Speaking at the Recovery Conference in Kano on Thursday, Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever, reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to support the Kano State Government in tackling significant educational challenges. Lever stated, “The UK’s education objective in Nigeria is to ensure all Nigerian children have access to quality education.”
The conference, themed “Repositioning Education in Kano State: Navigating the Path to Excellence,” provided a platform for stakeholders to identify sustainable and scalable solutions to improve Kano’s education sector. This event was a response to the recent declaration of a state of emergency in education and highlighted the state government’s readiness to collaborate with stakeholders to address the learning crisis.
Since 2021, the UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) program has supported Kano State by developing policies, training head teachers, and improving foundational learning quality.
Lever praised the collaboration between the UK and Nigeria, saying, “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.”
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf emphasized the importance of education in his opening speech, stating, “Education is not merely a pathway to individual success; it is essential for collective societal progress and economic development.”
Cynthia Rowe, Development Director at the British High Commission in Abuja, highlighted the broader implications of education, noting, “Education is fundamental to enduring poverty reduction, building prosperous, resilient economies, and peaceful, stable societies.”
National Team Lead for PLANE, Dr. Nguyan Feese, expressed excitement about supporting Kano’s educational reforms and urged the government to conduct a Learning Poverty Assessment to gather accurate data on the state’s educational needs.
