A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Auwal Dankano, has urged the state government to suspend its overseas scholarship programs and redirect those funds to support local universities facing financial challenges.

Dankano's call comes in response to Northwest University's recent increase in registration fees from ₦19,000 to approximately ₦53,000, which has raised concerns about educational accessibility in the state.

"Yes, we are all aware that the management unofficially complained about shortage of funds to run the varsity, hence they decided to make the increase," Dankano stated. "To say the fact, the school authority has a valid reason to increase the fees. But this is not in line with the Kano State policy on education."

Alternative Funding Solutions Proposed

While acknowledging the financial constraints faced by the university, Dankano emphasized that the burden should not fall on students and their families. He suggested that the government should explore alternative funding mechanisms to support state-owned universities.

"In my view, the government should reverse the increase and create an avenue where the deficit should be funded elsewhere," he recommended.

The APC member specifically proposed that funds currently allocated for overseas scholarships should be redirected to Northwest University and Sa'adatu Rimi University of Education, the two state-owned institutions.

Financial Implications

According to Dankano's estimates, each of the two state universities serves approximately 10,000 Kano indigenes. He calculated that the state government would need to allocate about ₦1.5 billion annually to adequately address the financial needs of these institutions.

"Based on assumptions, the average 10,000 Kano indigenes in each of the two state-owned universities, the state government needs to pay about ₦1.5 billion annually. That will fill in the gap, and make education for all," Dankano explained.

The fee increase at Northwest University has sparked discussions about educational policies in Kano State, particularly regarding the government's commitment to providing affordable and accessible education to its citizens.

As of now, the Kano State government has not officially responded to Dankano's proposal or addressed the fee increase at Northwest University.