SUBEB mandates return to classrooms for second term
The Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has officially directed all public primary and junior secondary schools across the state to resume for the second term today, Monday, January 5, 2026.
This directive comes despite prevailing security challenges and a palpable sense of fear within both urban and rural communities. The board announced that the first-term holiday concluded on Sunday, and academic activities must now commence in earnest to safeguard the academic future of the state’s children.
In a statement signed by the Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Umar Nagwari Tambuwal, the board assured parents and guardians that all necessary arrangements have been finalized to ensure a smooth resumption. Tambuwal emphasized that the government is committed to sustaining access to basic education even in the face of ongoing threats from non-state actors. He urged traditional and religious leaders, as well as Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), to cooperate in encouraging pupils to return to their desks promptly.
The board has also deployed three special monitoring and supervision teams, each headed by a permanent board member, to oversee the resumption across the state’s three senatorial zones. These teams are tasked with assessing school preparedness and enforcing compliance with the official timetable. Tambuwal warned that school support officers must maintain strict standards and that any contractors handling school infrastructure projects must expedite their work to meet contractual obligations.
Governor Aliyu pledges fresh security blueprint for 2026
Backing the resumption drive, Governor Ahmed Aliyu recently unveiled a new security blueprint designed to protect critical sectors, including education, during the 2026 fiscal year. In his New Year message, the Governor identified 13 local government areas that are particularly vulnerable to banditry and insurgent activities. He disclosed that the state has developed an innovative strategy to assist security agencies with logistics, intelligence gathering, and real-time information sharing.
Governor Aliyu appealed to residents, especially those in frontline communities, to act as active partners by exposing individuals with suspicious lifestyles or those serving as informants for criminal networks. He noted that the “Smart Innovative Agenda” for 2026 prioritizes peace and security as the bedrock of any meaningful socio-economic growth. The administration plans to renovate several primary and secondary institutions this year while increasing the supply of furniture and improving teachers’ welfare.
This renewed focus on school safety follows a period of heightened tension in the Northwest region, where several schools were previously shut down or de-boarded due to abduction threats. While some federal institutions in the state, such as the Federal Science College, Sokoto, resumed last week, observers have noted a lack of visible additional security presence at some gates. The state government, however, insists that “concrete but undisclosed” measures are in place to prevent any breach of peace within school premises.
Regional context and the out-of-school crisis
The decision to keep schools open is seen by many as a defiant stand against the “creeping illiteracy” that often follows a wave of school closures. Statistics from UNICEF and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) indicate that Sokoto State continues to battle a significant out-of-school children crisis. With over 11,000 recorded dropouts in the previous academic cycle, authorities are desperate to prevent further disruptions that could make children vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently warned during a visit to Sokoto that failure to provide education to the millions of roaming children would turn them into a “recruiting ground for insurgency” in the future. He stressed that inclusive governance and sustained investment in education are the only long-term solutions to the insecurity plaguing the region. The SUBEB chairman’s call for stakeholders to “press on” reflects this broader national concern about the link between education and national security.
As the second term begins, the eyes of the nation are on Sokoto to see if the state’s security measures will hold. The government has reiterated that the right to education is a meaningful entitlement for every child and should not be traded for fear. For now, the “sound of school bells” in the Sultanate serves as a signal of resilience against those who seek to use terror to keep children out of the classroom.
