By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Kano
Kano State’s ongoing education reforms have earned international recognition at the United Kingdom Parliament, where global education stakeholders applauded Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration for prioritising investment, policy reforms and improved learning outcomes.
The commendation came during the International Parliamentary Forum on Reading Revolution held at the House of Lords, Westminster, London, with education experts highlighting Kano’s commitment to expanding access to quality education.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the forum—supported by Universal Learning Solutions (ULS)—focused on strategies for improving literacy through the Jolly Phonics Project in Nigeria.
Chief Executive Officer of Universal Learning Solutions, Gary Foxcroft, praised Governor Yusuf for what he described as visionary leadership in repositioning Kano’s education sector through sustained funding and strategic reforms.
Host of the roundtable, Lord Alton of Liverpool, noted that Nigeria and the United Kingdom shared common educational aspirations, expressing confidence that Kano’s adoption of England’s literacy model would significantly improve reading outcomes among schoolchildren.
Also speaking, the United Kingdom’s longest-serving Minister of State for Schools, Rt. Hon. Sir Nick Gibb, described Kano’s education reforms as ambitious and commended the state’s determination to transform the sector.
Representing the governor, the Technical Adviser on Education Reform, Haladu Mohammed, said education remained the administration’s highest priority, noting that Kano consistently allocates the largest share of its annual budget to the sector.
He disclosed that the state has about five million pupils across more than 8,000 formal schools and over 14,000 Qur’anic schools that are gradually being integrated into the formal education system.
Mohammed, however, said Kano still has over one million out-of-school children and requires about 84,000 additional teachers, adding that the government has recruited approximately 20,000 teachers in the last three years while introducing a Teacher Development Policy and an Accelerated Basic Education Programme to improve access to education.
In a message delivered on his behalf, Governor Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to restore Kano’s position as a leading centre of educational excellence.
“Kano will spare no resources until the education sector is fully restored to its rightful place,” the governor declared.
The forum attracted education experts from the United Kingdom and members of the Nigerian diaspora, while Kano State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Sani Auwal, said integrating Qur’anic schools into the formal education system would improve literacy and numeracy among children across the state. He also thanked the British Parliament for providing a platform to showcase Kano’s education reforms.
