Kano legislature passes free compulsory education bill | EduCeleb
EduCeleb
27th October 2020
The Kano State House of Assembly has passed into law, a bill to make education free and compulsory at the basic education level.
This is the basis of the state’s free and compulsory Universal Basic and Secondary Education bill 2020.
The Assembly passed the bill into law after the third reading by the Clerk of the Assembly, Abdullahi Alfa, during a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Abdulazeez Gafasa on Monday.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the adjourning sitting, the House Majority Leader, Kabiru Dashi said the bill was brought before the House by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
According to him, it is aimed at supporting the implementation of the government’s free and compulsory universal basic and secondary education in the state.
He said that the state government was committed towards the development of education, therefore, free and compulsory education is necessary.
Explaining further, he stated that “The law contains 13 sections, one of which is that Kano State Government would sponsor all children from primary to secondary school and it is compulsory.
“Any principal or teacher found collecting any amount either from parents or students would pay N20,000 as a penalty or spend one month in jail.
“Parents, who refuse to send their children to school will be charged, either one-month imprisonment or to pay N20,000 penalty,’’ Dashi said.
EduCeleb.com reports that Kano State has the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
The bill if eventually signed into law by Governor Ganduje would complement the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act 2004 at the federal level.