The Kano State Government has stopped private and voluntary schools from increasing tuition fees on their own, saying no school can adjust fees without clearance from the authorities.
The Special Adviser to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Private and Voluntary Institutions, Baba Abubakar Umar, announced this at a press briefing in Kano.
“No school is allowed to increase fees without receiving formal approval from this board, no matter how big that school is,” Umar said.
Umar explained that schools must first hold a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting before they can propose any fee adjustment. The meeting, he said, must include parents, teachers, government officials, and representatives of the state PTA. Any decision has to be backed by a two-thirds majority and cleared by the state board before it can take effect.
Schools are also required to submit signed minutes of the PTA meeting to the Private Institutions Board or any agency working with the state PTA office.
Umar called on parents to pay their children’s fees promptly and attend PTA meetings regularly. He described skipping meetings as “negative behaviour” that weakens accountability.
According to him, “It is only when you pay your school fee that the school can manage the school.”
On parents who ignore PTA invitations, he said:
“You cannot have a child in a school, and the school will ask you to come for constructive and positive dialogue, and you refuse to come.”
The government also prohibited schools from forcing parents to pay for items such as books, uniforms, extra lessons, development levies, security fees, or prize-giving ceremonies. Umar said parents are free to buy those items either in the school or elsewhere.
Other banned compulsory charges include co-curricular fees and testimonial or certificate fees.
Umar stressed that only curriculum-based activities approved by the government — and in line with Kano’s cultural and religious standards — will be allowed.
The government further warned that any unregistered or substandard school could be shut down and its operators prosecuted.
