The Honourable Commissioner
Ministry of Education
Kano State
Kano

Dear Sir,

RE: CALL FOR URGENT INTERVENTION INTO UNETHICAL PRACTICES IN SOME PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN KANO STATE

I wish to humbly draw your attention to some unethical and exploitative practices being carried out in several private schools across Kano State. These practices affect teachers, parents, and students negatively, and if not addressed, may erode the quality, fairness, and moral foundation of our educational system.

Taste the Goodness: EL Blends All-Natural Cold-Pressed Juices

 

1. Exploitation of Teachers

A major concern is the underpayment and poor treatment of teachers in many private schools. Most teachers are paid meagre salaries far below the national minimum wage, with some earning as little as ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 monthly, despite their workload and qualifications.

In addition:
– They are often denied union membership or representation, which is a clear violation of labour rights.
– There is no job security, no pension scheme, and no career progression, which leaves many of them vulnerable and unmotivated.

This situation is similar to the concerns raised in the recent NUPENG and Dangote Refinery issue, where workers were denied their right to unionise and better working conditions.

 

2. Commercial Exploitation of Parents

Many private schools impose excessive financial burdens on parents, especially in the following ways:

• Compulsory purchase of textbooks and uniforms from the school at highly inflated prices, despite these being available elsewhere at cheaper rates.
• Monopoly practices that do not allow parents to choose where to buy school materials.
• Frequent changes in recommended books, rendering previous ones useless for other children in the same family.

We strongly recommend that only standard, reusable textbooks be approved by schools. In the past, families successfully reused textbooks across siblings for years. This helped reduce cost and maintained academic continuity.

 

3. Unethical Disciplinary Measures
We also observe that some schools impose monetary penalties or material fines on students for minor infractions such as lateness, noise-making, or incomplete uniforms. Rather than employing constructive discipline, such as light cleaning, sweeping, or classroom tasks, students are:

• Forced to pay money or
• Bring materials like brooms, detergent, etc., as punishment.

This commercialisation of discipline is dangerous, encourages bribery-like attitudes, and removes the educational value from disciplinary action.

 

4. Our Plea and Recommendations

In view of the above, we respectfully appeal to your office to intervene and take the following actions:

• Investigate and enforce labour laws in private schools, especially regarding teachers’ salaries and working conditions.
• Prohibit forced purchases of books and uniforms from schools and allow parents to buy where it’s affordable.
• Ensure that only reusable textbooks are recommended, which can be passed on to siblings or used for multiple years.
• Ban the practice of financial penalties as a form of discipline and promote ethical and educational disciplinary practices.
• Sensitize private school owners to see education as a noble service, not just a profit-making venture.

 

Sir, this appeal is made not to tarnish the image of private schools but to ensure that education in Kano State remains just, affordable, and of high quality. We trust that under your leadership, steps will be taken to uphold the dignity of teachers, relieve parents of undue burdens, and protect the welfare of our students.

We thank you in anticipation of your kind attention and swift response.

 

Yours faithfully,
Dr. Bature Tukuntawa