Headlines
How Tsakuwa Community employs, pays teachers in Govt schools
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Disturbed by the challenges faced by pupils and students, the residents of Tsakuwa town under Dawakinkudu local government area of Kano state have mobilised resources to complement government’s effort of addressing shortage of teachers in public schools.
KANO FOCUS reports that the community under the umbrella of Tsakuwa Mufarka has employed and deployed sixteen teachers to nine public schools in the town.
In an ideal situation, government is solely responsible for running public schools. While the federal government is taking care of the tertiary institutions, state and the local governments are accountable for effective running of primary, secondary and state owned institutions in their respective domains.
Governments at the three tiers are expected to provide structures, teachers and other staff as well as maintenance of all facilities in public schools to give the citizens education. They are also to pay salaries and other entitlements of teachers and other staff in such schools.
However, these vital functions are gradually been eroded at all levels due to inadequate resources coupled with increased population.
GGJSS Tsakuwa students in class
The community, KANO FOCUS observed that has a about nine schools, but they lack teaching and learning facilities to make them complete schools.
However, it was observed that children of Tsakuwa community are lagging behind educationally. This is because successive governments are not paying the needed attention to the schools in the area. The community has to take action to keep the schools alive after all attempts to get government intervention have failed.
Government Girls Junior Secondary School Tsakuwa, KANO FOCUS gathered has a population of about 1,300 students at present. The students are being handled by only three teachers, a principal and two classroom teachers. Thus, only three teachers are under the employment and pay roll of the government.
However, the community had through Tsakuwa Mufarka, employed the services of three more teachers to complement government employees.
Despite this effort, KANO FOCUS observed that eight other schools in the town are offering skeletal services courtesy of inadequate teachers, chairs and desks.
Members of Tsakuwa Mufarka education committee and leadership of PTA of Alhaji Danjummai Primary School
The chairman of education committee, Tsakuwa Mufarka Development Association Malam Abdullahi Wagadi also told our reporter that officials from the state and local authorities have been visiting the town and noting all the problems affecting it with promises to address them, yet nothing has been done to that effect.
This is in addition to the monthly reports to the authorities at the top of which is always the problem facing the schools, which includes, inadequate teachers, lack of furniture amongst others.
Wagadi said the students could not use the available toilets in some schools because of lack of water.
Tsakuwa Mufarka employs 16 teachers
The chairman of Tsakuwa Mufarka Alhaji Tasiu Alhassan, said that their schools are facing serious challenges and that efforts to make government come to their aid have failed.
The chairman said the schools are lacking of adequate teachers and other basic infrastructures.
He said: “The teachers are not enough and government has refused to deploy more teachers to our schools, so the community has to employ sixteen additional teachers and has been paying them for three years now.”
He pointed out that some years ago, the secretary of the local government education summoned leaders of Tsakuwa Mufarka for a meeting where they tabled the matter, yet government has not addressed their concern.
He said they will continue to encourage parents and guardians to enroll their children in school despite the challenges they are facing in the community.
Distribution of books at Tsakuwa Model Primary School
Some of the teachers who are under the community payroll told KANO FOCUS that their work has been marred by lots of challenges, such as overcrowding of pupils, lack of text books and other facilities to aid them in teaching.
One of them said most times the teachers have to provide the books to use in teaching from their meager salary of N10, 000.
“Because we don’t have enough teachers in the school, a class that is supposed to be handled by three teachers is being handled by one teacher,” she said.
They said that they accepted to do the work because of lack of employment bedeviling the country.
However, they are pleading with the government to confirm their employment through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) as well as provide the necessary infrastructures that will help them in giving their best to the pupils.
Kano declares state of emergency on education
Kano state government says it will soon declares state of emergency on education.
The state commissioner of education Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa revealed this at three day workshop for the Development of the annual Operational Plan for education held in Kaduna.
The training was supported by Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria’s Education (PLANE).
The commissioner said with this intended declaration, education shall henceforth take a lead, as first line charge item in government priorities.
With this declaration on state of emergency on education the state is expected to witness a positive transformation in education sector.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government says it has executed 1,508 development projects worth more than N928 billion across the state’s 44 local government areas since Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf assumed office, with about 80 per cent of constituency projects awarded between 2023 and 2025 already completed.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Commissioner for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Comrade Nura Iro Ma’aji Sumaila, disclosed this during an international press briefing on the administration’s infrastructure development programme.
According to Comrade Sumaila, the projects cover critical sectors including roads, urban renewal, education, healthcare, security and other social infrastructure.
He said 799 of the projects have been completed, while 709 are at various stages of execution. He added that the state is also implementing 619 constituency projects through members of the Kano State House of Assembly.
The commissioner noted that about 80 per cent of the constituency projects have been completed. However, he said some projects remain unfinished because of rising construction costs caused by inflation.
He said the government has submitted a request to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for an upward review of contract sums to enable contractors complete the affected projects.
