The Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) has called on the Kano State House of Assembly to strengthen legislative oversight to ensure that the proposed ₦404.15 billion education budget for 2026 translates into improved learning outcomes rather than repeated under-execution.
Speaking at the 2026 proposed budget public hearing, the CSO Co-Chair K-SAFE Dr Auwal Halilu, represented by the Secretary Evidence Sub-committee Sulaiman Ismail, said Kano State remains at a critical point in its human capital development, despite years of heavy investment in the education sector.
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According to him, about 32 per cent of school-aged children in Kano, nearly one million, are still out of school, while less than 10 per cent of primary school pupils meet basic literacy and numeracy standards.
He noted that overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, delayed recruitment, weak supervision, and lack of textbooks, ICT tools, and laboratory facilities continue to undermine learning, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Dr Halilu acknowledged recent efforts by the Kano State Government to reposition the sector, including teacher recruitment and training, rehabilitation of classrooms and hostels, introduction of ICT-in-education programmes, establishment of model schools and vocational training centres, and policies aimed at integrating nomadic, Qur’anic, and Islamic school learners into formal education pathways.
“These initiatives demonstrate commitment, but the real challenge lies in implementation and execution,”
The 2026 proposed Kano State budget stands at ₦1.37 trillion, with 68 per cent allocated to capital expenditure. Education accounts for about ₦404.15 billion, roughly 30 per cent of the total budget, making it the single largest sectoral allocation. Of this amount, ₦222.58 billion is earmarked for capital projects, ₦76.61 billion for personnel costs, and ₦104.96 billion for overheads.
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K-SAFE’s analysis of the January–September 2025 Budget Performance Report, however, reveals significant under-execution. Personnel expenditure in the education sector achieved only 56.2 per cent execution, overhead spending stood at 15.9 per cent, while capital expenditure was executed at just 22.7 per cent during the period.
Dr. Halilu warned that low budget execution in 2025 contributed to unfilled teaching positions, poor student–teacher ratios, and weak learning outcomes. He described the sharp increase in overhead and capital allocations in the 2026 proposal as both an opportunity and a risk.
“The scale of the 2026 education budget is unprecedented, but without strong oversight, conditional approvals, and phased fund releases, the same challenges will persist,”
K-SAFE called on lawmakers to link fund disbursement to verifiable outputs, including teacher recruitment and deployment, completed classrooms, functional laboratories and ICT facilities, and timely delivery of textbooks.
The forum also urged the House to prioritise rural, nomadic, Qur’anic, and marginalised communities, strengthen monitoring through education data systems, and mandate quarterly performance reporting.
The forum noted that effective use of the 2026 education budget would directly support Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5, and 8, covering quality education, gender equality, and decent work.
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“Kano has a rare opportunity to turn ambitious figures into real classrooms, teachers, and skills for young people,” Dr. Halilu said. “The responsibility now lies with the legislature to ensure that these allocations deliver measurable and lasting improvements in education across the state.”
K-SAFE, established in 2022, is a multi-stakeholder platform comprising government agencies, civil society organisations, professional bodies, the media, and traditional institutions, focused on transparency, citizen participation, and accountability in the education sector.