The Katsina State government has announced that 29,633 students from the state successfully passed the 2024 National Examination Council (NECO) exam with at least five credits, including Mathematics and English Language.
This achievement was disclosed by Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, during a press briefing in Katsina on Tuesday.
The commissioner addressed several media reports that she claimed had presented an unfavorable view of the state’s performance in the 2024 NECO results.
According to her, these reports focused primarily on the percentage of students who passed, neglecting other key indicators that reflect the substantial progress made in Katsina’s education sector.
“While it is true that the state’s performance in the 2024 NECO exams shows room for improvement, the NECO report also highlights several key areas where the state excelled,” Musa-Musawa said. She pointed out that Katsina State ranked sixth nationally in terms of the number of students who passed the exam with five credits and above, including Mathematics and English.
“This is a remarkable achievement,” she emphasized, “with 29,633 students meeting this critical benchmark—more than in at least 30 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. In contrast, some states recorded fewer than 10,000 students who achieved the same result.”
Musa-Musawa stated that the 29,633 successful candidates from Katsina were sufficient to meet the state’s quota for admission into universities and other higher education institutions for the 2024/2025 academic year.
This figure represents a significant increase from the 25,152 candidates who achieved the same results in 2023, indicating a growth of nearly 17.8%.
She further noted that the media overlooked the strong performance of male students in the 2024 NECO exams and failed to acknowledge the considerable number of students mobilized and sponsored by the Katsina State Government.
The administration, led by Governor Dikko Radda, a former teacher, has been proactive in tackling the challenges in the education sector, many of which were inherited from previous administrations.
Musa-Musawa highlighted that upon taking office, Governor Radda launched the largest teacher recruitment drive in the state’s history, employing 7,325 teachers within just three months.
This included 5,000 primary school teachers and additional teachers for secondary schools, significantly improving the teacher-to-student ratio.
She emphasized that all the newly recruited teachers were employed based on merit, as they were required to pass a competency test before their appointment, reducing nepotism and favoritism in the hiring process.
Additionally, the state government, in collaboration with the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) and AF TESS, has trained 17,470 teachers to enhance their skills and improve the overall quality of education in the state.
Musa-Musawa concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to advancing education in Katsina, citing the administration’s continued efforts to address long-standing issues and build a stronger foundation for future progress.
