Kano State’s education reform efforts have received international recognition at the United Kingdom Parliament, where education stakeholders commended the state’s investment in the sector and ongoing literacy initiatives.
The recognition came during the International Parliamentary Forum on Reading Revolution, held at the House of Lords in Westminster, London, on Thursday.
The event was supported by Universal Learning Solutions (ULS), an international non-governmental organisation implementing the Jolly Phonics Project in Nigeria to improve literacy and reading skills in formal and integrated schools.
Speaking at the forum, the Chief Executive Officer of Universal Learning Solutions, Gary Foxcroft, praised the Kano State Government for what he described as sustained commitment to education reforms through increased funding, policy initiatives and efforts to improve learning outcomes.
The roundtable was hosted by Lord Alton of Liverpool, who highlighted the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He described Kano State’s adoption of England’s reading and literacy model as a strategic step that could strengthen foundational learning among children.
In his keynote address, former UK Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibb, said Kano State had demonstrated an ambitious commitment to transforming its education sector.
Representing Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf at the event, the Technical Adviser on Education Reform, Haladu Mohammed, said education remains the administration’s top priority. He stated that Kano continues to allocate the largest share of its annual budget to education as part of efforts to rebuild the sector.
According to him, about five million pupils are currently enrolled across the state’s education system, which includes more than 8,000 formal schools and over 14,000 Qur’anic schools undergoing integration into the formal education system.
Despite these efforts, Mohammed said the state still faces the challenge of more than one million out-of-school children. He added that Kano requires about 84,000 additional teachers to meet growing demand but has recruited approximately 20,000 teachers over the past three years.
He also disclosed that the government has introduced a Teacher Development Policy that aligns recruitment with the needs of individual communities.
In addition, he said the state has developed an Accelerated Basic Education Programme aimed at providing learning opportunities for over-age out-of-school children while integrating pupils from Qur’anic schools into formal education.
In a message delivered on his behalf, Governor Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to education, saying the government would continue investing in the sector until it regains its former standards.
Also speaking at the event, the Kano State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Ahmad Auwal, said integrating Qur’anic schools into the formal education system would help improve literacy and numeracy across communities in the state.
The event focused on literacy development, education policy and international collaboration aimed at improving learning outcomes.
The forum was attended by education experts from the United Kingdom and members of the Nigerian diaspora, including Hindy Mohammed, Amina Abubakar, Professor Paunile Dixon and Steve Humble of Newcastle University.
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