The Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) has appealed to the Kano State Executive Council to pass the revised Kano State Education Bill into law to strengthen the legal framework for education reforms in the state.

KANO FOCUS reports that the appeal was made by the Co-Chair of K-SAFE (Civil Society Organisations), Dr Auwalu Halilu, at the forum’s 2025 General Annual Meeting held on Sunday at the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) Hall, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Kano. The meeting brought together civil society organisations, education stakeholders, and members of the media.

Dr Auwalu Halilu,

At the meeting, K-SAFE reviewed its education advocacy and accountability activities for 2025 and outlined priority actions for 2026, reaffirming its commitment to promoting transparency and improving learning outcomes across Kano State.

Chairing the session, Dr Halilu said the coalition recorded notable achievements in 2025 through sustained advocacy, strengthened engagement with government, monitoring of education financing and service delivery, and the promotion of school safety initiatives.

According to him, K-SAFE’s collective actions helped to draw increased public attention to education reforms in Kano, particularly in the areas of funding, accountability, and access to education.

Cross section of participants

Participants at the meeting also reviewed challenges encountered during the year, including coordination constraints and emerging policy and implementation issues. They identified strategic priorities for 2026, such as deepening citizen engagement, strengthening data-driven advocacy, expanding partnerships with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), and consolidating gains in transparency and accountability in the education sector.

Highlighting key achievements, the forum said it had advocated for the adequate release of funds to the education sector and engaged the Kano State House of Assembly, an intervention that reportedly contributed to increased funding for education. K-SAFE also tracked and monitored the utilisation of released funds through a monitoring and tracking template developed by the coalition.

Cross section of participants

Other interventions included advocacy for the reduction of out-of-school children, mobilisation for improved enrolment, retention, and completion of secondary education, as well as community-level engagements. While Kano State was reported to have the highest student enrolment in Nigeria, the forum identified student retention as a major challenge.

K-SAFE further disclosed that two blocks of classrooms were constructed at Maure village in Karaye Local Government Area as a result of its advocacy and intervention.

Cross section of K-SAFE members

Outlining plans for 2026, the forum resolved to intensify advocacy for the provision of instructional materials in schools, support the implementation of the teacher development policy, promote safe school initiatives including the deployment of security guards, and advocate for improved sanitation and personal hygiene, particularly for girl-child education. It also pledged to continue advocating for access to quality education across the state.

Earlier, the Co-Chairperson representing the government, Alhaji Yushau Hamza Kafinchiri, welcomed participants and thanked members for their commitment to the coalition. He assured them of the Kano State Government’s support and disclosed that the state had compiled its 2026 annual school census, making it the first in the country to do so.

Alhaji Yushau Hamza Kafinchiri

Also speaking, Umma Muhammad Rakana of the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) said the governor had endorsed four education policies, while the Federal Government had adopted Kano State’s Non-State Actors Policy. She added that efforts were ongoing to develop an implementation framework, including plans to organise a retreat on policy implementation.

Umma Muhammad Rakana

Rakana further disclosed that the Kano Education Reform Directorate (KERD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, was translating the approved policies to promote wider understanding and effective implementation.

Members of K-SAFE

The congress resolved to organise an education summit that would bring together key stakeholders to discuss critical education issues and mobilise communities to take ownership of public schools, including the construction of community schools across the state.