Jigawa State Targets Learning Poverty Reduction by 2031

The Jigawa State Government has set a target to reduce learning poverty among pupils in basic schools to less than 10% by the year 2031. Currently, the learning poverty rate in focal local government areas is approximately 56.7%, which Prof. Haruna Musa, the Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), described as unacceptably high.

Musa expressed confidence that this figure could be reduced through deliberate interventions, stronger monitoring, and the collective commitment of government, teachers, communities, and development partners. He spoke on Monday in Dutse during the dissemination of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Endline Assessment, conducted under the Education and Youth Empowerment Programme in Northwestern Nigeria (EYEP-NW), implemented by Jigawa SUBEB in collaboration with UNICEF.

The assessment revealed challenges such as pupil and teacher absenteeism and gaps in teacher capacity, which the government aims to address to improve literacy and numeracy among pupils.