development with teacher quality, school feeding where appropriate, guidance and counselling, and other measures that support retention.
You cannot condemn the construction of schools simply because every child has not yet enrolled or completed education.
4. EXAMINATION FEES AND TABLETS: INVESTMENT OR FAILURE?
The payment of examination fees for WAEC, NECO and NBAIS, together with the provision of 20,000 tablets, is an intervention that deserves proper evaluation.
The writer asks why government should pay examination fees when some students may not pass.
The answer is simple: public education is not reserved exclusively for students who are already academically successful.
Government has a responsibility to support students, including those who face financial difficulties in accessing examinations.
The provision of tablets is similarly not rendered useless by the existence of electricity and internet challenges. Those challenges should be addressed through appropriate support infrastructure, digital learning arrangements and effective deployment.
It is also misleading to suggest that the JAMB minimum cut-off mark is proof that Katsina students cannot perform well. A minimum admission threshold is not the same thing as the actual performance of every candidate from the state.
5. THE ₦120BN CLAIM: LET US DISCUSS THE FULL PICTURE
The writer presents the alleged ₦120 billion expenditure as though the entire amount was spent on classroom construction, teacher recruitment and examination fees alone.
That is not a sufficient basis for evaluating the total education budget.
Before drawing conclusions, the public deserves clarity on:
1. The exact period covered by the ₦120 billion figure.
2. The budget heads and programmes included in the expenditure.
3. The actual amount released and spent.
4. The source and methodology of the cited learning and examination statistics.
5. The distinction between state-wide educational challenges and the specific impact of government interventions.
It is also important to distinguish between budgeted funds, released funds and audited expenditure. These are not interchangeable terms.
A responsible fact-check must establish what the money was approved for, what was spent, and what was achieved.
6. OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN: A SERIOUS CHALLENGE THAT REQUIRES SERIOUS ANALYSIS
The issue of out-of-school children in Katsina is a serious concern that no responsible citizen should dismiss.
But the writer's argument that the alleged increase from 300,000 to 536,112 proves government expenditure has failed is too simplistic.
Out-of-school estimates may reflect differences in survey methods, age groups, reference years and population coverage. Before using two figures to establish a direct increase caused by government policy, the methodology must be examined.
Even if the figures are confirmed, the proper response is to ask what interventions are needed to bring more children into school not to dismiss the construction of schools, recruitment of teachers or payment of examination fees.
7. GOVERNOR RADDA'S EDUCATION AGENDA DESERVES FAIR ASSESSMENT
Governor Malam Dikko Umar Radda inherited an educational system facing longstanding challenges. No serious observer should expect every problem to disappear within a short period.
The administration's reported investments in classrooms, teacher recruitment, junior secondary schools, examination support and digital learning demonstrate an effort to address those challenges.
This does not mean that government should stop improving. It means that the public debate should acknowledge progress while demanding more.
We should ask for better reading outcomes, stronger teacher training, improved school retention, better examination performance and transparent expenditure reports.
But we should not turn every remaining challenge into evidence that nothing has been achieved.
OUR MESSAGE TO ALIYU MOHAMMED KURFI
Dear Aliyu Mohammed Kurfi, constructive criticism is welcome. But constructive criticism must be constructive in both its questions and its conclusions.
If your concern is the future of Katsina children, then let us work together to demand:
- More classrooms where they are needed.
- Better teacher training and deployment.
- Improved literacy and numeracy.
- Greater transparency in education spending.
- Effective measures to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
- Stronger examination performance across the state.
But let us not insult the intelligence of Katsina citizens by presenting every government intervention as a failure simply because educational challenges remain.
The people of Katsina deserve facts, not selective figures. They deserve accountability, not political exaggeration. They deserve progress, not the denial of progress.
Governor Radda's administration should continue to improve its educational interventions, and citizens should continue to hold government accountable. Both responsibilities can exist together.
CONCLUSION
We acknowledge that Katsina's education sector still faces serious challenges. We also acknowledge that the government has reported substantial investments aimed at improving the sector.
The right question is not whether everything has been solved. The right question is whether the interventions are reaching the people, whether they are producing measurable improvements, and what more needs to be done.
That is the standard of constructive criticism.
Katsina education is too important to be reduced to political point-scoring. Let us debate with facts, demand transparency, and support every genuine effort to secure a better future for our children.
Lawal M Dawai
#TINUBU/DIKKO MEDIA. influence Team
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