By Rabiu Sanusi
The Kano State Government has launched a statewide Career Choices Programme designed to help secondary school students make informed decisions about courses, careers and tertiary institutions.
Representing Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf at the event, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Umar Farukh Ibrahim, said the initiative would provide students with the information needed to understand their strengths, abilities and academic interests before choosing their future career paths.
Governor Yusuf urged students to base their career decisions on their interests, abilities and academic performance rather than peer pressure, social expectations or the perceived prestige of certain professions.
He said his administration had prioritised education since assuming office, declaring a state of emergency in the sector and introducing interventions covering infrastructure, teacher recruitment, learning materials, scholarships, supervision and institutional reforms.
The governor noted that education received the largest share of the state budget in 2024, 2025 and 2026, describing the sustained investment as part of his administration’s efforts to prepare Kano’s young population for the future.
Yusuf highlighted the recruitment of 4,350 first-year volunteer teachers into permanent and pensionable service in 2025, alongside other recruitment exercises and the distribution of 73,000 three-seater desks across the 44 local government areas.
He said providing access to schools was only one part of the government’s responsibility, stressing the need to guide students to make the best use of the opportunities available to them.
The governor therefore charged career guidance officers to provide students with accurate information on UTME subject combinations, admission requirements, courses and available career pathways.
He also urged parents and guardians to guide their children according to their abilities and interests instead of imposing career choices on them.
Yusuf called for stronger collaboration among teachers, parents and community leaders to address moral decadence and the growing challenge of illicit drug use among young people.
The Commissioner for Education, Hon. Gwani Ali Haruna Makoda, urged students to take career guidance seriously, stressing that informed educational choices were essential to achieving their aspirations.
Makoda called for stronger guidance and counselling services across schools, warning students against making career decisions based on social media trends, parental assumptions or chance.
He said professional advice was necessary to help students understand available career options, appropriate subject combinations, admission requirements and tertiary programmes before making important educational decisions.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Kano State Educational Resources Directorate (KERD), Hajiya Rabi Inuwa Hussain, whose directorate organised the programme under the Ministry of Education, said the initiative would help students identify their interests and abilities at an early stage.
She explained that some students lose admission opportunities despite obtaining good UTME scores because of wrong subject combinations and uninformed choices.
Hussain said the programme would strengthen the capacity of counsellors to guide students towards suitable career pathways.
The Permanent Secretary commended the Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf-led administration for prioritising education, noting that the sector had recorded significant achievements under the present administration.
