The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has delivered nearly 4,000 classrooms across Kano State as part of efforts to improve access to quality basic education.

The commission lauded the state government for recruiting more than 16,000 teachers to strengthen learning outcomes.

UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, disclosed this during an inspection of UBEC-supported projects in Kano alongside the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

The inspection also coincided with the presentation of appointment letters to a new batch of teachers recruited by the Kano State Government.

Garba said the classrooms, constructed through UBEC interventions under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, are providing safer and more conducive learning environments while creating opportunities for more children to enrol, remain in school and complete their basic education.

She stressed that while investment in infrastructure is critical, qualified teachers remain the foundation of quality education, describing Kano’s recruitment exercise as one of the country’s most significant investments in the education sector.

According to her, the state government’s recruitment of over 16,000 teachers, including the latest batch, is helping to bridge the shortage of teachers, particularly in underserved communities.

Garba noted that Nigeria continues to face a shortage of teachers, especially in rural areas, making sustained investment in the teaching workforce essential to improving learning outcomes.

She said the Federal Government remains committed to ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality education.

“The directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is clear. No child should be left behind. Every Nigerian child deserves access to quality education. Even where classrooms exist, without teachers, children cannot learn. That is why investments in teachers are investments in the future of our nation,” she said.

The UBEC Executive Secretary also observed that UNESCO estimates more than 44 million teachers are needed globally, adding that Kano State’s sustained recruitment places it among governments taking practical steps to address the challenge.

She commended the governor Yusuf for prioritising education and reaffirmed UBEC’s commitment to working with state governments to improve access to quality basic education through investments in infrastructure, teacher development and learner-centred interventions.

Earlier, Chairman of the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Malam Yusuf Kabir, said the recruitment followed a transparent and merit-based process designed to ensure that only qualified and competent teachers were employed.

He explained that the exercise was guided by the state teacher policy, which introduced aptitude tests and other assessment procedures to improve teacher quality across the state’s schools.

Kabir said the newly recruited teachers would be deployed to schools where they are most needed and assured that effective supervision, mentoring and continuous evaluation would be put in place to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes.

He also called on development partners, corporate organisations, traditional institutions and communities to complement government efforts aimed at improving basic education in the state.