Thousands of pupils who have just completed their basic and primary education in Kano are being denied access to Junior Secondary Schools, an investigation has revealed.
The pupils, whose mates in private schools have already resumed their first term at various secondary schools, are in limbo due to the state government’s failure to conduct the yearly common entrance examination.
The pupils were supposed to write the promotion examination being conducted by Kano Education Resources Department (KERD), alongside the Federal Government’s entry examination to unity schools between June and July 2021.
However, two weeks after the commencement of academic activities for the new session, the affected pupils are yet to be sorted.
The situation is already causing confusion as the government directed the former primary six pupils to report to their old classroom pending when the examination would be conducted.
A teacher in one of the public primary schools who pleaded anonymity, said the students have been moved to class 7, “where they only go to sit with their friends to gist and play.”
He noted that the same pattern was adopted in the previous academic year, where the transition of pupils to junior secondary school was also delayed.
A parent, Mallam Lawan, said he has since stopped his child from going to school and has fully engaged him in another activity to save cost.
“We are waiting for the government to fix a date for the examination and only then will he fully resume school. I cannot continue to waste money on transportation where they only gist and play.”
When The Guardian contacted the State Ministry of Education, the spokesperson of the ministry, Aliyu Yusuf, did not give any reason for the delay or clarify when the examination will be conducted.
Yusuf simply said: “Preparation is being made by the affected department to fix a date for the examinations.”
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