Only 9.6 per cent of primary school pupils in Kano State demonstrate reading proficiency, and 11.2 per cent possess basic numeracy skills, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.

The UNICEF Chief of the Kano Field Office, Rahama Mohammed, stated this on Friday at a news conference held in Kano to mark the 2025 International Day for Education.

Mr Mohammed described the statistics as “a wake-up call for all stakeholders,” stressing the need for urgent investment in education to reverse the trend.

Citing the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Mr Mohammed recalled that 989,234 primary school-age children in Kano—approximately 32 per cent of the population—are currently not enrolled in formal education.

“This is not just a statistic; it represents the dreams and potential futures of nearly one million children being cut short. Urgent action is required to address this crisis,” he said.

To address the crisis, Mr Muhammed said UNICEF has initiated projects, including integrating Quranic schools into the formal education system.

He said over 290 Qur’anic teachers and proprietors of Quranic schools in Kano and Jigawa states have been trained under this initiative to ensure children receive basic education alongside religious studies.

“UNICEF has also supported the construction and rehabilitation of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in 33 schools across Kano and Jigawa. These efforts have directly benefited 39,432 children—19,810 boys and 19,622 girls—by improving school infrastructure and student retention,” he noted.

The UNICEF outlined efforts to improve education quality by training 1,109 teachers in areas such as Reading and Numeracy Activities (RANA), Early Childhood Development, and ‘HASKE’ for non-formal Quranic schools.

“Additionally, we have supplied over 630,249 teaching and learning materials to schools, supporting early childhood and primary education. These efforts are pivotal in improving learning outcomes,” he added.

UNICEF commended the efforts of its partners – the European Union for its collaboration on the Education and Youth Empowerment (EYE) Programme, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for supporting the CRIBS project in Kano and Jigawa states.

“We remain committed to collaborating with the governments of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa to achieve better basic education outcomes. Education is the cornerstone of development, and we must not let these children down,” Mr Mohammed said.

The International Day for Education underscores the need for stakeholders to unite to address the challenges threatening Kano’s children’s future.