PVIB · PRIVATE AND VOLUNTARY SCHOOLS
Kano State Private And Voluntary Institute
The approving authority for every fee-paying, community and mission school in Kano State: 300 approved schools, 164,000 pupils, and the register that tells a parent whether a school lawfully exists.
What the Institute is responsible for
Approval, licensing and quality assurance of every fee-paying, community and mission school operating in Kano State. The Institute processes new-school approvals, renewals, changes of proprietorship and upgrades of level, inspects against the twelve statutory criteria, and publishes the register of approved private schools.
Established in 2009, the Institute exists because private schooling in Kano grew faster than the supervision of it. A parent paying fees is entitled to know that the school is approved, that its teachers are registered, that its building is safe and that the certificate at the end will be recognised. The register is the instrument that answers all four questions in one place.
Approval is granted for a fixed term and is renewable. It may be made conditional on remedying a defect within a stated period, and it may be suspended or revoked. A school operating without approval has no lawful existence: it may not admit pupils, may not advertise, and may not present candidates for any examination.
PVIB at a glance
300
Approved schools
Private, community and mission
164,000
Pupils
Pre-primary to senior secondary
7,400
Teachers
Registration with the national council required
12
Statutory criteria
Every one must be met before approval
How PVIB is organised
Three tiers. Applications are lodged at the zonal office, decided at headquarters.
Institute Headquarters, Farm Centre
Receives applications, convenes the approvals committee, maintains the register and signs every approval, renewal, variation and revocation in the State.
6 Zonal Education Offices
Kano Central, Kano North, Kano South, Gaya, Rano and Wudil. The zones carry out the inspection that precedes an approval and the routine inspection that follows it.
Schools
Around 300 approved schools, each of which must display its approval certificate and its approval number at the entrance.
What the Institute processes, and how long it takes
Service standards from a complete application. An incomplete application is returned rather than held, so check the attachments before lodging. The current schedule of charges is published at /services/school-approval.
| Application | Who it is for | Service standard | What you must attach |
|---|---|---|---|
| New school approval | A proprietor opening a school for the first time | 45 working days, including inspection | Certificate of ownership or lease of the site, building plan, staff list with registration numbers, curriculum, fee schedule, health and safety report |
| Renewal of approval | An approved school at the end of its term | 20 working days if lodged before expiry | Current approval certificate, enrolment and staff returns for the last two sessions, evidence of any defect remedied |
| Change of proprietorship | A school being transferred to a new owner | 30 working days | Deed of transfer, consent of the outgoing proprietor, the incoming proprietor's particulars, updated staff list |
| Upgrade of level | A school adding junior or senior secondary classes | 45 working days, with inspection of the new facilities | Laboratory, library and classroom evidence for the new level, specialist staff list, revised curriculum |
| Change of name or site | A school relocating or renaming | 20 working days | Evidence of the new site or the reason for the name change, and an inspection of the new premises |
| Re-inspection after an improvement notice | A school that has been given a deadline to remedy a defect | 10 working days from the request | Evidence that the defect has been remedied, with photographs and receipts where applicable |
The twelve statutory criteria
An inspection tests every one of them. A school that fails any one is refused, or approved conditionally with a deadline to remedy it.
- Secure title to the site, with a lease or certificate of ownership in the proprietor's name
- Buildings that are structurally sound, ventilated, lit and fit for teaching
- A site that is fenced and safely away from a highway, a market or an industrial hazard
- Classrooms sized to the approved class limit, with seating for every pupil
- Separate, functional and clean sanitation for girls and boys, and for staff
- A supply of potable water on the premises
- A library, and laboratories appropriate to the level applied for
- Teachers who hold at least the NCE and are registered with the national teachers registration council
- A head teacher or principal with the qualification and experience for the level
- The national curriculum, with a scheme of work for each class and subject
- Complete records: admission register, attendance register, continuous assessment records and a staff file for each teacher
- A published fee schedule filed with the Institute, and a first aid and safeguarding arrangement
Who leads PVIB
The executive head answers to the Honourable Commissioner for Education through the Permanent Secretary. Formal correspondence should name the school and the local government area concerned.
Hajiya Hadiza Bello Fagge
Executive Secretary, Kano State Private And Voluntary Institute
M.Ed (Educational Management)
Ran the Ministry's approvals desk for six years before the Institute was given its own secretariat. She signs every approval, renewal and revocation affecting a private, community or mission school in the State.
pvib@moe.kn.gov.ngMr. Chinedu Okeke
Director, Approvals & Licensing
B.Ed (Educational Administration)
Leads approvals and licensing, and manages the inspection teams that visit before an approval is granted. He publishes the quarterly update to the register of approved private schools.
Questions proprietors and parents ask the Institute
How do I know a school is approved?
What is the difference between provisional and full approval?
How long does a new approval take, and what does it cost?
My school's approval has lapsed. What happens now?
The school has raised its fees mid-session. Is that allowed?
What happens to the pupils if a school is closed?
Operating without approval
A school that comes forward and applies is processed on the ordinary timetable. A school discovered during inspection is sealed, its pupils are transferred, and the proprietor is liable to prosecution under the Kano State Education Law, Cap. 47.
Certificates and results issued by an unapproved school are not recognised by the State or by the examination councils. The pupils carry that loss, not the proprietor.
Where to find PVIB
Lodge applications at the zonal education office for the school's location; enquiries about the register come to headquarters.
- Headquarters: PVIB Secretariat, Farm Centre, Tarauni, Kano
- Telephone: +234 813 220 9085
- Email: pvib@moe.kn.gov.ng
- Counter hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 16:00
- Applications and the schedule of charges: /services/school-approval
- Register of approved private schools: /schools/private
Apply, renew or check a school
Approval applications, renewals and changes of proprietorship are lodged online; the register of approved schools is public and searchable.