Governor of Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria Nasir El-Rufai, says the preferential cut-off marks given to Northern students have made them lazy.
Gatekeepers News reports that Governor El-Rufai says the “differential scores” that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) allocate to northern students have “made our people lazy.”
The Governor during a chat with Channels TV on Monday, said the preferential scores “have not helped” the region out of the educational laid back it has been battling since independence.
El-Rufai then asked JAMB to cancel the low cut-off marks to encourage students from the region “to work hard and compete.”
The Governor said, “The north has always been behind in education. We’ve continuously been the disadvantaged region right from independence even though we’re given preferences, JAMB scores, and all that. That has not helped; in fact, it has made our people lazy.
“Against this differential JAMB and FG (federal government) scores, I think people should be encouraged to work hard and compete, and we are prepared to make our children in Kaduna state be competitive, not only in the state but globally.”
Meanwhile, schools across Kaduna have been shut for months owing to the security situation in the state.
The Governor, however, disclosed that the state will start reopening schools “from the next two weeks.”
El-Rufai said, “The schools are closed now because, on the advice of security agencies, they need a couple of months to undertake massive security operations. We are confident that from the next two weeks, we would start the gradual reopening of schools.
“The continuous closure of schools is exactly what bandits and Boko Haram want, and we are not going to let them win, but we must put the safety of our children and teachers first.”
