The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to support the Kano state government in addressing significant education sector challenges in the state.

This is contained in a statement on the Kano State Education Recovery Conference, signed by Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, senior communication officer, British High Commission, on Thursday in Abuja.

The conference is themed “Repositioning Education in Kano State: Navigating the Path to Excellence”.

Gill Lever, the acting British High Commissioner, speaking at the conference, said that the UK’s education objective in Nigeria was to ensure that all Nigerian children have access to quality education.

Ms Lever said that the conference presented an opportunity for stakeholders to identify sustainable and scalable solutions to reposition and improve the education sector in Kano to ensure sustainable access to quality education for all.

According to her, it is not only a response to the recent declaration of a state of emergency in education but a demonstration of the state government’s readiness to work with relevant stakeholders to proffer solutions.

She said that it was also to implement an innovative approach to solve the learning crisis in the state.

“With the support from the UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) programme since 2021, Kano state has developed policies and trained teachers to deliver safe, inclusive and quality education for all.

“The UK is proud of the breadth and range of partnership with the government of Nigeria, and of course, education is an essential component to underpin human capital development.

“I’m delighted that PLANE has been able to support Kano’s crucial priority of addressing the State of Emergency in Education.

“It is only through collaborations like this, with the best minds and years of experience gathered, that this course can be charted to convert political will into sustainable action,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Kano state Governor, Abba Yusuf, said that the conference marked a historic moment in our struggle towards revitalising and repositioning the education sector in the state.

“Education is not merely a pathway to individual success; it is for collective societal progress and economic development, as well as prosperity.

“It is our duty as custodians of public trust to ensure that every child in Kano receives quality education that will prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century,” he said.

Also, Cynthia Rowe, the development director at the British High Commission, said that education was fundamental to enduring poverty reduction and building prosperous, resilient economies and peaceful and stable societies.

According to Ms Rowe, today’s children are the talent of tomorrow.

“We neglect their education at our own peril, but if we get this right, a world of opportunities could open up and that has to be the greatest incentive for all of us,” she said.

Dr Nguyan Feese, national team lead, PLANE, said that the programme was an avenue to support the Kano state government to chart a new course to reform its education sector through the organisation of Kano Education Recovery Conference.

Mr Feese said that the programme would continue to support the state to reform the education sector.

According to her, the idea is to deliver safe, inclusive and good quality education services to improve the life chances of the millions of learners in Kano State.

She urged the state government to conduct its own learning poverty assessment in order to get accurate data on the learning situation and the number of out-of-school children in the state.

(NAN)