By Hadiza Musa Yusuf
Despite billions of naira spent by successive administrations to empower education sector in Kano, the absence of safe and functional Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in many public schools is silently undermining students’ health, dignity, and right to quality education especially for girls child. Evidently, the lack of toilets and clean water drives absenteeism, increases health risks, and fuels dropout rates among schoolgirls, particularly during menstruation. While state officials have pledged reforms, experts insist that without an updated Education Sector Plan (ESP) that incorporates Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning (GRESP), these efforts will remain inadequate.
Fifteen-year-old Zainab (not a real name) clasps her school bag tightly as she walks home from Kunchi Primary School in Ghari Local Government Area of Kano State.
She’s battling a recurring infection one her mother believes is linked to where and how Zainab is forced to relieve herself during school hours.
“Our school has no toilet,” Zainab told this reporter.
“Most times, we just use the right staircase to defecate openly or go to the open field with our friends covering us.
“Other times, we hold ourselves until we reach home after school hours.”
The young Zainab, said her family has spent humongous resources on traditional medicine for Months, up till now, the illness persist.
It wasn’t until the infection worsened that they turned to their Primary Health Centre for proper treatment. This, according to her, resulted in missing classes because of the itchiness, which was very uncomfortable,”
Zainab’s story is not unique. In another part of Kumbotso LGA, at Magadawa Primary School popularly called Malam Ilu, 11-year-old Siyama shares a similar burden.
“We have to come back home to ease ourselves,” she says.
“Thank God our house isn’t far from the school. But sometimes when we return, we hardly go back to school,” the primary 6 pupil narrated.
Mal. Ilu Primary School does not have a toilet or even a functional borehole to help students.
Mal Ilu Primary school, Magadawa
Not Just a Rural Problem
It would be easy to assume that such sanitation and toilet challenges are limited to rural areas. However, even some schools located in Kano’s urban centres face the same indignity.
One example is Murtala Muhammed Secondary School, right in the centre of the city.
Despite being in an urban location, the school lacks basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities. Students are left with no choice but to defecate openly around the school compound.
Usman Rabiu Usman, a JSS2 student, recently dropped out of the school. Among the reasons he cited for leaving was the lack of toilets.
“The school has no toilet. We use any open space we find around the school, and even the girls do the same,” he said, visibly upset.
The physical environment of Murtala Muhammed Secondary School tells its own story.
During a visit by this reporter, three major refuse dumps were visible within the school compound.
One was located in an abandoned block of three classrooms, another behind the school, and the third sat festering at the far-left corner of the school’s premises.
The stench, flies, and compiled plastic waste pose a serious health hazard to students and teachers alike.
Pictures from Murtala Muhammed Schools
For many schools across Kano State, toilet facilities are either grossly inadequate for the growing number of students or entirely non-existent.
According to data obtained from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), there are over 3.6 million pupils enrolled in public primary schools, and more than 168,000 students in public secondary schools. Yet, WASH infrastructure has failed to keep pace with this surge.
Even in schools where toilets do exist, they are often poorly maintained, unhygienic, and virtually unusable, forcing students to resort to open defecation or miss school altogether.
A 2017 report presented at a workshop organized by the Ministry for Local Government and Community Development highlighted the severity of the issue. According to Hafiz Abubakar, then-deputy governor of Kano State, a survey revealed that in government-owned schools, an estimated 223 students share a single toilet.
The situation remains dire. During an education tour conducted by the Kano State Correspondents’ Chapel in November 2024, investigations revealed that both teachers and students in several schools were forced to defecate openly due to the complete absence of toilet facilities.
When Schools Promote the Very Thing the State Fights Against
Kano State, like many others in Nigeria, has pledged to eliminate open defecation by 2025, in line with the National Action Plan for the Revitalization of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector.
But ironically, its public schools where children spend most of their day are silently encouraging the very habit the state is fighting to end.
According to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping Report 2021 (WASHNORM 2021), only 2% of people in the state still practice open defecation. This looks small, but when juxtaposed against the population of Kano, it becomes significant.
WASH Budgeting and Implementation Gaps in Kano State
In the 2025 Kano State Citizens Budget, a substantial allocation of ₦168.4bn, representing 31% of the total budget, is directed towards the education sector.
