The census will last for 10 days, starting March 6, 2023. The commissioner charges the enumerators to discharge their functions effectively and accurately and ensure no school is left out. The Bauchi State Ministry of Education aims to have a robust annual school census this year to improve the educational system in the state.
The commissioner believes that the previous records of out-of-school children in Bauchi State were inaccurate and hopes that the new census would provide credible data.
The training of the 370 enumerators was crucial as it would help the government establish accurate data on the actual number of schools, including Quranic schools, and student population. It would also provide information on the facilities required in the schools and in gathering data necessary for proper planning.
Ms Dahiru urged the participants to go out as ambassadors of the state and keep in mind that the acquisition of correct data was their topmost priority.
The two-day training began on Saturday, and the enumerators were charged to discharge their duties with utmost care and diligence.
The commissioner reminded them of the importance of the exercise, noting that the government would rely on their data to make decisions that would improve the education sector in the state. She also emphasized the need to ensure that no school was left out in the census exercise.
The enumerators were trained on the proper use of data collection tools and how to ensure that data is accurately captured and recorded.
They were also trained on how to work with school administrators to obtain accurate data and how to handle any challenges that may arise during the exercise.
Ibrahim Dauda, who spoke on behalf of all the enumerators, assured the commissioner of their commitment to providing credible data that would help improve the educational system in the state. He promised that they would work diligently to ensure that no school was left out and that all data collected would be accurately presented.
The Bauchi State Ministry of Education has been working to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state, and the annual school census is one of the measures being taken to achieve this.
The census will help the government to identify areas where there is a need for intervention and improve the quality of education in the state.
The Bauchi State government has also been working to improve the infrastructure in schools, provide more teachers and textbooks, and reduce the number of dropouts in the state.
The government hopes that the annual school census will provide the necessary data to make informed decisions and take appropriate action to address the challenges in the education sector in the state.