Umar Abdullahi 
The Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has announced its plan to implement teachers promotion payment alongside the new minimum wage.
The Chairman of the board, Alhaji Umar Nagwari Tambuwal disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Sokoto.
He said, “We also discovered that many teachers were promoted without implementation and assured that these promotions will be implemented alongside the new minimum wage”.
“Governor Ahmad Aliyu has agreed to pay the new minimum wage of N70,000 to N75,000 monthly salary, making him one of the nine governors to do so”.
The Chairman of the board revealed that he has informed the governor about the plight of teachers and has been visiting schools to interact with them.
He stated that the State has 16,000 primary school teachers across 2,198 schools.
“Teachers constitute about 40% of education success, and we cannot expect good results when they are not treated right,” he emphasized.
While urging the State Government to redirect resources from higher education to foundation education to build a robust education structure. This will enable pupils to pursue academics successfully without stress.
According him the board provides quality and free education to all children in the state, as mandated by the constitution.
While reminded that primary education in the state is free as no school fees are charged, and the board provides necessary resources for each child’s education.
In 2023, the board spent N4.5 billion on basic education, while the governor approved N3.5 billion for 2024, with an additional N3.5 billion from the federal government, totaling N7 billion to boost basic education in 2025.
The governor has demonstrated commitment to education by settling counterpart funds for 2023, to 2025.
Tambuwal attributed the country’s economic situation as a major factor affecting learning processes nationwide.
Before, teachers spent N50 to N100 only on transportation to their working destinations, but now the costs of the fare has increased to about N1,000 to N2,000, which is unaffordable for many.
The economic meltdown has made things challenging, and people must bear with the government.
The Chairman stressed that education is costly, and the government cannot tackle it alone; partnerships with individuals and organizations are necessary to advance basic education in the state.
