The Kano government, in collaboration with the European Union and the United Nations Children’s Fund, has begun developing a 10-year strategic education plan.

The programme also comprised a three-year operational plan to address the learning crisis in the state.

The plans, tagged the 2026–2035 Kano State Strategic Education Sector and Operational Plan, aim to reduce the number of out-of-school children, improve learning outcomes, and transform the state’s education sector.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting, UNICEF chief of Kano field office, Karanveer Singh, said the plans were critical to tackling the menace of out-of-school children and improving access to quality education in the state.

Mr Singh said education remained the foundation for national development, hence the need to support both state and federal governments in that direction.

“Education of children is extremely important if we want the country to develop. And in Nigeria, we have a large number of out-of-school children, so we have to get them back to school.

“We must also improve access to education and improve the quality of education. The whole idea of developing the strategic plan and the operational plan is for Kano to move forward in that direction,” he said.

According to him, UNICEF is partnering with the Ministry of Education, SUBEB, and other stakeholders to build capacity and help them improve the quality of education.

“We are also trying to bring global learning to Nigeria. We are providing different teaching and learning aids. UNICEF’s education section is supporting the state and federal governments in several areas.

“The target is every child in school. No child should miss education. If you really want the country to develop—and I am sure every Nigerian and every global citizen wants our children to be well developed and economically productive—education is the key,” Mr Singh noted.

Haladu Mohammed, technical adviser to Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf on education reform, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to revolutionising and reforming the state’s education sector.

He said the government’s resolve was evident in the huge investments made in education and in the declaration of a state of emergency in the sector upon assuming office.

A resource person from the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, Lara Ogunsola, said the institute was partnering with UNICEF to provide technical assistance for the plan.

She assured stakeholders that the plan would not be “just on paper” but would be doable, scalable, and sustainable.

The co-chair of the Kano State Accountability Forum on Education, Auwalu Halilu, said that civil society groups were contributing grassroots perspectives to ensure that the plans effectively address the challenges facing the education sector across the state. 

(NAN)