Oluwatobi Adu 
KANO, Nigeria – The Kano State Private and Voluntary Schools Management Board has introduced stricter regulatory measures for private schools, including restrictions on arbitrary fee increases and compulsory purchases of school supplies from individual institutions.
The board’s Executive Secretary, Baba Abubakar Umar, announced the measures on Monday as the state continues a revalidation and recertification exercise aimed at updating records and strengthening oversight of private and voluntary schools.
Under the exercise, institutions that fail to meet revised regulatory requirements face temporary suspension of operations, according to the board. The revised law was approved by the Kano State House of Assembly and signed by the governor in August, although the board’s announcement did not specify the full list of compliance requirements or the number of schools affected.
Umar said registration forms had been distributed free of charge to school proprietors to help the board collect accurate information about institutions operating across the state.
He urged proprietors to obtain and study the new law to understand their obligations and prevent regulatory violations.
The board said changes to school fees must receive prior approval and could only take effect at the beginning of an academic session.
It also urged parents to pay approved charges promptly so schools could meet their operational expenses. However, the board warned that schools must not exploit parents through arbitrary charges or practices that restrict families’ ability to obtain essential educational materials.
Umar said schools were prohibited from compelling parents to purchase books, uniforms or sandals exclusively from them when the same items were available in the open market.
The board also directed schools to establish duly registered Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), follow the approved curriculum and refrain from arbitrarily expelling pupils because of disputes with their parents.
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Mirian Gom 
