More than 150,000 students in Kano State public schools will sit their 2026 examinations without paying a single registration fee, after the state government approved ₦4.4 billion to cover costs across three national examination bodies.

The funding will meet examination fees for candidates registered with the National Examinations Council, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies for the 2026/2027 academic session. Commissioner for Education Ali Haruna Makoda announced the approval, describing it as a direct response to the financial barriers that prevent many eligible students from completing their secondary education.

Makoda said the initiative aligns with the education agenda of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, which prioritises reducing the cost burden on families in public schools and ensuring that no student reaches the final stage of secondary education only to be turned away from the examination hall over an unpaid fee. He added that the investment is designed to facilitate a smoother transition from secondary to tertiary education for students who would otherwise fall through the gap at the point where qualifications are earned.

The scale of the intervention places Kano among a small group of Nigerian states that have consistently committed to examination fee sponsorship as a deliberate education policy rather than a one off gesture. Education stakeholders have noted that sustained programmes of this kind have a measurable impact on examination participation rates and on the number of students who proceed into tertiary education rather than dropping out at secondary school completion.

For over 150,000 students and their families across Kano State, the approval removes a barrier that has historically been one of the quietest and most consistent causes of educational exclusion in Nigeria's public school system