Breakdown of projects
Comrade Sumaila said the administration spent over N169 billion on urban renewal projects, including road rehabilitation, drainage construction and other metropolitan infrastructure.
He said another N118 billion was committed to constructing five-kilometre roads in 38 local government areas to improve connectivity across the state.
According to him, the government also awarded contracts worth over N6.8 billion for the construction of Kano State Neighbourhood Watch security divisions in 36 local government areas.
He added that rural infrastructure projects covering education, healthcare and other social interventions across the 44 local government areas account for contracts valued at more than N397 billion, while other ongoing projects have a combined value of about N255 billion.
Commitment to transparency
The commissioner said the Ministry of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation would continue to ensure compliance with due process and technical standards in the execution of government projects.
He said the ministry’s mandate includes monitoring projects to ensure value for money and prudent utilisation of public resources.
According to him, the administration’s investments in infrastructure are intended to improve mobility, strengthen security, expand access to education and healthcare, improve water supply and stimulate economic growth across the state.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as the highest-ranked sub-national government in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for education spending, according to the latest Sub-National Education Spending Index developed by the University of Paris.
KANO FOCUS reports that the ranking places Kano State first among 209 first-level sub-national governments across 15 ECOWAS member countries, underscoring the state’s growing reputation for prioritising investment in education.
According to the published index, Kano topped the rankings with an overall S-WAESI score of 87.21, outperforming other leading regions, including Dakar and Saint-Louis in Senegal. Lagos State was the second Nigerian state on the list, ranking 16th overall.
The assessment evaluated states and regions using the S-WAESI (Sub-National Weighted Aggregate Education Spending Index) methodology, which measures government commitment to education through indicators such as actual education expenditure, spending per student, budget execution, education priority, transparency and evidence-based reporting.
The methodology assigns 35 points to actual education spending, 25 points to spending per student, 20 points to budget execution, 10 points to education priority and 10 points to transparency.
The report indicated that Kano excelled largely due to its strong actual education spending and budget execution, making it the best-performing sub-national government in the region.
The ranking covered states, regions, districts and municipalities across Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.
Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) said the recognition reflects Kano State Government’s sustained investment in expanding access to education, improving school infrastructure and strengthening educational planning and budget implementation.
KANO FOCUS reports that the achievement is expected to further boost the state’s profile as a leader in education reform within West Africa and provide additional momentum for ongoing efforts to improve learning outcomes across the state.
The latest ranking comes amid renewed attention on education financing across ECOWAS, with experts increasingly emphasising transparent budgeting, efficient resource utilisation and sustained public investment as critical drivers of quality education.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after qualifying for a total of $3.5 million in performance-based incentives for implementing key governance, education and healthcare reforms.
KANO FOCUS reports that the World Bank, through the HOPE Governance Programme domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, approved $27 million in incentives for states that successfully met the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs).
The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, announced the incentives on Tuesday in Abuja during a retreat attended by commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors of budget and planning from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
A statement issued by the programme’s Communications Officer, Joe Mutah, said the incentives were based on the recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which assessed states’ performance against agreed reform indicators.
Kano ranked among the highest-performing states, qualifying for incentives under three separate reform indicators.
The state will receive $1.5 million under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.1 for adopting comprehensive guidelines for the preparation and submission of consolidated work plans for the state basic education budget.
It also qualified for another $1.5 million under DLR 2.2, which recognises states that adopted comprehensive guidelines for consolidated work plans for state primary healthcare budgets.
In addition, Kano secured $500,000 under DLR 2.3 for adopting harmonised budget guidelines and a unified chart of accounts for local governments.
Altogether, the state is expected to receive $3.5 million, making it one of the top-performing states under the programme.
Only five states—Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe—qualified for both the education and healthcare planning incentives, earning $3 million each from the two indicators alone.
Kano further distinguished itself by qualifying under the local government budgeting reform indicator, increasing its total allocation to $3.5 million.
The state also featured among 15 states that met the requirements under DLR 4.1, which rewards states for publishing their 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2025. Each qualifying state under this indicator will receive $500,000.
Other states that qualified under DLR 4.1 are Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe.
According to the programme, the performance-based incentives are designed to encourage states to strengthen governance systems, improve budget transparency and enhance planning in the education and primary healthcare sectors.
KANO FOCUS reports that the HOPE Governance Programme is a World Bank-supported initiative implemented through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to promote improved public financial management and better service delivery across Nigeria’s states.
Kano says it executed 1,508 projects worth N928 billion in three years
World Cup: Imam warns Muslims against allowing football to distract from worship
Kano ranks best in ECOWAS on education spending index
Kano emerges top beneficiary as World Bank rewards states with $27m for reforms
NCC invites stakeholders to public consultation on zero-rated access to educational platforms
Kano recruits over 16,000 teachers, begins 10-year education reform plan
Kano delegation participates in international labour conference in Geneva
Kano ranks best in ECOWAS on education spending index
UBEC, UNICEF train education stakeholders on SBMCs in Northern Nigeria
