30 per cent example
Kano governor has blazed the trail by funding education with generosity The incident provided an irony for some citizens to laugh across the nation. But it was no laughing matter
Kano governor has blazed the trail by funding education with generosity
- Our Reporters
The incident provided an irony for some citizens to laugh across the nation. But it was no laughing matter for those who knew the grave consequences.
During a riot in the city of Kano in 2024, some boys stormed a library and they found what in their minds were treasures. Libraries have chairs, desks, cups and kitchens, sinks, etc. These boys stole everything they could and vandalised the place to their delight. The only thing they did not touch was the treasure of any library: books.
For many, that episode was the best instance yet in the history of education in Kano that demonstrates the state of education in the state.
Advertisement
300x250
That makes the new budget for 2026 by the government of Habba Kabir Yusuf even more potent. He has dedicated 30 percent of the budget to education.
Read Also: Nigeria is better off than many years ago – 2baba
One of the features of this funding is the provision of free books. At least, if the boys could not steal the books, they will now have them for free. The new budget is an unprecedented nod to education. By allocating 30 percent, they have set a record and challenged every other state in the federation.
Kano State is one of the backward states in the country as regards education. It is ironically one of the most populous.
It has a large army of boys known as ‘al majiris’ who have been separated from home and parents and live on the generosity of the streets. They do not attend any formal western education, and that makes the literacy rate of the state one of the lowest.
Kano is not alone. In fact, a recent UNICEF report ranks it among a triangle of troubled states in the north.
Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, stated that Nigeria has 10.2 million out-of-school children. Of this number, 16 percent (1,632,000) of the children are from Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states.
Advertisement
300x250
Also, 32 percent of primary school going age children were out of school in Kano State.
“There are currently about 10.2 million children at the primary level who are out of school in Nigeria; 16 percent of them are from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states,” according to MICS 2021.
“Close to one million children are out of school in Kano State ( 989,234); a total of 337,861 out-of-school children are in Jigawa, while Katsina State has 536,112 out-of-school children,” Farah said.
Breaking down the statistics of the country’s out-of-school children crisis, Farah said only one out of four children aged between seven to 14 years in Nigeria can read and understand simple sentences.
“While the spectre of out-of-school children (OOSC) is a major concern, the challenge is that even those children who have the opportunity to be enrolled in school are not having quality education”.
Advertisement
300x250
UNICEF stated that Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states have the lowest quality of education standards when compared to other states.
The report observes that this calls for urgent attention. The Federal Ministry of Education in 2022 found that foundational learning rates hovered around 11 percent in the three states of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina.
“Although Kano figures appear better at 9.6 percent for reading proficiency, and 11.2 percent for numeracy, these figures are way lower than the national averages of 26 per cent for reading proficiency and 25 percent for numeracy, respectively,” he stated.
While we commend Governor Yusuf for his bold step, we must warn that budgets often promise far more than they deliver. For instance, in 2024, N13 billion naira was allocated to education, but only N1.1 billion was released, making a mockery of hope.
