By Bashir Bello

KANO — Kano State government on Thursday said 5,000 out of 7,000 private schools in the state were yet to revalidate their operational licence.

This was as it threatened that at the end of the revalidation exercise, any school owner who failed to revalidate their licence stand risk of being declared as illegal.

The Special Adviser to the Governor, on Private and Voluntary Institution Board, Comrade Baba Abubakar Umar made this known while briefing newsmen in the state.

Comrade Umar who frowned at what he described as non compliance by the private school owners noted that of the 7,000 private schools in the state, 3,000 of them collected the revalidation form while only 2,000 successfully filled and returned the form.

According to him, “When I came on board what I met was very pathetic and disturbing. It is unfortunate that there are a proliferation of schools that are mushrooming in Kano, without a good environment, without registration, with those who don’t adhere to the curriculum.

“When I assumed office, I decided that we will go digital and we have already created that portal. I told the school owners to come for new revalidation forms, at least to enable the state to collect data in relation to pupils and students in schools in the state. The essence is to have an educational planning policy for the state. No state will develop without having this data for public and private schools. Unfortunately, they don’t comply.

“There are over 7,000 schools in Kano, but when we say called them to come and collect this form which is free, we captured 3,000 and out of that, 2,000 returned the forms while others refused to come. They don’t know already they are online. They can’t escape.

“And this is part of the process of revalidation. And very soon you we will make it public the schools that have qualified based on the certificate I will issue out.

“The problem is about the 10 per cent tax of the termly fees initiated during the Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso administration. I didn’t assented to it. They have been operating without remitting into government coffers. They are shortchanging the government and society.

“What I am doing is within the framework of law,” Comrade Umar however stated.

Recall that the government had earlier announced its resolve to withdraw operational licence of the private schools in the state and issued new registration forms to the school owners with immediate effect.