When former Secretary to the Government of the State (SGS), Malam Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, spoke recently on DCL Hausa and lamented that Katsina State students came third to the last in the most recent NECO examination, his concern for the state’s education system was understandable. Education is indeed the soul of any progressive society. But to conclude that this ranking represents failure under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s administration is to miss the larger, more meaningful picture of steady improvement that is quietly taking place across Katsina’s classrooms.
The story of Katsina’s education under Radda is not one of decline, but of deliberate rebuilding — slow, steady, and strategic. True progress in education is not always reflected in yearly rankings or percentages. It is reflected in the number of students gaining access to learning, in the improvement of their results over time, and in the bold reforms that strengthen teachers, modernize classrooms, and improve accountability.
Take the NECO performance figures, for example. In 2023, about 25,152 students in Katsina obtained five credits including English and Mathematics. By 2024, that number had risen to 29,633 — an improvement of more than 17 percent in just one year. That is no small feat. It shows that more students are not only sitting for the examination but are also achieving the key benchmark that qualifies them for higher education. It also means that the investments being made at the foundation level are beginning to yield results.
While the 2025 results reportedly placed Katsina third to the last by percentage, that figure, standing alone, tells only half the story. What it does not show is that the number of candidates sitting for NECO in Katsina keeps increasing year after year. As more children from rural and less privileged communities join the system for the first time, the percentages may appear modest, but the absolute progress — the real human gain — continues to grow. What Katsina is doing, therefore, is expanding access and widening the base, ensuring that every child, not just the privileged few, gets a fair shot at education.
Governor Radda’s reforms go beyond exams and statistics. One of the administration’s most significant interventions has been the recruitment of over 7,000 new teachers to address the long-standing shortage in the state’s public schools. This move alone has improved the teacher–student ratio and restored life to many rural schools that were struggling to survive. But the reforms did not stop there. To enhance classroom delivery, the government recently distributed digital tablets to teachers across the state, marking a shift towards technology-driven learning. With these devices, teachers now have access to online teaching resources, lesson guides, and continuous training materials, bringing Katsina’s classrooms into the digital age.
These bold steps have not gone unnoticed. The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) honoured Governor Radda for his commitment to improving teachers’ welfare and expanding the teaching workforce. Contrary to Malam Mustapha Inuwa’s insinuation that the award was given because of increased union dues from new recruits, the recognition was based on substance — the visible transformation in teacher engagement, capacity building, and professional development.
Even more telling of Katsina’s progress is the state’s recent recognition at the national level. In September 2025, Katsina emerged as the overall best-performing state in Nigeria under the World Bank-supported BESDA-AF Transforming Education Systems at the State Level (TESS) Project. The state’s performance surpassed those of Oyo and Adamawa, earning it a reward of $12.18 million (₦18.7 billion) — the highest allocation in the country. The award was not handed out lightly. It was based on integrity, transparency, and results on the ground: rehabilitated schools, teacher recruitment, and improved learning conditions.
Governor Radda described the feat as heartwarming and a reflection of his administration’s strong commitment to revamping education under the Building Your Future agenda. He commended the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Zainab Musawa, and the BESDA-TESS project team for their professionalism and dedication. More importantly, he reminded everyone that the achievement was proof that genuine transformation is possible when leadership is visionary and accountable.
So, rather than dismissing the current NECO results as a mark of failure, it is more accurate to see them as part of a story still unfolding — a story of steady recovery and purposeful reform. From 25,152 students with five credits in 2023 to 29,633 in 2024, from the recruitment of thousands of teachers to the introduction of digital tools, and from state-level restructuring to winning Nigeria’s top education reform award, Katsina is moving in the right direction.
The progress may not yet be perfect, but it is real, measurable, and inspiring. The challenge now is to sustain it — to build on this foundation until every child in Katsina can not only sit for an exam but pass it with pride, confidence, and competence. And with the kind of leadership and commitment Governor Dikko Radda has shown so far, that brighter future is already within reach.
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