Kano State's ongoing education reforms have drawn international acclaim after being showcased at the Parliament of the United Kingdom, where policymakers and global education experts praised the state's sustained investment in improving literacy outcomes for its youngest learners.

The recognition came during the International Parliamentary Forum on Reading Revolution, held at the House of Lords in Westminster, London, on July 23, 2026. The forum, supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Nigeria and chaired by Lord Alton of Liverpool, brought together parliamentarians, researchers, education leaders and policymakers from both the United Kingdom and Nigeria to discuss ways of deepening educational cooperation between the two countries.

Central to the discussion was Kano's implementation of the Jolly Phonics Project, a literacy initiative run in partnership with Universal Learning Solutions (ULS), an international non-governmental organisation working to strengthen reading and writing skills across formal and integrated Nigerian schools. Speaking at the forum, ULS Chief Executive Gary Foxcroft commended the Kano State Government for what he described as a sustained commitment to education reform, pointing to increased funding, new policy initiatives, and measurable improvements in learning outcomes under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's administration.

A key theme raised during the forum was Kano's approach of adapting synthetic phonics methods โ€” credited with transforming reading standards in England โ€” to fit the Nigerian context, including efforts to extend the programme into integrated Qur'anic schools as part of the state's broader Almajiri education reforms. The state's Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Sani Auwal, welcomed this expansion, describing the integration of Qur'anic schools as an opportunity to strengthen both literacy and numeracy while preserving Kano's religious and cultural heritage. He framed the initiative as one rooted in inclusion, aimed at ensuring that children attending any type of school โ€” religious or secular โ€” have access to foundational reading skills.

Officials at the forum also emphasised a structural distinction that set Kano's programme apart from many similar literacy initiatives across the continent: rather than relying on donor funding, the state's reforms are financed directly by the Kano State Government, a model organisers described as a more sustainable, government-led alternative to the traditional foreign-aid-dependent approach common in African education programming.

The international recognition did not end with the parliamentary forum. Two days later, on July 25, Governor Yusuf was presented with the International Literacy and Learning Leadership Award by Universal Learning Solutions during a ceremony at the historic Stationers' Hall in the City of London, held as part of activities marking the 20th anniversary of the Jolly Phonics programme's presence in Africa. The award recognised the governor's leadership and sustained investment in transforming Kano's education sector.

Following the ceremony, Universal Learning Solutions reaffirmed its long-term partnership with the Kano State Government, pledging continued collaboration on expanding the Jolly Phonics programme, strengthening teacher training, and improving literacy outcomes across the state's schools. Officials say the dual recognition โ€” both institutional and personal โ€” further cements Kano's emerging reputation as a reference point for government-driven, evidence-based education reform in Nigeria and across the wider African continent.