KANO PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Parents Cry Out Over ‘Hidden’ Charges, Graduation Fees — Inside the Growing Education Cost Crisis
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Northern Bureau Chief
September 4, 2026
Parents and guardians across Kano State are raising the alarm over what they describe as a growing system of “hidden” and compulsory charges allegedly imposed by some private schools, with graduation ceremonies, excursions, textbooks, uniforms and other activities adding thousands of naira to the cost of educating a child.
A Democracy Newsline investigation conducted across parts of Kano State found that some parents are being confronted with multiple payments beyond advertised tuition fees, fuelling concerns that the financial burden of private education may be rising even where schools have not formally increased their tuition.
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The allegations have triggered fresh demands for the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institutions Board (KSPVIB) to intensify its monitoring of private schools and determine whether additional charges being imposed on parents comply with existing regulations.
It is about what parents describe as a “pay-as-you-go” education system, where tuition may represent only the beginning of a long list of compulsory payments.
“You pay school fees, then they bring graduation fees, excursion money, books, uniforms and other contributions. By the time you calculate everything, the actual cost is far higher than what you were told at the beginning,” one parent told Democracy Newsline.
Another parent questioned the practice of making some activities compulsory.
“If graduation is an optional ceremony, parents should be allowed to decide whether their children will participate. But when payment becomes compulsory, it becomes another school fee by another name,” the parent alleged.
One of the most contentious issues uncovered during the investigation is the alleged collection of between N10,000 and N20,000 per student for excursions in some private schools.
Although educational excursions can provide students with practical learning experiences outside the classroom, parents interviewed by the newspaper questioned whether such activities should automatically attract compulsory payments.
They also demanded greater transparency over the destinations, transportation arrangements, number of participating students, security provisions and actual cost of the excursions.
“We are not against excursions. We want to know exactly what we are paying for, whether the excursion is compulsory and whether the amount being demanded is reasonable,” another parent said.
The concerns are particularly significant at a time when families are already facing rising expenses associated with food, transportation, healthcare and other household necessities.
Parents alleged that some schools demand payments for graduation ceremonies while also requiring students to provide food, clothing or other items connected with the event.
Critics argue that such expenses can become particularly burdensome for families with more than one child attending private schools.
“The problem is not graduation itself. The problem is when parents are presented with a bill and made to feel that their child cannot participate unless the money is paid.”
The newspaper could not independently establish that all private schools engage in the alleged practices, and the concerns appear to vary from one institution to another.
However, the consistency of complaints from parents in different areas of Kano raises questions about whether the regulatory authorities need to conduct a broader assessment of non-tuition charges.
The controversy comes against the background of the Kano State Government’s policy restricting arbitrary increases in private-school fees.
The Chairman of KSPVIB, Comrade Baba Abubakar Umar, has stated that private schools seeking to increase fees are expected to approach the Board, explain the reasons for the proposed increase and obtain the necessary approval before implementing such increases.
The policy is intended to provide regulatory oversight and protect parents from arbitrary financial demands.
What happens when tuition remains unchanged while compulsory charges outside tuition continue to increase?
Parents fear that a school could technically maintain its approved tuition fee while increasing the overall financial obligation of families through graduation charges, excursions, textbooks, uniforms, activities and other payments.
One parent summed up the frustration with the Hausa expression:
“Aki cin biri, an ci Dila.”
The expression, loosely understood in this context, suggests that stopping one route of financial pressure achieves little if another route is immediately opened.
The central issue, therefore, is not whether schools should legitimately charge for services or activities, but whether such charges are transparent, reasonable, properly approved where required, and genuinely necessary.
The KSPVIB has demonstrated that it is prepared to take enforcement action against private schools found to be operating outside regulatory requirements.
The Board recently reportedly shut down eight private schools over alleged violations of regulatory requirements.
They include Prime College Kano, Alu Avenue; Darul Ulum, Hotoro (Ahmad Musa Road); Gwani Dan Zarga College, Kofar Waika; Awwal Academy, Rimi, Sumaila; Dano Memorial College, Sumaila; Unity Academy, Wudil; Nurul Islam School; and As-Saif College.
The enforcement action sends a strong message that regulatory requirements cannot simply be ignored.
However, parents and education stakeholders argue that regulation must go beyond registration, licensing and physical infrastructure.
They want the authorities to examine the financial practices of schools, including the way additional charges are introduced and collected.
Parents expressed concerns about issues such as controlled access to school premises, emergency preparedness, fire safety, transportation arrangements, sanitation, security and child-protection measures.
For education stakeholders, these issues are inseparable from the quality of private education.
A school may have impressive classrooms and good academic results, but parents also expect children to be protected while under the institution’s care.
This raises the question of whether periodic regulatory inspections should include a comprehensive assessment covering fees, safety, infrastructure, sanitation, transportation, student welfare and child protection.
Parents and education stakeholders are now calling for a comprehensive review of additional charges imposed by private schools throughout Kano State.
The Board could also consider publishing a clear, publicly accessible schedule of permissible charges and those requiring regulatory approval, enabling parents to know when a demand is legitimate and when they should seek clarification.
Private schools remain vital to Kano
The investigation does not diminish the important contribution of private schools to Kano’s education sector.
With Kano’s large and growing population, private institutions play a significant role in expanding access to education and providing alternatives to overcrowded public schools.
Many private-school proprietors also operate under difficult economic conditions, facing rising costs of salaries, electricity, rent, teaching materials, transportation and maintenance.
The objective, therefore, should not be to criminalise legitimate school expenses or unnecessarily punish proprietors.
Rather, the challenge is to establish a transparent balance between the operational realities of private schools and the financial capacity of ordinary families.
Parents demand answers
At the heart of the controversy is a simple question:
If arbitrary tuition increases are prohibited, can schools lawfully or fairly compensate by introducing multiple compulsory charges under different names?
That is the question KSPVIB may now have to answer.
Parents are demanding transparency. School proprietors deserve clear regulatory guidelines. And the government has a responsibility to ensure that its policy achieves its intended purpose.
For families already struggling with the rising cost of living, an apparently affordable school fee can become unaffordable once multiple additional charges are added.
The Kano Government may therefore need to look beyond the headline tuition fee and examine the true cost of private education.
Because for many parents, the issue is no longer simply.
That is the financial question at the centre of Kano’s growing private-school controversy—and one that regulators may no longer be able to ignore.
DemocracyNewslineNewspaper September 4, 2026
