TRANSFER CERTIFICATE

Moving a pupil to another school

The transfer certificate is the document that lets a pupil leave one school and be admitted to another with the record intact. It is free, it is issued in five working days, and no school may withhold it.

What the certificate does

A transfer certificate records who the pupil is, which school he is leaving, the class he had reached, what he had been assessed at, what he had been immunised against and that he leaves in good standing. Without it a receiving school has to guess the class, and a child who has completed four years of primary school can find himself repeating a year for want of a piece of paper.

It is issued by the head teacher of the releasing school on the parent's request, endorsed by the local government education office or the zonal education office depending on where the child is going, and surrendered to the receiving school on the day the child reports. The whole of it is free, whether the school is public or an approved private school.

The certificate does not by itself create a place. Where the receiving school is a public school in Kano State, apply for admission in the ordinary way and quote the certificate. Where a child is arriving from outside the State, a Placement Test held within ten working days fixes the class.

What you need to request one

Bring these to the head teacher of the school the child is leaving, or upload them with the online request.

A written request from the parent or guardian naming the child, the class and the reason for the move.
The pupil's admission number, in the form 0184/26/0037, or the last report card if the number is not to hand.
The guardian's identification.
The name and address of the receiving school, where it is already known.
Any school property in the child's keeping, such as library books or a laboratory coat, returned to the school.
For a move out of Kano State, the address of the destination and, where available, the admission letter of the receiving school.

How it is issued

Ask the releasing school

Give the head teacher the written request, in person or through your account. The head teacher acknowledges it the same day and has five working days to issue the certificate.

The head teacher completes the record

Attendance for the session, the last termly assessment in each subject, the class attained, conduct, health notes and the date of leaving are entered and signed. The pupil's status in the register becomes Transferred Out.

The certificate is endorsed

A move inside the same local government area is endorsed by the local government education office. A move to another local government area in Kano is endorsed by the zonal education office. A move out of the State is endorsed by the Directorate of School Services at the Ministry.

Collect it, or download it

The signed certificate is issued in your account as a printable document and in paper at the school office. Both carry the same serial number and the school code of the releasing school.

The receiving school verifies

The receiving head teacher checks the serial against the register, confirms the class and enters the pupil with a new admission number. The pupil's record is attached to the new school and the movement is logged.

Three kinds of move

Who endorses the certificate, and what else is needed, depends on where the child is going.

Where the child is going	Who endorses	Also needed	Turnaround
Another school in the same local government area	The local government education office	Admission application to the receiving school	5 working days
Another local government area inside Kano State	The zonal education office for the receiving zone	Admission application, and evidence of residence where a catchment place is claimed	5 working days
Out of Kano State, or out of Nigeria	The Directorate of School Services at the Ministry	A statement of the syllabus covered, and a translation where the destination requires one	10 working days

What each school must do

The obligations run both ways, and they are the reason the certificate is worth having. A releasing school that issues a blank or partial certificate has not discharged its duty, and a receiving school that admits a child without verifying one has taken on a record it cannot vouch for.

The record that travels with the child is the point of the exercise. Kano keeps one continuous record for every pupil from Primary 1 to SS 3, and each transfer joins the record rather than restarting it.

The releasing school issues: the completed certificate, the last three termly reports, the attendance summary for the session and the immunisation record.
The receiving school verifies: the serial number against the register, the school code of the releasing school and the class attained.
The record that moves: admission history, subject scores with continuous assessment, promotion decisions, attendance, health notes and any support the child receives in class.
What does not move: any debt. A transfer certificate is not security for a charge, and no charge may be attached to it.
Both schools log the movement, so the pupil is never counted twice in the annual school census.

No school may withhold a transfer certificate

A transfer certificate may not be withheld over an unpaid fee, an unpaid levy, an unreturned item or a dispute of any kind between the school and the parent. The certificate belongs to the child, not to the school, and holding it hostage is a breach of the Kano State Education Law, Cap. 47.

A school that withholds one, or that demands payment to release it, is reported to the local government education office and to the PVIB where the school is a private one. The Ministry issues a replacement certificate from the school register within five working days so that the child's schooling is not interrupted, and the withholding is recorded against the school at its next inspection.

Common questions

Does it cost anything?

No. The certificate, its endorsement and its replacement are free in a public school and in an approved private school. No fee of any description is payable at any stage.

The school has closed. Who issues the certificate?

The local government education office does, from the register the closing school surrendered. Where a private school closed without surrendering its records, the PVIB reconstructs the pupil's record from the enrolment returns and the examination entries and issues an attestation that serves the same purpose.

Can a pupil move in the middle of a term?

Yes, though it is better at the end of one. A mid-term move carries the assessment scores earned to date, and the receiving school continues the continuous assessment rather than starting it again.

My child is moving to a private school. Does the same apply?

Yes, in both directions. An approved private school must issue a transfer certificate on the same terms as a public school, and must verify one before admitting a child. An unapproved school cannot issue a valid certificate at all, which is one of the practical costs of enrolling a child in one.

Can the certificate be issued after the child has already left?

Yes. Apply to the releasing school, or to the local government education office where the school will not act. A certificate issued after the event carries the leaving date recorded in the register, not the date it was written.

What if the receiving school says the class is wrong?

The receiving head teacher may ask for a Placement Test where the record is unclear or the syllabus differs, and the test is held within ten working days at the local government education office. The class it fixes is final for the session, and it may not be used to demote a pupil whose record is complete.

Is a transfer certificate the same as a school leaving certificate?

No. A transfer certificate moves a pupil between schools mid-course. A leaving certificate is issued at the end of the final year of a level, and the examination certificate itself comes from the examining body.

Request a transfer certificate

Five working days, no charge, and the record travels with the child.

Start a request Apply for a place