Kano Recruits 16,000 Teachers, Builds Nearly 4,000 Classrooms

Kano State has recruited more than 16,000 teachers and built nearly 4,000 classrooms through interventions by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in a push to expand access to basic education and improve learning conditions across the state.

UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, disclosed this during an inspection of UBEC-supported projects in Kano with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and Governor Abba Yusuf.

Garba said the classrooms, constructed under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, are providing safer and more conducive learning environments while enabling more children to enrol, remain in school and complete their basic education.

She said Kano’s recruitment of more than 16,000 teachers, including the latest batch, was helping to reduce the teacher shortage, especially in underserved communities, and improve learning outcomes across the state.

Garba noted that new classrooms alone cannot improve education without qualified teachers, describing the state’s recruitment drive as one of the country’s biggest investments in basic education.

“The directive of President Bola Tinubu is clear. No child should be left behind. Every Nigerian child deserves access to quality education. Even where classrooms exist, without teachers, children cannot learn. That is why investments in teachers are investments in the future of our nation,” Garba said.

She said UNESCO estimates that the world needs more than 44 million additional teachers to address the global shortage, adding that Kano’s sustained recruitment places it among governments taking practical steps to tackle the challenge.

Garba commended Governor Yusuf for prioritising education and said collaboration between the Federal Government, UBEC and state governments remains vital to achieving inclusive and equitable basic education nationwide.

She also praised the leadership of the Ministers of Education, saying the ongoing reforms reflect a strong commitment to improving learning outcomes across Nigeria.

Earlier, Chairman of the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Yusuf Kabir, said the recruitment followed a transparent, merit-based process guided by the state’s Teacher Policy, which introduced aptitude tests and other assessment procedures for prospective teachers.

Kabir said the newly recruited teachers would be deployed to schools with the greatest need and placed under continuous supervision, mentoring and evaluation to improve teaching quality.

He urged communities, development partners, traditional institutions and the private sector to complement government efforts, saying lasting improvements in basic education require collective responsibility.

UBEC reaffirmed its commitment to working with state governments to expand access to quality basic education through investments in school infrastructure, teacher development and learner-centred interventions.