Sokoto Govt orders action over low student, teacher attendance
SOKOTO, Nigeria — The Sokoto State Government has initiated immediate measures to tackle low attendance rates among students and teachers in several schools throughout the region.
Prof. Ahmad Ladan Ala, the state’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, announced the directive during a morning briefing at the Sultan Muhammadu Maccido Institute of Qur’an and General Studies. The briefing marks the first day of the ministry’s week four sessions.
The meeting included an assessment of reports from two monitoring teams that visited local schools the previous Wednesday, as part of an ongoing supervision exercise. The findings revealed that numerous schools are experiencing low student attendance, and it was noted that some Quality Assurance officers were absent during the monitoring visits.
This situation arises amid ongoing restrictions on school operations in certain areas of the state due to security concerns. Earlier reports indicated that most schools remain closed, with exceptions in Sokoto North, Sokoto South, and select schools in the Wamakko, Kware, and Dange-Shuni local government areas.
In response to the monitoring reports, Ala instructed Muhammad Sani Usman, the Director of Quality Assurance, to implement immediate strategies aimed at enhancing attendance among both students and teachers, while ensuring adherence to supervision protocols. Additionally, Ala directed Usman to collaborate with the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) to introduce a teachers’ signing book, designed to monitor attendance and lesson participation throughout the school day.
