Kano Assembly Passes Bill to Cap Private School Fee Increases at 10%
Nigeria · POLICY
Key Facts
The bill: The Kano State House of Assembly passed the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institutions Board (Amendment) Bill, 2026 after its third reading on Monday.
The cap: Any approved fee increase at private primary and secondary schools would be limited to 10% of existing tuition, with mandatory parent-teacher association consultation.
Exam fees: Schools would be prohibited from charging more than 10% above official registration fees set by the West African Examinations Council, the National Examinations Council, and the National Board for Technical Education.
Board charges: The bill cuts statutory charges payable to the regulatory board from 15% to 5%, narrowing one source of operator grievance.
Legal status: The measure still requires the assent of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to become law.
Education spending: The Yusuf administration allocated 31.5% of the 2025 state budget, or ₦168.35 billion, to education.
The Kano State House of Assembly has passed a bill capping private school fee increases at 10% and requiring parent-teacher association consultation, tightening state control over a sector that has become a substitute for failing public provision in northern Nigeria’s commercial hub.
What the Kano private school bill actually does
The Kano State Private and Voluntary Institutions Board (Amendment) Bill, 2026 passed its third reading on Monday. It now heads to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for assent.
The bill’s headline provision limits any approved fee increase at private primary and secondary schools to 10% of existing tuition. Schools must also consult parent-teacher associations (PTAs) before proposing any rise.
Beyond tuition, the legislation prohibits schools from charging more than 10% above official registration fees set by external exam bodies. These include the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
The bill also cuts statutory charges payable to the regulatory board from 15% to 5%. It further requires the board’s executive secretary to be a retired or seasoned educationist at least Grade Level 14 in the public service.
Kano’s three-year push to regulate private school fees
The bill is not a sudden move. In August 2023, the state ordered an immediate suspension of fee increases at private primary and secondary schools and temporarily banned the sale of books and uniforms by schools.
Proprietors were told that fee increases required approval and PTA involvement. The state also threatened sanctions for non-compliance, signalling a tougher regulatory posture that has now hardened into legislation.
In July 2026, Radio Nigeria reported the assembly had begun considering an amendment to expand oversight beyond basic education. The new scope would cover private universities, colleges and nursing schools as well.
The reduction of board charges from 15% to 5% suggests the government is trying to narrow one source of operator grievance even as it tightens fee control. School owners have long argued that high taxes force fee increases, though a Kano official countered that no institution had paid more than 4% of tuition as tax, despite a legal requirement of 10%.
The money reality for Kano private school operators
Many Kano private schools operate on thin margins in a high-inflation environment. Average fees in low- and middle-income communities range from ₦10,000 to ₦25,000 for playgroup and nursery, ₦15,000 to ₦30,000 for primary, and ₦18,000 to ₦45,000 for junior and senior secondary.
Widespread complaints about fee rises without consultation have fuelled political pressure for intervention. Parents facing squeezed household budgets have become a vocal constituency demanding restraint.
The 10% cap creates a hard ceiling in an environment where input costs—from teaching materials to energy—are rising faster. The bill’s supporters argue the PTA consultation requirement gives families a seat at the table they previously lacked.
The cut in board charges from 15% to 5% offers some relief on the cost side. But it is unlikely to fully offset the margin squeeze for schools that had relied on larger annual fee adjustments to stay viable.
Who gains and who loses from the fee cap
Parents are the immediate winners. The cap protects household education budgets at a time when inflation has eroded purchasing power across Nigeria.
Private school owners lose pricing power. The low-cost private-school segment, which serves families with the fewest alternatives, faces the sharpest squeeze because its margins are already the thinnest.
The Yusuf administration gains political capital. With education budget shares of 29.75% for 2024 and 31.5% for 2025—₦168.35 billion in the 2025 budget—the government can argue it is defending families while rebuilding public schools.
The risk falls on families whose children rely on low-cost private schools as the cheapest available alternative. If the cap makes some schools unviable, supply could shrink precisely where it is most needed.
The national and regional read-through
Nigeria’s education governance is highly decentralised. States can set their own private-school rules, and Kano is using one of the strongest versions of fee regulation in the country.
Lagos, for example, allows government approval of tuition changes and bars increases during the academic year. Kano’s approach is more interventionist on price but fits the same policy tension: how to regulate a fast-growing non-state school market without crushing supply.
The bill also aligns with the federal National Policy on Non-State Schools, launched in 2025. That policy aims to regulate and support private schools nationwide, improving transparency, standards and quality assurance.
International development actors have long treated private schooling as part of the education-access puzzle in low- and middle-income countries. Kano’s clampdown could affect that calculus, especially where governments cannot scale public supply fast enough. The broader scramble for influence in African education systems is part of a wider pattern covered in Africa: The New Scramble.
What to watch next as the bill awaits assent
The bill now requires Governor Yusuf’s signature to become law. Given his administration’s heavy education spending and prior crackdowns, assent is widely expected.
The real test will be enforcement. Kano has a history of announcing tough rules on private schools, but compliance has been uneven and proprietors have pushed back through various channels.
Watch for whether the expansion to private universities, colleges and nursing schools advances. That would signal the state intends to regulate the entire private education ladder, not just basic education.
The political risk is not just to school owners but to the families whose children rely on those schools. In Kano, the battle over who bears the cost of education is now being settled by law rather than negotiation alone.
More: Nigeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum fee increase allowed under the new Kano private school bill?
The bill caps any approved fee increase at 10% of existing tuition for private primary and secondary schools in Kano State.
Does the bill require schools to consult parents before raising fees?
Yes, schools must consult parent-teacher associations before proposing any fee increase under the new legislation.
Has the Kano private school fee cap become law yet?
Not yet. The bill passed the Kano State House of Assembly but still requires the assent of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to become law.
Connected Coverage
For more on how African governments are navigating the intersection of public provision, private enterprise and foreign influence, read Africa: The New Scramble.
Sources
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