The future of children in Baita, a small village in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, is at stake. Poverty, archaic cultural beliefs, and lack of infrastructure are a few of the factors that have denied most kids the opportunity to be enrolled in formal school. Despite increased investments, Kano still faces a wide gender gap in literacy rates. The Nigeria Digest of Education Statistics indicates that only 46% of girls in Kano are literate, compared to 73% for boys.
Education in Crisis
While the gap exists in urban centers, it is significantly wider in rural areas like Baita. Although policies such as the Free and Compulsory Basic and Secondary Education Law have been introduced, their implementation remains inconsistent. Meanwhile, efforts under the Gender Responsive Education Sector Plan (GRESP) and the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) have shown promising results; however, these programs rarely extend to the most remote parts of the country.
The village head of Baita, puts in perspective the precarious situation of local schools
“We only have three teachers to manage six classrooms. Urgent renovations of the school are needed; and we urge more qualified teachers.
Poverty, Infrastructure, and Delayed Funding
The biggest obstacles to children going to school in Kano are poverty and a lack of resources. While 31% of the state’s 2025 budget was allocated to education, actual fund releases are rather slow and meager. For example, only 8.9% of the education budget for the first half of 2024 was disbursed.
In the words of the Coordinator of Kano Ministry of Education
“We haven’t received funds for approved projects since 2023. These delays undermine efforts to improve girls’ access to education.”
Despite these challenges, the government has taken notable steps. Free uniforms, feeding allowances, and the hiring of 5,643 teachers—mostly women—are among the gender-sensitive policies aimed at closing the education gap. Former Commissioner of Education Umar Haruna Doguwa emphasizes that these efforts are crucial to reversing the neglect of past administrations.
GRESP and the Way Forward
Programs like GRESP aim to surmount obstacles that are uniquely faced by girls in rural areas. Although Kano has over 7,000 primary schools, the number drops to a mere 813 senior secondary schools, and only 363 of these are exclusively for girls. The Executive Secretary of the Kano State Senior Secondary School Management Board, Dr. Kabiru Ado Zakirai, has thus requested the establishment of 92 more boarding schools to put an end to these inequalities.
“Boarding schools can provide families with better options for their daughters’ education, but the economic costs of running them remain a challenge,” Zakirai said.
Tackling the Gender Gap
The state government has introduced initiatives like rehabilitating 72 school buses for safer transportation and providing conditional cash transfers to support 48,500 girls. These measures aim to reduce the logistical and financial barriers keeping kids out of school.
A Call to Action
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf reiterated the state’s commitment to improving education:
“We have proposed six draft policies, including the Kano Education Law and the Teacher Development Policy, to ensure every girl has the opportunity to succeed.”
To address the gender gap and provide kids in rural Kano with a brighter future, the government must ensure the full implementation of policies and increase investments in transportation and infrastructure.
Conclusion
The challenges keeping kids out of school in Kano require immediate action. The state can bring about permanent change by tackling the financial barriers, cultural myths, and logistic challenges. For additional resources on educational and gender equality projects, visit genderpedia.ng/shop.