However, there is no explicit breakdown of the funds allocated for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure within schools.
Similarly, the Kano State Development Plan 2020–2025 offers a broad overview of budget allocations for various sectors, but it fails to detail specific investments in WASH facilities for the education sector.
A review of Kano State’s 2024 budget performance, conducted by SolaceBase, raised concerns about the government’s commitment to addressing the persistent challenges of water scarcity and sanitation especially in schools.
Despite sizable allocations, actual implementation has been lacklustre.
The Kano Refuse Management and Sanitation Board was allocated ₦1.6 billion for capital expenditure in 2024; however, by the end of the year, no funds were spent.
Similarly, the Ministry of Water Resources had a capital budget of ₦17 billion, yet only ₦4.7 billion was utilized. Notably, of the ₦13 billion allocated for the construction of water facilities, only ₦8 billion was spent.
“We’re fixing what was neglected” — Commissioner speaks on moves to revive education
The former Kano State Commissioner of Education, Umar Haruna Doguwa, during an interview in November 2024, revealed that the state government is taking decisive steps to revive the education sector, which he says was neglected by the previous administration.
Speaking during the interview, Doguwa blamed the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for the current state of decline.
“The education system in Kano has been steadily deteriorating since 2015,” he said. “We inherited a system that was poorly managed, with many schools lacking basic facilities and proper supervision.”
“We’re fixing what was neglected. The current administration is committed to reviving education in Kano and making it inclusive,” he added.
He further explained that efforts are being made to improve school health standards by prioritizing the provision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in public schools.
“Our focus includes not just infrastructure, but also the well-being of students. We want learning environments that are safe, healthy, and inclusive for every child,” Doguwa said.
Expert Reacts
Maryam Muhammed, a nurse at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), highlighted the serious impact of poor sanitation facilities on school attendance, especially for girls, from a health perspective.
“Lack of proper sanitation increases absenteeism, particularly among female students during their menstrual period,” she explained.
“There’s no privacy, which makes them feel anxious and fearful of embarrassment. This can discourage them from coming to school regularly, and in some cases, it even leads to dropouts.”
She further noted that poor hygiene infrastructure can lead to health complications.
“The risk of infections is higher when sanitation is poor; urinary tract infections, reproductive health infections, and other related illnesses are common,” she said.
“These issues not only affect students’ health but also their ability to focus and participate fully in school activities.”
Muhammed emphasized the need for gender-sensitive WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities in schools.
Similarly, Hafsat Bello Bahara, a lecturer at Skyline University, Kano, said: “When we look at it overall, WASH facilities in most schools are very limited compared to the number of girls attending.”
“Even where you have them, they are not standard and unhygienic. A lot of students don’t even use them. We have to upgrade our WASH facilities to meet minimum health and safety standards.”
According to her, there are no proper facilities for menstrual hygiene in most schools.
“Some girls, when menstruating, tend to stay at home for the entire duration of three to seven days because they feel it’s safer.
“They don’t feel comfortable changing at school due to the risk of infections, especially when there’s a lack of basic hygiene.”
“This affects their education as they miss several days of learning every month. When you add that up over time, a significant portion of their academic calendar is lost.”
Way Forward
To address these issues, the Kano State Government must prioritize the creation and adoption of a new Education Sector Plan (ESP) that is inclusive, gender-responsive, and practical.
An Education Sector Plan (ESP) is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines a state’s educational priorities, goals, and strategies, backed by a clear framework.
It details what should be done, how it should be done, where actions will take place, and how funds will be allocated and tracked. It ensures that policies are not only aspirational but actionable and measurable.
Unfortunately, Kano State currently lacks an updated ESP, with its last known plan expiring in 2018.
This outdated status has contributed to the state’s inability to meet the needs of students, especially in rural and marginalized communities.
We therefore urge Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who has declared a state of emergency in the education sector, to match that declaration with strategic action by championing the development of a new, inclusive ESP that integrates Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning (GRESP).
GRESP offers specific frameworks to address the context-based barriers girls face in rural schools.
Students like Zainab and countless others who have battled health issues or missed school due to poor sanitation can be better protected when schools are equipped with safe, clean, and private facilities.
These investments are not optional; they are essential to safeguarding the health, education, and future of every child, regardless of gender.