4.7m pupils sit on bare floors in Kano schools, governor reveals

According to the Kano State Government, since he took office on May 29, 2023, 4.7 million students in state schools have been forced to sit on the dirt to learn.

The state's declining educational standards were a source of frustration for Governor Abba Yusuf, who disclosed this.

He said that all classes and topics were taught by a single instructor in more than 400 schools throughout the state, and that the teachers struggled with antiquated and inadequate resources.

5,000 new teachers will be hired by the state government to revitalise the education sector, according to the governor, who made this announcement at Government House during the proclamation of a state of emergency in education.

He denounced what he called the misuse and neglect of school buildings for private gain, which he called an attack on public education.

The governor emphasised that the days of students attending lectures in uncomfortable settings—like on the ground—were gone, and he promised to see to it that public schools were completely renovated and furnished.

He stated that while approximately 400 schools have a single teacher for every class and student, more than 4.7 million students were seated on bare floorboards to receive their education.

"The administration we replaced decided to butcher the land belonging to those schools, in some areas removing classrooms to create space for stores, rather than creating new classrooms, providing basic furniture in the schools and recruiting more instructors.

"The schools that they were unable to sell were shut down and vandalised." The invasion of public school property and the transformation of these essential establishments into private commercial spaces is a betrayal of our shared ideals and a clear challenge to our dedication to public education.

He declared, "This careless appropriation of educational spaces for commercial use is unacceptable and needs to stop right away."

The governor reiterated his administration's commitment to resolving the unstable situation of the education sector, adding, “As your elected governor, entrusted with the solemn responsibility of steering our state towards prosperity and progress, I cannot ignore the glaring reality that confronts us in the realm of education.
We must, therefore, take drastic but doable steps to reposition education provisioning in our state because "education is our number one priority and we believe that education is not only a public good but also the greatest asset that any people can bequeath to its upcoming generation because no one can grow beyond the quality and standard of their education system."

Although he expressed concern about the rise in the state's number of out-of-school children, he claimed his administration had taken sufficient action to reverse the trend.