Seven years after the declaration of emergency on education in Yobe State, some public schools are still run by a single teacher in the state.
An investigation by this reporter across parts of Nangere Local Government Area reveals that some communities has long lost the touch of what it means to get proper basic education.
This however reflects the reality in many other schools across the state, including the capital, Damaturu.
When Governor Mai Mala Buni assumed office in 2019, he declared a state of emergency in education, an announcement that raised hope, believing that the chronic neglect of rural classrooms would finally be addressed after years of structural decay.
In that regard, the government has also allocated over N180 billions to education from 2019 to 2025, but there is little or nothing to show compared to previous years before 2019.
In communities such as Dakido, Amayi, and Garin Masau, parents described conditions that they said were “worse than before the emergency,” with overcrowded classrooms, aging buildings, and a severe shortage of qualified personnel, creating what one father, Malam Adamu Dakido, called “a learning environment where children try, but the system itself keeps failing them.”
In Dakido, where children gather under cracked ceilings and faded chalkboards, parents said they have watched for years as their children cycle through an education system that seems unable to provide even basic instruction.
A mother, Salamatu Musa, speaking with a tone of resignation, said, “every year they tell us change is coming. We hear speeches, we hear announcements, but when you look at the classrooms, nothing has changed. Our children are still sitting in the same broken desks, still learning in the same poor conditions, and still being taught by only one person for all subjects.”
Another parent, Malam Baba Lawan, added an even more emotional plea, saying, “If the government truly wants to save education, they must start from places like this. This is where the emergency is real. This is where children lose their future before it even starts.”
This investigation reveal a similar situation in Amayi Primary School with over 200 students, where pupils described learning conditions they said leave them confused, overwhelmed, or sometimes completely unprepared for their future education.
In an interview with some residents of the community, they revealed how their children becomes familiar with only one or two subjects, and sometimes the recycling of few topics over and over again.
They explained that the children only learn one subject in a whole day because there are no teachers to divide the classes and sometimes wait for days and weeks for lessons to reach them, while lessons-free days are a regular routine.
Another representative said his brother dreams of becoming an engineer but worries that the foundation he is receiving cannot support that goal. He pointed at his brothers exercise book and said, “he read his notes many times, but there are topics they don’t cover because the school is not like other places. I want government to know that they are trying, but they cannot succeed without help.”
Parents in Biriri community insisted that the unbalanced burden placed on a single staff member has left their children academically stranded.
Aisha Umar, a mother, express her frustration saying, “you cannot expect one person to be the school headmaster, the class teacher of all subjects, the cleaner, the administrator, and everything else. It is not possible. Even in our own homes, one person cannot do the work of six people or more, so how can one person handle an entire school of children? It is not fair to the children, the teacher and the community.”
She added that the community had written letters, held meetings, and sent delegations to the local education office, but “every time we go, they tell us they will get back to us. Until today, nobody has gotten back.”
This reporter also learned that the only teacher running the school at Biriri has only seven years to his retirement and while he is on level 14, he is being paid only N80,000 monthly.
Some pupils in these communities fear they are falling behind their peers in urban parts of the state.
This was expressed by a pupil in Amayi.
“Sometimes I hear that children in the big towns learn computers, science, and different subjects. But here, we repeat topics many times because there is no one to teach new things every day. I feel sad when I think that they are moving forward and we are still stuck,” he said.
While noting that he wants to continue into secondary school, he added that many of his classmates struggle with simple reading and writing because their learning is inconsistent.
“When exams come, we panic because we do not understand many things. We want to do well, but we need a proper school environment,” he added.
Parents say they are not demanding luxury or resources beyond reach, what they want is fairness.
Another mother in Biriri, Zainab Abdu, summed it up saying “we are not asking for computers or special labs. We are asking for teachers, we are asking for textbooks and habitable classrooms, that is all.”
This reporter inquire on how the school ended up with a single teacher and learned that it is as a result of the state government’s policies and actions.
It is revealed that these schools are usually run by mostly volunteer teachers who had no formal engagement with the government.
On 26th October 2025, the spokeperson of Governor Mai Mala Buni published a report that the government has employed 948 teachers and claimed that they are mostly volunteer teachers.
The report further noted that the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has organized workshops for the new recruits to acquire additional skills on teaching for effective and efficient dissemination of knowledge in the state’s basic education system.
However, our findings reveals that, only the chairman and vice chairman of the volunteers in Damaturu, and the chairmen of Potiskum and other local government areas got the appointment.
A teacher who spoke on anonymity said, “volunteer teachers are the one covering these schools you visit Mr. Journalist. They don’t get a single kobo, when the government decide to employ over 900 teachers, they refuse to consider them. All of them feel discourage and stopped coming. And the acclaimed employed teachers as we speak are yet to be posted, tell me how will education improve? The government is not ready.”
In an interview with one of the volunteers who did not authorize his name to be mentioned, alleged that only people with political connections got the job while majority of the volunteers were not considered.
“When we heard about the new recruitment of teachers, we thought that finally, our dedication and sacrifices will be rewarded, unknown to us, only those affiliated to political godfathers or through politicians’ recommendations would be considered for appointments. I now work in a private school, at least I am rewarded there,” he said.
Community leaders say the collapse of rural educational structures is not a minor issue but a significant threat to the state’s developmental future.
A traditional leader in Nangere LGA, Adamu Haruna said the situation in rural schools gives one the idea of how government takes education.
“If you want to know whether a government is serious about education, do not visit the big schools in the towns. Come to the villages. Come to places like Dakido and Amayi. That is where you will see the truth, and the truth is that many of our children are being left behind,” he said.
He added that the declaration of a state of emergency has not translated into visible change at the community level, saying, “we hear big numbers in the budget, but we do not see big changes in our schools. Something is wrong somewhere.”
Apart from inadequate human and material resources in Yobe’s education sector, the issue of our of school children is also alarming.
According to Faroog Abdullahi Chiromari, the coordinator and focal person Diagnosis, Recovery and Stability Programme, a development consultant has disclosed that more than 582,176 children remain out of school in Yobe State, citing recent statistics as alarming and scary.
When contacted, the state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Professor Abba Idriss Adam, he said he had not yet received any official report regarding the specific schools highlighted in the investigation.
“I am not aware of these cases,” he said in a telephone interview. “we are currently accessing schools that need special attention, I assure you, I will direct the engineers there we will take appropriate action because the ministry is committed to improving education across all communities.”
