ORGANISATION
How the Ministry is arranged
Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, ten directorates, eight parastatal boards, six zonal education offices and an education authority in each of the 44 local government areas. Every school in Kano State sits somewhere on that structure.
One structure, four tiers
The Ministry's structure exists to answer one question quickly: who is responsible? Policy and money come down from the Commissioner through the Permanent Secretary and the directorates. Delivery is carried out by the boards, which own the schools. Between the boards and the schools sit the zonal offices and the local government education authorities, which do the supervision that cannot be done from Kano city.
The rule that keeps the structure honest is simple: every school, library, learning centre and member of staff belongs to exactly one board. There is no school with two masters and no school with none. If you know which board manages a school, you know who funds it, who posts its teachers, who inspects it and who answers for it.
The tiers, from the top down
Each tier has a defined competence. Matters are settled at the lowest tier that can settle them.
Honourable Commissioner for Education
Political head of the sector. Signs policy, presents the education budget to the State Executive Council and the House of Assembly, and is the final appeal within the sector. Chairs the State Education Sector Steering Committee.
Permanent Secretary
Accounting officer and head of the professional service. Authorises releases to the boards, signs circulars, chairs the Ministry Management Committee, and is the address for all formal correspondence.
Ten directorates
The Ministry's own machinery: Basic Education; Senior Secondary Education; Science, Technical and Vocational Education; Planning, Research and Statistics; Quality Assurance and Inspectorate; Teacher Development; Finance and Accounts; Administration and Human Resources; Examinations; Special and Inclusive Education.
Eight parastatal boards and agencies
SUBEB, KSSMB, STSB, KSQISMB, the Private and Voluntary Institute, the Library Board, the Agency for Mass Education and the Education Development Support Board. Each has an executive head, an estate and a budget line, and each manages its schools directly.
Six zonal education offices
Kano Central, Kano North, Kano South, Gaya Zone, Rano Zone and Wudil Zone. The zones supervise the local government education authorities, hold the inspection teams and are the first level of escalation above an LGA office.
44 local government education authorities
One in every local government area, each headed by an Education Secretary. They pay and supervise basic-school teachers, distribute grants and materials to schools, take the census returns and are the office a parent should go to first. KSQISMB works through an LGA Coordinator in the same 44 areas.
Schools, libraries and learning centres
Roughly 4,800 of them, each with a head, a school code and a register. The head teacher or principal is accountable for the register, the money held in the school and the safety of every learner in it.
The ten directorates
What each directorate owns and who leads it. Address correspondence through the Permanent Secretary, copied to the directorate.
| Directorate | What it owns | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Education | Pre-primary, primary and junior secondary policy; the free and compulsory basic education entitlement; capitation policy and the oversight of SUBEB. | Dr. Rabi'atu Kabir Dala |
| Senior Secondary Education | SS 1 to SS 3 policy, subject streams and combinations, boarding standards, and the oversight of the Senior Secondary Schools Management Board. | Malam Garba Yahaya Minjibir |
| Science, Technical & Vocational Education | Science secondary schools, technical colleges and vocational centres; laboratory and workshop standards; trade testing with the national board. | Engr. Ibrahim Sule Karaye |
| Planning, Research & Statistics | The Annual School Census, the education management information system, the sector plan, the medium-term expenditure framework and every figure the Ministry publishes. | Dr. Nasiru Aliyu Gezawa |
| Quality Assurance & Inspectorate | Whole-school evaluation, subject inspection, examination centre accreditation, and the enforcement of the national minimum standards in every school, public or private. | Hajiya Saudat Abdulkadir Bichi |
| Teacher Development | Teacher registration and licensing with the national council, in-service training, the mentoring scheme, and the upgrading of Grade II and NCE holders to a degree. | Malam Auwalu Sale Kiru |
| Finance & Accounts | The education budget, releases to the boards, payroll returns, the ledger, procurement compliance and the audited annual account of the sector. | Alhaji Kabiru Umar Tofa |
| Administration & Human Resources | Establishment and posting of Ministry staff, records, discipline, welfare, promotion boards, and the secretariat services that keep the directorates running. | Hajiya Amina Sulaiman Ungogo |
| Examinations | The Common Entrance, the Basic Education Certificate Examination and the Qualifying Examination; centre accreditation, question paper security, marking and the issue of certificates. | Malam Sulaiman Hamza Wudil |
| Special & Inclusive Education | Schools and units for learners who are deaf, blind or have a physical or intellectual disability; inclusive classroom support; assistive equipment; the special education fund window. | Malama Halima Bala Tarauni |
The six zones and the areas they cover
The same six zones are used by SUBEB, KSSMB, the Private and Voluntary Institute, the Library Board and the Agency for Mass Education, so a school and its inspectors are always in the same zone.
- Kano Central (8 LGAs): Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Kumbotso, Nassarawa, Tarauni, Ungogo.
- Kano North (11 LGAs): Bagwai, Bichi, Dambatta, Dawakin Tofa, Gabasawa, Gezawa, Kunchi, Makoda, Minjibir, Tofa, Tsanyawa.
- Kano South (8 LGAs): Gwarzo, Kabo, Karaye, Kiru, Madobi, Rimin Gado, Rogo, Shanono.
- Gaya Zone (5 LGAs): Albasu, Garko, Gaya, Sumaila, Takai.
- Rano Zone (8 LGAs): Bebeji, Bunkure, Doguwa, Garun Mallam, Kibiya, Kura, Rano, Tudun Wada.
- Wudil Zone (4 LGAs): Ajingi, Dawakin Kudu, Warawa, Wudil.
The eight boards and agencies
Every school belongs to exactly one of these. Open a board to see its estate, its leadership, what it delivers and how to reach it.
SUBEB
SUBEB · est. 2005
Primary 1 to JSS 3 — the whole of basic education in Kano State.
Learn moreKSSMB
KSSMB · est. 2013
SS 1 to SS 3 — every public senior secondary school in the State.
Learn moreSTSB
STSB · est. 1978
Science secondary schools, technical colleges and vocational centres.
Learn moreKSQISMB
KSQISMB · est. 2001
Tsangaya, integrated Islamiyyah and non-integrated Islamiyyah schools.
Learn morePVIB
KPVIB · est. 2009
Private, community and voluntary (mission) schools.
Learn moreKSLB
KSLB · est. 1970
Every public library in Kano State.
Learn moreAGMEd
SAME · est. 1992
Non-formal, adult and continuing education.
Learn moreEDTFB
KETFUND · est. 2019
The 1 % Education Trust Fund, SPPI and all capital projects.
Learn moreWhich tier should you approach?
A matter about one child or one school: the school head, then the local government education authority for that area. A matter about several schools, a posting or a grant: the zonal education office, then the board. A matter of policy, approval, examinations or money: the Ministry.
The full directory of the 44 education offices, with addresses, secretaries and telephone numbers, is at /offices.
Questions about the structure
Why are there separate boards rather than one department?
Can a school move from one board to another?
What does a zonal education office actually do?
Who is my Education Secretary?
Find the office that owns your matter
The board pages set out each estate in full; the office directory gives you an address and a telephone number in every local government area.