The Kano State Government has proposed allocating approximately ₦332bn to education in its 2027 budget, representing 30 per cent of the state’s planned ₦1.107tn expenditure.

Governor Abba Yusuf disclosed the proposed allocation on Wednesday while presenting the budget estimates to the Kano State House of Assembly, describing education as a priority of his administration.

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He said the provision was intended to improve access to quality education, strengthen institutions and support human capital development across the state.

“This substantial allocation to education demonstrates our determination to consolidate the gains recorded in the sector and sustain reforms that improve learning outcomes across the state,” Yusuf said.

The governor highlighted the recruitment of 8,588 teachers during the 2026 fiscal year as one of the administration’s interventions.

The figure comprises 4,900 permanent teachers and 3,688 recruited under the Better Education Service Delivery for All programme.

He also cited the payment of examination fees for more than 150,000 students sitting for examinations conducted by the National Examinations Council, the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board.

Other interventions, according to Yusuf, included settling outstanding boarding school feeding obligations and rehabilitating educational facilities.

The state government also supported students taking the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination by providing application forms, registration assistance and preparatory training.

Yusuf further said Kano maintained its leading position on the 2026 NECO performance chart for the second consecutive year.

He pledged that the administration would continue investing in teacher development, school infrastructure, instructional materials and digital learning facilities.

“We will continue to invest in teacher development, school infrastructure, instructional materials and digital learning facilities to strengthen education as the foundation for sustainable development,” he said.

The proposed 30 per cent allocation is above UNESCO’s commonly cited benchmark recommending that governments devote between 15 and 20 per cent of public expenditure, or 4 to 6 per cent of gross domestic product, to education.

Education remains a major development concern in northern Nigeria, where low school enrolment, large numbers of out-of-school children, teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure have continued to attract attention from governments and development partners.

However, the proposed allocation will still require scrutiny during the budget approval process. Its eventual impact will also depend on how much of the approved funding is released and spent on the planned programmes.