Schools in Ruins, Futures on Hold: The Silent Collapse of Education in Katsina State
INTRODUCTION
For thousands of children in rural communities like Faskari, Batsari, and Kankara, learning has become a luxury replaced by the constant fear of abduction and the hopelessness of waiting for a government that has long stopped listening. Over 200 children have reportedly been forced out of Kamfanin Daudawa Primary School in Faskari Local Government Area, where crumbling infrastructure and government neglect mirror the wider decay of the education system. The crisis is no longer an isolated tragedy; it is a portrait of systemic failure that continues to rob an entire generation of its right to learn.
A SYSTEM IN DECAY
A civic accountability group, MonITNG, recently petitioned Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda over the condition of Kamfanin Daudawa Primary School, describing it as “a heartbreaking reflection of how badly neglected education has become.”
The group revealed that a ceiling collapse narrowly missed killing pupils, an incident that, though shocking, is only one symptom of a deeper rot. Despite substantial budget allocations and federal interventions, including the ₦250 billion disbursed by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) nationwide, the realities on the ground tell a different story.
The organization’s findings are damning: hundreds of pupils have dropped out due to unsafe learning environments, with classrooms that are structurally unfit for use. “Kamfanin Daudawa is not an isolated failure,” MonITNG warned, “it is a loud symbol of misplaced priorities in Katsina’s governance, where billions exist on paper, but children study in ruins.”
INSECURITY AND THE WAR ON EDUCATION
The decline of education in Katsina cannot be divorced from the unrelenting wave of insecurity that has engulfed the state. A UNICEF-supported research project by Oxford Policy Management (OPM), covering 2020–2025, paints a grim picture:
- 330 students abducted across Batsari, Faskari, and Kankara LGAs.
- 52 schools shut down in the three LGAs due to insecurity.
- 15 school staff kidnapped and five killed.
- 37.7% of teachers reporting feeling unsafe while teaching.
- 79.7% of students struggling to concentrate due to trauma and exposure to violence.
In rural Katsina, classrooms have become war zones. Banditry, kidnappings, and attacks have transformed schools into symbols of fear rather than hope.
THE HUMAN COST
The numbers mask deeper wounds. Families have fled their homes; children who once dreamed of becoming doctors, teachers, and engineers now herd livestock or wander aimlessly through displacement camps. The 2020 Kankara school abduction, in which over 300 students were kidnapped, remains an open wound, a reminder that education in northern Nigeria has become a high-risk endeavour.
In affected LGAs such as Jibia, Safana, Danmusa, and Dandume, schools and markets have shut down completely. Governor Dikko Radda admitted that “children have been kept out of school, parents have buried their children, and elders have fled their ancestral homes.” Yet, despite this acknowledgement, tangible solutions remain elusive.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: WORDS WITHOUT ACTION
Governor Radda’s administration insists it has adopted dialogue and community peace pacts as part of the “Katsina Model” for conflict resolution. But education experts argue that peace talks cannot replace security and investment.
“Temporary learning centres” and “radio teaching” initiatives have been introduced, especially in Kankara, where 84% of respondents support alternative education delivery. However, these are stopgap measures not sustainable solutions.
Meanwhile, civil society groups and child rights advocates are demanding transparency in education funding and the urgent rehabilitation of destroyed schools. Without decisive intervention, analysts warn, Katsina risks producing a lost generation of children too traumatized to learn, too displaced to return, and too neglected to hope.
THE BROADER IMPLICATIONS
The consequences extend far beyond Katsina. Nigeria already leads the world in the number of out-of-school children with over 20 million, according to UNESCO. The situation in Katsina, one of the epicentres of this crisis, threatens to widen the national education gap and deepen regional inequalities.
Experts warn that the breakdown of education directly fuels insecurity, as idle and uneducated youth become easy recruits for criminal groups. UNICEF’s Officer-in-Charge, Michael Banda, aptly summarized:
“Education is not only the right of every child, but also the foundation for peace, stability, and sustainable development. The collapse of education in northern Nigeria is, in itself, a security threat.”
CONCLUSION
The tragedy unfolding in Katsina is the systematic erasure of a generation’s future. When schools become unsafe, when teachers fear for their lives, and when governments make promises without protection, education dies slowly, silently, and tragically. Unless urgent, rights-based interventions are implemented; from rebuilding destroyed schools to securing learning environments and ensuring accountability for education funds, the children of Katsina will remain trapped between bullets and broken promises.
