Chalk Won’t Save Our Schools: Time for Kano to Rethink Its Education Priorities
By Matthew Eloyi
The recent distribution of 120,000 cartons of chalk to public schools in Kano State has been touted by the state government as a major step toward improving teaching and learning. While the gesture has been praised in some quarters, it raises more questions than it answers, and ultimately, it reflects a worrisome misunderstanding of the real problems plaguing public education in the state.
Chalk, in 2025, is not a sign of progress. It is a reminder of how far behind our educational infrastructure still is. Across the globe, classrooms are becoming digital, teachers are being trained in modern pedagogy, and students are being equipped with the tools of the future. Meanwhile, Kano celebrates the mass distribution of chalk like it’s an innovation.
Let’s be clear: no one is saying teaching materials are unnecessary. Of course, basic supplies are important. But when a government parades chalk distribution as a transformative intervention, it signals a lack of ambition and a failure to grasp the scale of the crisis in our schools. Chalk should not be the headline; comprehensive reform should.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration may genuinely intend to fix education, but optics cannot replace substance. What the schools need are qualified, motivated teachers, better infrastructure, modern instructional technology, and an overhauled curriculum that prepares young people for a rapidly evolving world. Chalk does none of that.
In October 2023, the government reportedly distributed textbooks, uniforms, and other materials worth billions of naira. Yet, many classrooms remain overcrowded, understaffed, and in deplorable condition. Pupils still sit on bare floors, and many schools lack access to clean water and sanitation. Shouldn’t those be the headlines?
When state officials urge school heads to use the chalk “judiciously,” it almost borders on irony. What level of impact can chalk really have when teachers are overworked and underpaid, and when the quality of education continues to plummet?
Rather than focus on ceremonial giveaways, Kano State must invest in long-term, structural improvements. Retraining teachers, renovating schools, and integrating digital tools into the classroom will make far more impact than a truckload of chalk ever could.
Symbolic gestures are no substitute for serious governance. Our children deserve better. If the government is serious about rescuing public education, it must stop celebrating mediocrity and start addressing the systemic rot that keeps our schools stuck in the past.
The future of Kano’s children cannot and must not be written in chalk!
